VietNamNet Bridge – A big amount of pesticide has been found under the ground in Thanh Hoa province in the central region. Scientists have also warned about the many tons of pesticide still under the earth in many other localities.

Thanh Hoa: Toxic chemicals buried in pesticide factory

The Thanh Hoa provincial Police on August 30 released the decision to stop the operation of Nicotex Thanh Thai JSC after the discovery that the company buried tons of pesticide which caused serious pollution to the earth and water resources.

The pesticide found was put in barrels. Some barrels, left for a long time in the earth have got rotten, from which pesticide has soaked into the ground. Other barrels remain undamaged.

MDH, a company’s security guard, estimated that no less than 5 tons of pesticide was buried by the company.

In fact, local people have been feeling the risk from the pesticide under the ground. They have to wear protective masks to sleep to avoid the peril.

The police took the dirt and water samples for testing on August 30 to clarify the case. Meanwhile, local residents who have been living “together with pesticides” for the last many years, still have to wait for the final conclusion.

Pham Quoc Bao, Chief Secretariat of the district authorities said the local authorities many times requested competent agencies to come to investigate the case. However, the agencies all reported the environment was in good conditions. Only when the pesticide was unearthed, did the local authorities and competent agencies believe the truth.

Professor Dr. of Science Le Huy Ba said it’s very dangerous to bury pesticide in barrels under the ground. The barrels will get corroded after some time and the pesticide will leak into the earth. The poison will affect many generations in a long term.

According to Ba, pesticide was found under the ground in many other localities such as Dak Lak or Binh Duong. In Yen Thanh area of Nghe An province, a lot people were found as catching cancer diseases, and an investigation conducted here discovered that the culprit was the pesticide put under the ground.

In many provinces, competent agencies now keep big stores of pesticide with many tons of the poison. The products, which have been seized during the market investigation, do not show the clear origin and expiry dates. These also include the pesticide prohibited in the world, including DDT, 666 or Methyl.

The pesticide has been kept in stores for such a long time that the managers have forgotten about this. Meanwhile, competent agencies need to check the pesticide and carry out reasonable treatment with the products, or the pesticide will flow into the environment.

Ba said the pesticide leaking will poison the underground water and kill aquatic creatures. The poison may spread out and affect the water resources which provide water to people for daily use.

“Pesticide must be burnt down or treated with the hazardous waste treatment technologies,” Ba said.

Also according to the scientist, if people or animals drink the water contaminated with pesticide, they will suffer the acute toxicity, which cause vomiting, headache or death. In other cases, toxins will be accumulated in people’s liver, kidney, fat, thus causing chronic diseases which may develop into liver and kidney cancer.

Lao Dong