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Title: Russia probes smelly orange snow
Source:
BBC News
URL Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6323611.stm
Published: Feb 2, 2007
Author: BBC
Post Date: 2007-02-02 21:06:21 by robin
Keywords: None
Views: 78
Comments: 2
Oily yellow and orange snowflakes fell over an area of more than 1,500sq km (570sq miles) in the Omsk region on Wednesday, Russian officials said. Chemical tests were under way to determine the cause, they said. Residents have been advised not to use the snow for household tasks or let animals graze on it. "So far we cannot explain the snow, which is oily to the touch and has a pronounced rotten smell," said Omsk environmental prosecutor Anton German, quoted by the Russian news agency Itar-Tass on Thursday. But Vladimir Gurzhey, an official with the civil defence ministry in Omsk, told the Russia TV channel that the snow had four times the normal levels of iron in it. The TV also reported that coloured snow had fallen in the neighbouring regions of Tomsk and Tyumen. Omsk, in western Siberia, is a centre of Russia's oil industry. About 27,000 people live in the areas affected by the snow, Russian officials said.
(2 images)
Russia has flown a team of chemical experts to a Siberian region to find out why smelly, coloured snow has been falling over several towns. 
"We are waiting for the results of a thorough test on samples." 
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Toxic leak victims rise to 126 in C. China (Xinhua) Updated: 2007-02-02 17:02 WUHAN -- Another 25 people have been hospitalized after toxic chemicals leaked from a tanker, bringing the total number of victims to 126, officials with the Xiaogan government said Friday. The accident happened around 9:00 p.m. Tuesday when a truck carrying dimethyl sulfate leaked the chemical along a 5-kilometer stretch of No. 107 National Highway near Xiaogan City, in central China's Hubei Province. Li Chude, who was driving his car behind the truck, died from inhaling the poisonous fumes. Villagers and passers-by were hospitalized with chest pains and stinging eyes. As of Thursday evening, twelve of the 125 hospitalized had recovered and left hospital. The other patients are all in a stable condition. The two tanker drivers, who fled after the leakage, have given themselves up to police. The truck, registered A69086, belongs to Jinlong Chemical Co. in Zibo, east China's Shandong province. Traffic in the section of the road affected by the spill returned to normal after the chemical evaporated. Dimethyl sulfate is a highly dangerous carcinogen which, if breathed in or absorbed through the skin, severely irritates and burns the eyes, and can cause permanent damage with loss of vision. It can also damage the liver and kidney, and affect the heart.
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