Ukraine accuses Crimean Titan factory of air pollution
On Monday, September 3, in the Kherson region, the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (SBGS) detected chemical substances in the air connected to emissions from the Titan factory, which is located in the city of Armyansk in northern Crimea, reported SBGS spokesperson Oleh Slobodyan.
“The devices indicated an increased concentration of toxic industrial substances. We believe that these are emissions from the Titan-2 factory, which is located in occupied Armyansk,” Slobodyan said.
According to him, the SBGS has contacted the State Emergency Service of Ukraine and the law enforcement agencies. The border guards have made changes to the organization of their operations, and will monitor the situation within the bounds of their competence, Slobodyan emphasized.
Earlier the Ukrainian president’s permanent representative to Crimea Borys Babin said that the air pollution was caused by the Titan factory, as well as the soda and bromine plants in Krasnoperekopsk. The SBGS did not state which chemical substances it had detected in the air, or specify their concentration.
The emission of an unknown substance in Crimea took place on the night of August 24. After the incident, a yellowish oily film was reportedly found on metallic objects, roofs and leaves. On August 30, the Crimean authorities said that the emission was caused by the vaporization of acid from a storage facility belonging to the Titan plant.
The Crimean office of the Russian consumer protection service reported that it had collected air samples outside the factory’s acid storage facility, and that the pollutant concentration did not exceed acceptable levels.