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Chemical Army finishes mercury remediation at Hanoi’s burned-down bulb factory
Anh Kiet 12:36, 2019/10/07
Mercury has been removed from a total area of 30,000 square meters at Rang Dong JSC`s warehouse.
The Chemical Army has finished the remediation work at the warehouse of Rang Dong Light Source and Vacuum Flask JSC (Rang Dong JSC) in Hanoi which was ablaze in late August was completed on October 4, local media reported.

Mercury has been removed from a total area of 30,000 square meters at the warehouse in Thanh Xuan district.
 
The remediation work at the Rang Dong is completed. Photo: Hieu Duy
The remediation work at the Rang Dong is completed. Photo: Hieu Duy
According to Senior Lieutenant Colonel Dau Xuan Hoai, deputy head of the Military Institute of Environmental Chemistry, to prevent the mercury from leaking and spreading into the environment, 120,000 liters of chemicals were used during the 23 days of the cleanup.

The division said the environmental indicators at the site, which is close to schools and residents' homes, reached safe levels by 16:00 last Friday.

"We have asked the Hanoi Department of Natural Resources and Environment to assess the remediation work results ensure its objectivity," Hoai said.

Le Hong Phong, CEO of The Urban Environment Company (Urenco 10), which helped with the cleanup, said that the company collected 1,200 tons of ash, 1,300 tons of construction debris and 11 tons of burned light bulbs.

The waste has been taken to the Nam Son landfill, the biggest one in the capital's Soc Son district, Phong added.

Earlier, Urenco 10 was responsible for removing the fire debris and handing the cleared terrain to the Military Environmental Chemistry Institute for cleaning up. 

The five-hour fire on August 28 destroyed a third of Rang Dong JSC's warehouse, in an area of about 6,000 square meters, which caused the loss of around VND150 billion (US$6.4 million).

Roughly 480,000 fluorescent light bulbs were burnt down, releasing an estimated 15.2-27.2 kilograms of mercury into the environment, according to the Vietnam Environment Administration.

Over 130 army and civilian personnel have been dispatched to clean up the site since September 12, with the former in charge of mopping up the mercury and Urenco 10 clearing the rest.

The Institute of Forensic Sciences under the Ministry of Public Security on September 17 found that a problem in the circuit board of an LED light bulb on the second floor, where several products and materials were stored, ignited the fire.

People living nearby moved out of their homes due to health concerns though authorities have tried to allay their fears. Health officials said no mercury poisoning has been detected in 1,000 people who had health checks.

Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha on September 12 that stated that areas surrounding the blaze-gutted warehouse are safe.
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