In the Ukrainian capital mercury "Chernobyl" (18 photos) Bashny.Net

Mercury is known to be one of the most toxic substances in nature.
At school a broken thermometer mowed from the lessons.
In some cases, even cause the Emergency Situations Ministry.
Now imagine that the capital Highest European (only geographically) state, a few hundred meters from a busy metro station, market, and very close to popular shopping centers, offices ... For more than ten years, the sun is reflected in a quantity of mercury, from which it would be possible to make some thermometers for all the people of our troubled planet.

Construction of the plant "Radical" began in 1949. It was built outside the city, in the middle of a pine forest, but gradually he found himself in the line of Kiev. In 1952 the plant started. Production focuses mainly on the defense industry great and mighty, so it was a secret. In various sources, he appeared as "Plant №1000», «engineering workshops", "Factory of mineral fertilizers" and so on. In fact, the plant was part of the top ten chemical giant of the USSR, its products are exported all over the country and half of Europe. Manufactured there chlorine, caustic soda, sulfuric and hydrochloric acid, bertoletova salt DDT parolon and other products. Work at the plant was considered prestigious - wage workers have been working at times more than the average for the industry, in addition, worked at the plant could be much earlier retirement (also rather big) - 45 years. But work at the plant for more than ten years old are not allowed - at the expiration of this period, if the worker has not yet reached the retirement age of grace, he was transferred to another job. At the same time, according to the testimony of former workers, many workers are "radical" did not live up to his early retirement.








After the collapse of the Union of the plant suffered the fate of many other industrial enterprises. State order removed, and without him to search for markets for the plant could not. In 1996 he started the procedure of bankruptcy, which lasted 4 years - until 2000.

In 2000, the same and there are first reports of tons of mercury spill at the plant. From the Russian media. Then our officials, in particular the Ministry of Emergency Situations, denied this and called it a provocation and an attempt to intimidate people. Meanwhile, while the area of ​​the plant is still considered the regime and to get there, to verify the information, no one could.

After a time, in 2001, he rose again the noise - then the authorities have recognized that there is a problem, but it is under control and does not threaten anybody. Like, no state of emergency was not just the production of the factory provides for a "Planned spills" because of what decades of the plant there accumulated a large number of chemicals. But they do not threaten anyone, as in the ground, a special drainage system that collects them and prevents dissemination.

Meanwhile, according to another source - in 1996 there was an emergency. In one of the workshops for the production of chlorine, where hundreds of tons of mercury used as a liquid electrode being in special tanks - electrolytic cells, the roof collapsed. It destroyed all the capacity, and the mercury was spilled in the shop. It is this department in the photo.

Instead of declaring the people about man-made disaster, the scale of which, in my opinion, similar to Chernobyl, to evacuate the surrounding areas and to urgently start cleaning, the authorities simply coded the information. However, slowly began to develop a plan of treatment. He called for full demolition of the plant and the soil beneath it, and its territory was to be cemented and become a "Mini exclusion zone." But in the end we decided that it is much cheaper (and obviously beneficial for your pocket) to sell the factory and require the new owners to engage in cleaning. Cleaning ... really began in 2003. The tender for the carrying out of her team won the Kharkiv rescue service. I was able to talk with one of its members - it says that funding cleaning constantly squeezed and at the end all the guys working on pure enthusiasm, and when it is possible - the work stopped. For 4 years of work they were able to gather all the visible (that is, the one that spilled on the surface) .. By the way mercury collected mercury, about 100 tons were taken like in Gorlovka on the plant "Nikitrtut." But some sources of this plant argue that no mercury from Kiev, they have not been, and all they have now is no capacity for processing of this amount. In such a case, where she Delhi? They were thrown out somewhere down the road? I would not be surprised if it is. Over the years Spent radicals, mercury had time to soak literally EVERYTHING. The earth, concrete, wood and metal structures. Incidentally, according to preliminary analysis, which are now even the authorities do not hide - the mercury remained about 200 tons. That is 2 times more than it was taken. To clear everything, you need to completely raze to the ground the factory, but not enough, it is necessary in this land dig a pit depth of at least 15 meters, and all this somewhere buried. Deeply.

Instead territory and actively rasprodaёtsya rented. Some tenants demolished old buildings and build new ones, but most of all - the old shop just obbivat lining, and inside is redecorated. Almost right next to deadly shop electrolysis are three large office buildings. Also located on site are Radical stores of various products from the plumbing and building materials to cosmetics and ... I would not be surprised if food. Although precise data about it I do not, but when we with a journalist called the owners of the plant and asked whether it is possible to rent the room for storage of baby food - they had nothing against. We even tried to suck out of them something - hinted questions, and whether it is safe, all the same chemical plant used to be - we were assured that everything is safe. Moreover, the majority of workers in these most offices until recently, had no idea about all this. One of the workshops of the factory turned into a shopping center "Epicenter". Very near, though not at the plant - a popular bazaar "Darynok».

In 2007, it was reported that out of the car, which was carrying a cargo of "radical", beginning with the entrance of the plant, and almost to the metro station "Chernigov" - resulted hundreds of kilograms of mercury. Then it announced a state of emergency, shut down "Darynok" and three days clean. Then he came personally Irena Kilchytska measure the concentration of mercury in the factory and around and assured that everything is "within normal limits».

According to the official version, when repairing the road, under cover we found some old tanks. Do not you understand that there, they were loaded onto a truck and taken to a landfill. On the way, one of them sprung a leak. But some witnesses tell me that in fact almost near the mercury plant dug a pit for the new office building. When dug several meters - there appeared a whole lake of mercury. In order not to deviate from the initiated, its quiet noise demon decided to collect and take out (where?). That's when it broke down, and one of the tanks with the collected mercury. Construction stopped yet, and this place is still a wasteland, which shows that once there were earthworks.













And most importantly, that in the territory of the plant, almost ten meters from this shop - people work. No, liquidators, and ordinary white-collar workers in offices that used about anything and had no idea. Here, on the territory of the plant a lot of warehouses with different goods. For example, on stationery warehouse now, before the first of September is often drop moms with small children ...























In early summer, I was able to make a fuss about this, officials pretended to stir, but been there just yesterday, I was convinced that nothing off the ground did not move.

What should happen to that shit was removed from the European capital, in which 3 years should take the European Championship? ..

© Oleksiy Batchenko