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Sunday, February 24, 2008
Toxic chemicals found in Zambo
By Bong Garcia
ZAMBOANGA CITY - Village officials recently uncovered a huge volume of toxic chemicals dumped in the vicinity of a canning factory in a western coast village of this city.
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Tulungatung village councilman Nelson Francisco said the toxic chemical with an estimated volume of 12,000 liters was uncovered on Thursday by his laborers who were in search for scrap metals.
Francisco, who is into the business of buy and sell of scrap metals, hired the laborers to salvage iron scraps that are being disposed by the canning factory that just started operating in the village of Recodo.
Out of curiosity, Francisco took sample of the chemical, which he said, "smells acidic" and had it analyzed at the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) regional office.
He said the chemical is contained in a tanker that was found buried near the canning factory.
The DOST personnel told Francisco that the chemical is known as Hexane, a colorless solvent.
Hexane is a volatile hydrocarbon found in petroleum that is a major ingredient of petrol and is commonly used as solvent.
The DOST personnel has advised the people working and staying near the site where the Hexane was found to be extremely careful to avert conflagration.
The DOST personnel told Francisco that a slight flick of a match can cause an explosion since the Hexane is contained in a tanker.
If the tanker explodes, it would trigger a huge fire that could virtually envelop half of Recodo village.
Noning Antonio, a councilorman from nearby Maasin village, said the tanker of Hexane was left beneath the earth possibly by previous companies that leased the area.
The chemical was believed to have been used for milling coconut to produce oil.
Antonio shared the view of Francisco and of the other village officials that the chemical should be removed soon to avoid accident that could result to loss of lives and properties. (Bong Garcia)For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star General Santos. (February 24, 2008 issue)
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