Old Soviet-Era Chemicals Weighing 3 Tons Found in Mykolaiv

Remnants of old chemicals left over from the Soviet era were found in Mykolaiv Oblast. Ecologists checked two warehouses - within the Pervomaisk community and Sinyukhino-Bridska - and found hazardous substances that used to treat plants against pests.

This was reported by the press service of the State Ecological Inspectorate of the Southwestern District.

The inspectors said that the inspection was conducted on April 24. As it turned out, these chemicals have been stored in warehouses for many years. Together with the contaminated canisters, they weigh about 3 tons.

The specialists passed all the information collected to the central environmental inspection so that these places could be included in a special register of hazardous facilities. This is envisaged by the National Waste Management Plan for 2025-2033.

The inspectorate called on citizens to immediately notify the relevant services if they find hazardous chemical residues or containers.

Recently, environmentalists discovered almost 100 tons of banned chemicals and contaminated soil dumped in 1989 within the Arbuzyn community.

Also in Mykolaiv, work is underway to eliminate the consequences of pollution of the Southern Bug River caused by a vegetable oil spill after an attack by enemy drones. The incident occurred on the night of December 28, 2024, when the wreckage of a Russian drone fell on the territory of an agricultural enterprise and damaged a tank of sunflower oil.

To clean up the river, experts are using sorbents that accelerate the absorption of oily substances. Sorbent booms were also donated from the community's material reserve and installed by rescuers at the sites of the pollution.

Initially, the pollution covered about 1000 square meters, and the oil layer was one centimeter thick. However, by January 2, the area had grown to 9,000 square meters, and in some places the oil layer reached 10 centimeters thick. The estimated amount of environmental damage caused by this accident is estimated at UAH 6.7 million.

Ірина Глухова