Hungary Red Toxic Sludge Leak Mud Reaches Danube River

Europe’s second largest river, the Danube River, has been infiltrated by the red toxic sludge leak from Hungary on Thursday as officials continue to work to contain as much of the leak as possible. A top disaster official for Hungary said it had reached the river, but officials believe that the PH levels have dropped to within an acceptable range, making the river safe. They currently are monitoring the river for signs of toxicity which include dying fish. Ministry officials warned the spill could have a lasting environmental impact on the popular tourist destination, causing long-term damage to ecosystems and killing fish and vegetation.

Emergency crews are pouring plaster and fertilizers with the hope that it will bind with the sludge and act in a way to balance out it’s alkaline levels. On Thursday morning, reports were that the sludge was 9.3 on the pH scale, higher than the 7 which is neutral, but also less than the 13 pH, which it was originally, the Catastrophic Protection Unit said.

The reservoir from the aluminum plant that burst on Monday has been repaired and the flow from the toxic waste pool has been stopped, but all that has leaked from the reservoir still poses a threat. The factory has noted that it will pay for the victims’ funerals. How nice, and that is supposed to be sarcastic by the way. Residents in the affected areas were also warned not to eat any produce from gardens that were contaminated or covered when the dam burst, and the mud may have come in contact with. The three villages of Kolontar, Devecser and Somlovasarhely are still pretty much empty as officials are not sure when they will be able to return to their homes, and the long term effects of the leak are also unclear. In some villages police are patrolling vigilantly to keep the looters in check and prevent any looting crimes.

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