An emergency emission of a hazardous substance occurred today in the "Electrozinc" plant in Vladikavkaz, RIA-Novosti reports, referring to the North Ossetian office of the Ministry of Emergency Situations (MES).
The director of the plant reported the incident in a workshop producing sulphuric acid at 10.00 a.m. An "Electrozinc" spokesman made assurances that the situation around this emission does not constitute a threat to life or health. The MES and other expert services are now working on the scene.
Since October 5th 2009, the plant has occasionally released hazardous substances into the atmosphere. For example, on the 28th of October the concentration of sulphuric dioxide in Vladikavkaz' atmosphere exceeded the normal indicator by a factor of ten. The citizens of Vladikavkaz tried to bring the problem to the authorities' attention. The action of the Russian Consumer Protection Service, demanding the suspension of the plant's operation, was, however, declined.
