HCB scandal in the Görtschitztal

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The HCB scandal in the Görtschitztal refers to the release and accumulation of hexachlorobenzene (HCB) in the Görtschitztal in Carinthia , which became known in 2014.

prehistory

In the municipality of Brückl in the lower Görtschitztal , the contaminated site "Kalkdeponie Brückl I / II" has been located since 1926 , a former plant landfill of Donau Chemie , in which approx. 230,000 m³ of material contaminated by chlorinated hydrocarbons (CHC), hexachlorobenzene and hexachlorobutadiene was stored. As a by-product of acetylene -Fabrication incurred Blaukalk was from 1952 to 1981 together with CFC-containing sludge landfill than in both parts stockpile stored. From 1995 CHCs were removed from the landfill by means of soil air extraction . High levels of CHCs were detected in the groundwater body. The pollutant potential was therefore classified as "extremely high" by the Federal Environment Agency in 2003 , the priority of the contaminated site was classified as 1 (= highest urgency for remediation).

chronology

As part of the renovation work carried out from 2011 , the w & p Zement cement works of the Wietersdorfer Group received the order for thermal disposal of the material after a public tender, which, according to Donau Chemie, is possible at high temperatures of over 800 ° C. According to Greenpeace , the HCB content of the emissions from the plant was not measured.

In March 2014, the Agency for Health and Food Safety found that the HCB limit values in food from the Görtschitztal were exceeded .

Although it has been known internally in the state of Carinthia for months, State Councilor Christian Benger announced in a press conference on November 26, 2014 that HCB contamination of milk and animal feed (grass and hay) had been determined in four dairy farms in the region, 35 farms would be controlled. Governor Peter Kaiser only learned of this from the press. It was only at the beginning of December that Provincial Councilor Rolf Holub from the Carinthian provincial government warned against the consumption of food from the Görtschitztal. At the same time, the Sonnenalm dairy in Klein St. Paul had to cease operations because of the contamination in raw milk.

On December 16, 2014, the Wietersdorfer company was withdrawn from the state government's approval for the utilization of blue lime. The company announced that it would raise an objection to ensure legal clarification. On December 22nd, Wietersdorfer terminated the incineration contract with Donau Chemie . Donau Chemie stated that it would not accept the termination. Cement production was resumed on February 13, 2015 without the use of blue lime.

The public prosecutor's office and the state criminal investigation department started investigations. On December 18, 2014, the state government announced the establishment of a commission of inquiry headed by Bernd-Christian Funk . The Carinthian state parliament set up a committee of inquiry . The first public meetings took place on January 28, 2015.

In January 2015, the removal of 20,000 tons of feed and voluntary tests of the population for HCB in blood or breast milk began. On March 12, it was announced that 21 of the 131 blood samples carried out were above the reference value (exposure to 95% of the Austrian population).

Some of the food samples analyzed by the end of 2014 were contaminated with HCB. In mid-January 2015, the warning against certain foods such as milk, meat and oil was upheld.

According to Greenpeace, water analyzes of the Gurk in March 2015 clearly exceeded the limit values.

By the end of March 2015, 289 cattle had been destroyed, 800 tonnes of milk had been disposed of and incinerated, and contaminated animal feed from 332 farms in six municipalities had been removed. An aid fund from the state government was increased to seven million euros. Contaminated hay bales, which had previously been stored in Wietersdorf, were transported abroad from January 2018. Part of it is to be incinerated in Germany without leaving any residue.

The radio commission ended its investigations at the end of April. A summary of the report was presented to the public on May 18, 2015 and revealed major deficiencies in the work of the authorities as well as the cement works and communication and information deficits of all those involved. The test report was first sent to the public prosecutor and the U-Committee and has since been published.

The final report was published on April 21, 2016, according to which feed and milk are no longer contaminated.

The landfill in Brückl was sealed after the failure of renovation projects. The enclosure of the landfill body was completed in September 2018.

