Environmental disaster of toxic sludge could impact 12 countries

Carol Forsloff - While
the full impact of the BP disaster is
not yet known, in Europe 12 countries are facing a potential
disaster, as a toxic sludge edges closer to the Danube River where it
could cause problems for 12 countries.



The toxic sludge is front page news in Europe with potentially awful consequences if it enters the Danube River.

The
environmental disaster is early in its stages, but it surpasses the BP
oil spill with respect to its impact on land areas.  The toxic sludge is
not entering a Gulf where there can be any dispersant.  Instead it is a
large wave of toxic aluminum waste that has been pouring along the land
areas of Hungary, winding through the town of Ajka, where it has
already killed several people and injured hundreds of others.


Despite the fact that the toxic sludge is not defined as toxic in
Europe, it does cause severe burns when it comes into contact with the
skin.  Already there are pictures of some of these burns that can
actually burn down to the bone.  In Hungary, the government has declared
a state of emergency in certain areas while it struggles to find ways
to clean up the sludge and prevent it from further damage.

Herwit Schuster of Green Peace has referred to the toxic sludge as "one of the top three environmental disasters in Europe in the past 20 or 30 years"

One of the fears scientists have is that fish will ingest the metals, which can risk the food chain and harm humans.

The toxic sludge comes from the byproducts that develop from the manufacturing of aluminum.

Officials
believe cleanup will be a long and difficult process that will take at
least a year.  The ground will have to be bulldozed so that the top
layer is removed in impacted areas, with a topsoil put in place in order
to make the area safe.

The late Dr. Henry Schroeder, MD, who was a world authority on trace elements, wrote:

“Most
organic substances are degradable by natural processes.  (However), no
metal is degradable…they are here to stay for a long
time”.

In the medical definition, aluminum is one of those listed as a toxic metal.