Heavy metals poisoning Dong Nai environment

October 13, 2014 | 14:31
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Heavy metals in the soil, including lead and zinc, threaten the land environment around industrial zones in Dong Nai province.
Hau River is polluted by discharge of waste water from industrial parks in southern Dong Nai Province.

Dong Nai's Centre for Environmental Monitoring examined soil samples collected from industrial zones and solid-waste treatment plants in the province.

The centre found the percentage of underground heavy metals higher than the permitted standard set by Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources.

It reported that the content of zinc and lead in wastewater samples collected from Bien Hoa 1 Industrial Zone exceeded safety standards by three to four times.

The content of zinc in the soil samples collected from Loteco and Long Thanh industrial zone was reported to be more than double the safe amount.

The percentage of arsenic and cooper in soil samples drawn from the solid-waste treatment plant in Thong Nhat's Quang Trung commune were between 1.4 and 4.8 times higher than allowed.

In addition, the percentage of arsenic found in soil samples collected from solid-waste treatment plants at Bien Hoa's Trang Dai commune, Vinh Cuu's Vinh Tan commune and Dinh Quan's Tuc Trung Commune also surpassed the standard.

However, Dong Nai's CEM reported that the content of heavy metals in bottom-land, agricultural and residential areas were still under the permitted standard.

The centre recommended that farmers improve the quality of land by supplementing it with potassium and phosphate.

Responding to a question from Viet Nam News, the director of Dong Nai's Environment and Natural Resources Department, Le Viet Hung, said that the provincial government had not been given any information on the issue.

VNS

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