VietNamNet Bridge – Residents on the southern side of Dung Quat Oil Refinery in central Quang Ngai Province's Binh Son District have complained of the sulphur dioxide (SO2) pollution being released from the plant.

Survey finds severe air pollution in Hanoi

Environment goes up in smoke

In response to the complaints, the Environmental Observation Technical Centre under the Dung Quat Economic Zone's management board took air samples in those areas for testing.

Test results revealed that the amount of SO2 in the air in these areas had reached between 406.2 - 789.13 micrograms per cu.m of atmosphere, which is considerably higher than the permitted level of 350 microgram per cu.m.

Director of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment's Environmental Monitoring Centre Hoang Duong Tung said SO2 exhaust in the atmosphere could cause respiratory problems, shock and death.

"In the long term, it can also damage plants," he said.

"These days it is hard to breathe. The entire area is misty and the smell of the gas is very unpleasant," said Nguyen Binh Tan who works in Binh Tri Commune.

"This is not the first time it has been discharged from the plant. In the past, the gas discharged from the plant escaped quickly as a result of hot, dry weather and windy conditions, so it did not significantly affect people's health, but the current wet conditions make it difficult for it to escape," he said.

A representative from the refinery, who is in charge of collecting the chemical gas, explained that the plant, like any other oil refinery, had to periodically discharge SO2 within permitted levels.

He added that the plant measured the amount of the gas before discharging it into the environment; however, the wet weather made it unable to forecast the lingering effects and its massing together, so the amount of SO2 in the atmosphere exceeded the allowed level.

He said the plant stopped discharging the gas from Sunday.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News