Turkish Power Station Has Residents Clutching Their Gas Masks

[Susan Gawarecki <loc@ICX.NET>]

At least it wasn't a cloud of radioactive gas...



Turkish Power Station Has Residents Clutching Their Gas Masks 

By Jon Gorvett 



ISTANBUL, Turkey, June 7, 2001 (ENS) - Local residents of the

Aegean town of Yatagan donned gas masks three times last week, as

clouds of poisonous gas swept through the region from the local coal

fired thermal power station. 



With sulphur dioxide levels reaching 9,000 micrograms per cubic metre

- several hundred times above safety levels - local mayor Hasan

Hasmet Isik struck out angrily at the nightmare plant. 



“That’s enough,” he said, “We’ve had it with this.” 



The poison gas cloud came despite assurances from the authorities

that a new filtration system had been installed at the plant - a move

that had come following widespread protest in the winter over the

station’s gas emissions. 



“They spent US$80 million on new equipment to clean the gases,” Isik

said, “but this has broken down three times in a week.” 



<snip>



But for local residents, the sulphur dioxide emissions continue to be a

serious risk - and one that has now been running for nearly eight

years. Doctors and environmentalists fear that the long term effects

of the poison gas clouds will be catastrophic. Already, much of the

local vegetation has been destroyed and cases of respiratory

diseases have skyrocketed.



Full story at http://ens.lycos.com/ens/jun2001/2001L-06-07-03.html

-- 

.....................................................

Susan L. Gawarecki, Ph.D., Executive Director

Oak Ridge Reservation Local Oversight Committee

                       -----                       

A schedule of meetings on DOE issues is posted on our Web site

http://www.local-oversight.org/meetings.html - E-mail loc@icx.net

.....................................................

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