A cloud of hydrochloric acid covers Omsk, Russia
The Ob-Irtysh Office for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring has recorded chloro hydrogen in the atmosphere of Omsk, a poisonous gas that forms hydrochloric acid when dissolved in water particles in the air.
The maximum allowable concentration exceeded 10 times, TASS reported, citing the press service of the organization.
The gas was found in the Oktyabrskiy administrative district of the city. The data on air pollution have been handed over to supervisory authorities and regional authorities.
This is the sixth case of chlorine chloride pollution detected in the air of Omsk in the last six months. Emissions of this substance were recorded three times in December and once in January and March.
In small concentrations, this colorless gas causes cough, suffocation and inflammation of the upper respiratory tract, severe poisoning - pulmonary edema, disruption of the circulatory system and death.
At the beginning of June, ethylbenzene, phenol and hydrogen sulfide were detected in Omsk air, but the pollution levels were much less - from 1.07 to 2.2 above the allowed level.
Complaints about persistent chemical odor came from residents of Kirov and Sovetsky districts, located near the northwestern industrial zone, where the main petrochemical plants of the city are located.
In Omsk, pollutants are regularly released into the atmosphere. By 2024, the city is obliged, according to the May presidential decree, to reduce emissions to the atmosphere by 22.5%.