Armenia should conduct a nationwide review of the impact industrial and hazardous waste have on human health and the environment in the country. This is the conclusion drawn in a new report UN Environment and partners have prepared for the Armenian Government.
The report follows a fire at the Nairit chemicals plant in the Armenian capital Yerevan in August. UN Environment and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) sent a team of international experts to aid the Armenian Government in response.
In a detailed report on the fire published this month, several measures are proposed to reduce the future risks of fires and other incidents.
The decommissioned Nairit plant produced chloroprene rubbers and latexes as well as offering lime, fulfilled sulfuric acid and several other chemicals. Although no injuries were reported, the Armenian Government decided to call for additional technical assistance to establish what risk the fire posed to humans and the environment. Mitigating the damage from abandoned chemicals is complicated. There is not always a clear “owner” of the risk. Costs associated with managing and cleaning up discarded production and storage sites can be huge.
Although the chemicals were mainly identified and grouped appropriately, the experts found that the storage system relied too strongly on storekeepers’ memory. Among the recommended measures is more clear labelling of all chemicals. This will reduce reliance on memory, and make the chemicals easily recognizable by all workers. Repackaging was recommended for some chemicals to improve the storage conditions. The requirements for storage include making sure that each chemical is stored in a fitting container. The experts further recommend replacing manual transfer of liquids with pumping and providing good ventilation.
Several other recommendations answer the need for proper decommissioning of the plant. These will reduce harmful impacts on plant workers, nearby communities and the environment. They include making a thorough assessment of the plant’s impact on the environment and performing an environmental clean-up. Ultimately, the issue of hazardous chemicals management should be examined at country level. This should include not only past and present industrial waste, but also obsolete pesticides and fertilizers as well as domestic hazardous waste and medical waste. The experts furthermore recommend publicizing information about environmental and health impacts and making use of internationally recognized best practices when operating chemical plants.
The response to the fire was mobilized through the partnership between OCHA and UN Environment. Their Joint Environment Unit mobilizes expertise in case of environmental and/or industrial emergencies. Deployments are supported by a network of international partners. In this case, the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism deployed one Swedish and one French chemicals expert with support of the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency. The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation provided an additional chemicals expert from Switzerland. The fire occurred on 28 August and the experts arrived on 10 September.
Globally, out of nearly 95.000 chemicals in commercial and industrial use, only 2.600 have been satisfyingly tested. The effects of the remaining 92.400 on the environment and potential harmful impact on human health and well-being are unknown.
In Armenia, the deployment was preceded by environmental emergency preparedness work supported by the United Nations Development Programme in Armenia, UN Environment, OCHA and the Joint Environment Unit. The country was consequently technically well prepared to respond to the emergency, while authorities also knew of available international support mechanisms.
