Saturday, May 19, 2007
TOPIC 12: Mercury poisoning: Siberiahttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2062595.stmSiberia - Mercury from a polluted industrial site has posed serious danger to the people and the environment. As the mercury continues to leak into the soils and rivers, citizens continue to eat the intoxicated fishes. As a result, people complain of headaches, respiratory and intestinal diseases and hand tremors. In long-term, people can die from mercury poisoning. Cleaning up of the industrial site is in progress but all doesn't seem too well as they claim that there isn't enough funds to boost the process.
There has been a similar case at Minimata Bay in Japan in 1952 when effluent from a factory have reached local waterways. Many were poisoned from eating contaminated fish. Nearly 70 people died, and 100 others were unaffected.
Officials have to boost up the cleaning process for these polluted industrial sites and not delay it. If not treated fast enough, the population may be wiped out.
