Barrels containing phenol in Tuzla spark worry in Ankara
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Osman Pepe, Minister of the Environment and Forestry, has told the Hurriyet that the discovery of barrels containing cancer-causing agent "phenol" buried outside of Istanbul in Tuzla have opened the way to serious concern that there may be similarly dangerous barrels buried elsewhere in Istanbul and other cities throughout Turkey.
Pepe, who said that for now, in order to avoid panic on the part of citizens, he would avoid making any statements, did note "We are worried that there may be other barrels buried in different points around Turkey. We have serious suspicions on this front." Pepe said that the case involving the barrels discovered in Tuzla has been turned over to TUBITAK for further research.
The cancerous causing agent thought to have possible seeped out of the barrels in Tuzla and into the ground, raising worries that it may have reached the underground water supply, has brought the matter to the attention of the Turkish Parliament. This week in the parliament, it is expected that bills proposing new punishments for those responsible for illegal disposal of dangerous waste is going to be discussed and passed into law.
Currently, research is being carried out into who buried the barrels discovered in Tuzla, and at what point. If it turns out that the barrels were buried before June 1, 2005, the person/people responsible will escape with the lighter, older version of the punishment under environmental laws. However, if it emerges that the crime was committed following that date, whoever is responsible could go to prison for up to 20 years.