"Red Sludge" Incident in Hungary

[Lotsokids]

Here's a video that shows the extensive damage to an area about 20 minutes south of where I live.

http://vimeo.com/15705460
It's pretty bad - we're used to hearing of flood damage, but this is 5-6 feet deep of toxic sludge that rolled through a couple villages. The farmers (most of the residents) just have to move away and start all over from NOTHING. Imagine that.

[Dan Filetti]

Damn.  Why is the sludge 'toxic?

[Lotsokids]

Damn.  Why is the sludge 'toxic?

From what I understand, it's a by-product from an aluminum plant there. It has killed 9 people and burned over 120 people. They talk about planting crops there again eventually, but I just don't see it. I joined a benefit ride last month for the victims. The people here don't have much, so this really hurt.



Here's another video recorded while it happened:
Red Dread: Toxic sludge spill swallows towns, kills 4 in Hungary

[Dan Filetti]

Wasn't Union Carbide -was it?

[Arnie]

Wasn't Union Carbide -was it?

IIRC it was not UC, but was a tailings dam at the top of a hill that broke its containment wall and the strong acid poured down to hill to innundate the town.

Arnie

[Mark Olson]

that is bad, the whole town displaced by a red sludge washout.

I wonder how old the dam was and how it broke open so much all at once.

[Dan Filetti]

that is bad, the whole town displaced by a red sludge washout.

I wonder how old the dam was and how it broke open so much all at once.

Not to belittle this, but you want to read about 'bad'... 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnstown_Flood

2000 + deaths, and enough water to wash locomotives, more than a mile downstream!

Dams can and do break all at once with catastrophic consequences sometimes.

Dan