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Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, September 29, 1998
Following a truck accident which resulted in a spill of sodium cyanide in Kyrgyzstan May 20, 1998, a scientific commission of international experts was assembled at the request of the Kyrgyz Republic to assess the impact
The commission presented its report to the Kyrgyz government September 11, 1998 and two weeks later on September 25, released its findings to the public.
The commission's full report is available on the Internet at envirolab.nrcan.gc.ca. In summary, the commission concludes that:
- No one died as a result of the spill of sodium cyanide.
- There was no possibility of harmful exposure to cyanide in
the air, in the soil or in the Barskaun and Tamga watering ditches.
- Although there was potential for up to 16 people to become
exposed as a result of cyanide in the Barskaun River water,
no medical evidence has been supplied to the commission to support
these cases as being affected by cyanide. And, of the 16 who
could have potentially become ill, none would have died or experienced
long term health effects. (The reference to 16 cases is based
on data supplied by the Kyrgyz Ministry of Health to the commission
on the number of people hospitalized in the first 72 hours after
the spill.)
- Although a number of dead fish were found in a small bay leading
into Lake Issyk-Kul, fish returned in a matter of days. There
has been no damage to Lake Issyk-Kul, either in the short or
long term.
- Damage to local crops was due to lack of water - not cyanide
exposure.
- The temporary evacuation of 5,300 people from the region was unnecessary and further intensified the panic in the community.
- End -
For more information, click on this link to read the backgrounder PDF file.