ITALY: FORTY WORKERS BEGIN CLEARING HIGHLY POISONOUS MATERIAL FROM SEVESO CHEMICAL PLANT.

Record ID: 639609

  • Title: ITALY: FORTY WORKERS BEGIN CLEARING HIGHLY POISONOUS MATERIAL FROM SEVESO CHEMICAL PLANT.
  • Date: 12th August 1976
  • Summary: 1. CU PAN FROM Seveso sign TO people in street. 0.05 2. SV PAN Barbed wire surrounding chemical factory. 0.11 3. SV PAN FROM Factory sign TO guards on gates. (2 shots) 0.27 4. SV Researchers beside ambulance outside factory entrance. 0.30 5. LV Man in protective clothing checking valve in factory. 0.34 6. LV Factory with men in protective clothing. (2 shots) 0.40 7. LV Men on temporary bridge with earthmoving equipment. 0.48 When the accident occurred quantities of cyanide and chlorine were being processed. The reactors must be disconnected, the chlorine drained off, the cyanide in the reactors neutralized and huge amounts of cyanide must be removed from the factory. It's estimated the operation will take about a week. Initials VS 15.00 Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 27th August 1976 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: SEVESO, ITALY
  • Country: Italy
  • Reuters ID: LVA5NW9LD61NZ3E46J6E02M7OSNJ
  • Story Text: Workers wearing protective clothing and face masks have begun clearing contaminated material from the chemical plant at Seveso in northern Italy. An explosion at the factory last month has had disastrous effects.

    SYNOPSIS: Hundreds of people have been evacuated from their homes in the area and pregnant women have been warned they may give birth to deformed babies. The Italian government has declared it would not oppose therapeutic abortions for them, saying they would be covered by a court ruling which permits abortion if a mother's physical and mental health are endangered. Some of the people who have been evacuated may not be able to return home for another year.

    Meanwhile scientists and other experts have been sent to the factory to collect information and prevent similar accidents happening again. Forty men have volunteered to clear out the highly poisonous material. They've undergone severe medical tests and part of their work will be to disconnect machinery in the factory.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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