Expert: 500 tons of harsh chemicals buried at Nubarashen landfill in Armenia
07.11.2012,
15:25
About 500tons of harsh chemicals are buried in Nubarashen lanfill in Armenia, head of hazardous waste department of Armenian Ministry of Environment Anahit Alexandryan told journalists at a meeting on monitoring and analysis of expired waste under NATO’s “Science for Peace” program.
YEREVAN, November 7. /ARKA/. About 500tons of harsh chemicals are buried in Nubarashen lanfill in Armenia, head of hazardous waste department of Armenian Ministry of Environment Anahit Alexandryan told journalists at a meeting on monitoring and analysis of expired waste under NATO’s “Science for Peace” program.
The project was implemented in line with Armenia-NATO Individual Partnership Action Plan for 2009-2011.
“Under the project we have mainly studied organochlorines. About 500tons of harsh chemicals have been stored at Nubarashen burial site so far,” she said. Of them, 250 tons are persistent toxic chemicals like DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) and hexachlorocyclohexane.
The expert said that a 214,000 euros worth laboratory was built under the program. The laboratory has modern equipment, a gas chromatograph and a mass-spectrometer in particular.
In addition, Brazilian Government presented some 17 devices to the laboratory. Support was provided also by UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).
Apart from procurement of equipment, NATO funded training courses for young specialists, Alexandryan said, according to Novosti-Armenia.
Persistent toxic chemicals were studied in line with Stockholm Convention both at Nubarashen burial site and in warehouses of former pesticide shops. Chlorine-containing compounds and polychlorinated biphenyl used as dielectric in transformers were studied in particular, the expert said.
Alexandryan informed that the current program covered only studies, whereas the utilization project will be implemented together with UNDP.
Armenian Minister of Environment Aram Harutiunyan, in his turn, said that the cooperation under “Science for Peace” program will continue.
“The Ministry intends to submit a new proposal on environmentally regulated waste storages to prevent emission of dioxins and phuranes, which is envisaged by Armenia-NATO Individual Partnership Action Plan for 2011-2013,” the Minister said. –0--
