Up To 400 Tonnes Of Mercury Stored Under Shop Of Defunct Siberian Plant - Rosatom

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USOLYE-SIBIRSKOYE (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st September, 2020) SIBIRSKOYE, Russia, September 21 (Sputnik) - An estimated up to 400 tonnes of mercury are being stored under a mercury electrolysis shop of an abandoned chemical plant in the town of Usolye-Sibirskoye in Russia's Irkutsk Region, Rosatom executive Maxim Korolkov said on Monday.

The Usolyekhimprom chemical plant ceased activities in 2010 and was declared bankrupt seven years later. A significant amount of waste was placed in underground tanks, as a result of which soil and underground waters have been saturated with hazardous chemicals.

The Federal Environmental Operator, a Rosatom subsidiary, has been tasked by the government with eliminating the pollution.

"According to various experts, there are up to 400 tonnes of mercury under the mercury shop," Korolkov said following a meeting of the region's ecological council.

According to the official, the mercury would be processed and reused in the future.