From 2014 to June 2018, seven series of blood tests were carried out on the affected population; further follow-up examinations are planned at three-year intervals.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Contaminated site K 20 lime landfill I / II. In: Umweltbundesamt - Altlastenatlas - Carinthia, accessed on January 16, 2015.
  2. ↑ Remediation of contaminated sites K20. In: gwu.at. November 13, 2013, accessed on January 16, 2015.
  3. ↑ w & p in RegiowikiAT, accessed on January 16, 2015.
  4. ↑ Press release: Groundbreaking ceremony for clearing the Brückl landfill. Donau Chemie AG. November 15, 2011, accessed on January 16, 2015.
  5. ^ Donau Chemie redevelops large landfill. In: derstandard.at. November 15, 2011, accessed on January 16, 2015.
  6. ↑ Purchased feed makes milk inconspicuous ( Memento from December 4, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) . In :wirtschaftsblatt.at. November 30, 2014, accessed on January 16, 2015.
  7. ↑ Görtschitztal: Tests were inadequate. In: oe1.orf.at. November 28, 2014, accessed on January 16, 2015.
  8. ↑ HCB: limit value exceeded known since March. In: kaernten.orf.at. December 11, 2014, accessed on January 16, 2015.
  9. ^ Carinthia: Carcinogenic poison found in milk. In: krone.at. November 26, 2014, accessed November 26, 2018.
  10. ↑ Burdens widen. In: kleinezeitung.at. December 6, 2014, accessed November 26, 2018.
  11. ↑ Carinthian Sonnenalm dairy ceases production for the time being. In: vol.at. December 6, 2014, accessed on January 16, 2015.
  12. ^ Carinthia: Poison in milk probably from cement works. In: diepresse.com. November 27, 2014, accessed on January 16, 2015.
  13. ↑ HCB: license for blue lime withdrawn. In: kaernten.orf.at. December 16, 2014, accessed on January 16, 2015.
  14. ^ Carinthian HCB scandal: cement works defends itself against state decision. In: derstandard.at. December 17, 2014, accessed on January 16, 2015.
  15. ↑ w & p terminates contract with Donau Chemie. In: kaernten.orf.at. December 22, 2014, accessed on January 16, 2015.
  16. ↑ HCB scandal: Donau Chemie does not accept contract termination. In: derstandard.at. December 23, 2014, accessed on January 16, 2015.
  17. ↑ Christian Zechner: Land says yes: w & p has been able to produce again since 4.45 p.m. In: kleinezeitung.at. February 13, 2015, accessed November 26, 2018 .
  18. ↑ HCB scandal: 261 farms in the Görtschitztal are examined. In: sn.at. December 7, 2014, accessed November 26, 2018.
  19. ↑ Press release: HCB Görtschitztal: Bernd-Christian Funk will head an independent investigation committee. In: ots.at. December 18, 2014, accessed on January 16, 2015.
  20. ^ HCB-U Committee: First public meeting. In: kaernten.orf.at. January 28, 2015, accessed on November 26, 2018.
  21. ↑ HCB-U Committee: Experts on the floor. In: kaernten.orf.at. February 4, 2015, accessed March 25, 2015.
  22. ↑ Army mission canceled, U Committee delayed. In: krone.at. January 9, 2015, accessed on January 16, 2015.
  23. ↑ HCB feed is removed. In: kaernten.orf.at. January 8, 2015, accessed on January 16, 2015.
  24. ↑ HCB: Blood and breast milk tests have started. In: diepresse.com. January 12, 2015, accessed on January 16, 2015.
  25. ↑ 21 of 131 blood samples from the Görtschitztal are above the reference value. In: kleinezeitung.at. March 12, 2015, accessed November 26, 2018.
  26. ↑ Carinthia: A quarter of the food samples contaminated with HCB. In: derstandard.at. December 30, 2014, accessed November 26, 2018.
  27. ↑ HCB: 40 percent of the meat samples from Görtschitztal contaminated. In: derstandard.at. January 14, 2015, accessed on November 26, 2018.
  28. ↑ HCB: Greenpeace warns against water from the cucumber. In: kaernten.orf.at. March 11, 2015, accessed November 26, 2018.
  29. ↑ HCB fund now worth seven million euros. In. kaernten.orf.at. March 24, 2015, accessed November 26, 2018.
  30. ↑ HCB scandal blows state budget. In: kurier.at. March 24, 2015, accessed April 12, 2015.
  31. ↑ HCB-contaminated hay: start for removal. In: kaernten.orf.at. January 18, 2018, accessed January 20, 2018 .
  32. ↑ Report of the radio commission on environmental debacle is ready. In: kleinezeitung.at. April 23, 2015, accessed November 26, 2018.
  33. ↑ HCB: Sharp criticism of the experts on land and work. In: derstandard.at. May 18, 2015, accessed May 19, 2015.
  34. ↑ "HCB problem was completely underestimated". In: kleinezeitung.at. May 19, 2015, accessed May 19, 2015.
  35. ↑ HCB in Görtschitztal: radio commission submitted report. (No longer available online.) In: ktn.gv.at. May 18, 2015, archived from the original on May 19, 2015 ; accessed on November 26, 2018 .
  36. ^ Test report of the radio commission. In: ktn.gv.at. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  37. ↑ HCB exposure Görtschitztal, procedural-legal-medical assessment, summary of the results, May 18, 2015. In: ktn.gv.at. Accessed on May 19, 2015 (PDF; 75 kB).
  38. ↑ HCB final report: continued strict controls. In: kaernten.orf.at. April 21, 2016. Retrieved November 26, 2017 .
  39. ↑ HCB: Waiting for decision for landfill. In: kaernten.orf.at. August 16, 2016. Retrieved November 26, 2017 .
  40. ↑ The Brückl blue lime landfill is being renovated. In: kaernten.orf.at. March 28, 2017. Retrieved November 26, 2017 .
  41. ↑ Blue lime landfill in Brückl renovated by June. In: kaernten.orf.at. January 20, 2018, accessed January 20, 2018 .
  42. ^ After the HCB environmental scandal: the Brückl landfill is now completely enclosed. In: kleinezeitung.at. September 20, 2018. Retrieved November 26, 2018 .
  43. ↑ Balance four years after the HCB environmental scandal. In: kaernten.orf.at. November 23, 2018, accessed November 26, 2018 .

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