In cooperation with local authorities Eka Chemicals is investigating ground contamination at the Alby plant. – The investigations, which have now been presented to the authorities, prove the presence of among others, chromate and trace of dioxin, which are hazardous substances, says Marii Engberg, plant manager at Alby.
- After investigations by geological expertise we have made the judgement that it is not any need for decontamination of the ground on the site for the moment, says Marii Engberg. – We have also noticed that leakage to the nearby river Ljungan is insignificant, with only very low content of contaminants being registered in the water.
- We work continuously to reduce emissions from our operations and it is now time to deal with the pollutants in the ground on the premises. In collaboration with the authorities we have decided to go on and investigate the presence of contaminants over an extended area and make further analyses in order to obtain a clearer picture of the presence of pollutants in the ground.
The contamination was found in analysis of soil from the construction site of a new production building. Consequent investigations have proved that the ground contains raised level of lead, in the first place, but also copper and chromate. Industrial operations have been carried at the site since 1898 and at the specific location there has been a workshop handling melted lead. Chromate and dioxin are contaminants that typically can be expected in ground where chlorate has been produced earlier, when the protection of the environment was not the same as it is today. Chlorate has been and remains a main product at the Alby plant.
Investigations of soil and ground water contamination are part of Alby plant activities to comply with tha Akzo Nobel environment directive. According to these directives all sites shall carry out investigations of their premises before 2010.
- It is important that we get a true picture of ground contamination in order to facilitate new construction work on the site and to evaluate the need for decontamination of the area in the future, Mari Engberg concludes.
For further information contact:
Marii Engberg
Tel: +46 690 154 79 eller +46 703 76 57 06
Eka Chemicals AB
Alby plant
Mari.engberg@eka.com
Eka Chemicals, with 2,900 employees in 30 countries, is a business unit within Akzo Nobel. Turnover 2006 amounted to 963 mEUR. Eka Chemicals is a leading supplier of bleaching chemicals, paper chemicals and systems to the pulp and paper industry throughout the world, and supplies certain special chemicals to the pharmaceuticals industry, water treatment, the electronics industry etc. /
Akzo Nobel is one of the world’s leading industrial companies. We are the largest global coatings manufacturer and the number one in decorative paints and performance coatings, as well as being a major worldwide supplier of specialty chemicals.
We employ around 68,000 people in more than 80 countries and are committed to developing innovative products and cutting-edge sustainable technologies. We endeavor to deliver whatever our customers require, wherever and whenever they need it. Based in the Netherlands, Akzo Nobel is a Fortune Global 500 company and is listed on the Euronext Amsterdam stock exchange. We are the Chemicals industry leader on the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes, as well as being included on the FTSE4Good Index. Pro forma combined revenues for 2006 totaled EUR 15 billion. The financial results for the fourth quarter and full year will be published on March 6, 2008 (preliminary date).