Toxic spill hits Hungary

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New toxic spill hits Hungary, Ukraine

Source: DPA | Published: Monday March 13, 6:20 AM

BUDAPEST, March 12 - A toxic chemical river spill from a Romanian mine has reached Ukraine and Hungary, reports said today.

The Hungarian MTI news agency said water samples from the river Tisza found it contained 0.2 milligrams of lead per litre, double the officially permitted level.

The spill came after heavy rainfall and melting snow broke the wall of a dam at a state-run mine reservoir near Baia Mare in northern Romania earlier in the week, sending 20,000 tons of zinc and lead waste into the river Vaser.

The Vaser is a tributary of the Tisza, which in turn flows into the Danube, Europe's second largest river after the Volga.

The latest spill occurred only six weeks after a Romanian gold mine leaked cyanide causing an ecological disaster, killing animal life and affecting riverside fishing villages.

MTI said the latest spill hit the upper stretch of the Tisza which remained unaffected by the previous disaster.

In the Ukraine increased levels of lead were measured, Interfax news agency reported.

Hungary called for Romania to be put under international pressure to sign an environmental agreement with Hungary which would also regulate the question of compensation for environmental damage.

Authorities in the stricken north-eastern Hungarian region meanwhile halted intakes from the river for use as drinking water.

The Romanian environment ministry said tests of the Tisza where the river leaves Romanian territory for Ukraine showed heavy metal levels only slightly higher than normal.

However the lead level of 0.187 milligrams per litre was three times higher than the European Union norm.

Germany today sent a team of experts to Bucharest to discuss help measures.

Experts from the World Wide Fund for Nature meanwhile called for immediate action to limit the damage to the Tisza after the accident, saying the slick at the damaged dam must be plugged as soon as possible.

http://www.theage.com.au/breaking/0003/13/A5880-2000Mar13.shtml

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