In the Tula region, roughly 300 liters of oil escaped from specialized containers at the plant site. Vladislav Kudryavtsev, co-founder of the Digital Ecomonitoring company, a resident of the Skolkovo innovation center, and co-developer of the platform of the same name for environmental monitoring, spoke with socialbites.ca about the potential consequences of such an incident.
The expert notes that 300 liters is a relatively small amount, yet it does not mean the environmental impact would be insignificant. In the Proletarsky district, where the leak occurred, the risk of fuel oil seeping into groundwater is low since the nearest water bodies lie more than 1.5 kilometers away.
Nonetheless, the proper disposal of such spills is mandatory because fuel oil can reach watercourses and harm wildlife, including birds and aquatic life.
Kudryavtsev stressed that collecting spilled fuel presents a challenging task.
“The most effective method to mitigate spill consequences is to use a sorbent. There are about two hundred varieties: inorganic, organic, organomineral, and synthetic. For example, the simplest and cheapest option, though not always the most effective, is to saturate the soil with an inorganic sorbent. There are more expensive absorbents as well, such as the flax fiber-based campfire approach. Leftover flax fiber production residues can absorb petroleum products well, which is quite useful in cleanup efforts,” the expert explained.
The specialist believes the allocated 950 thousand rubles for the cleanup are appropriate, as the work involves not only soil remediation around the plant but also the retrieval of underground barrels and containers, which presents a substantial task for experts.
“On average, the impact of oil spills can extend from a week to ten years. This depends on the oil type, the conditions of the spill, and its effects on local organisms. Estimating damage from a fuel spill is difficult because, while it is not a full-scale environmental disaster, it still carries notable risks,” Kudryavtsev summarized.
Earlier reports mentioned a fire at a landfill in Yekaterinburg that could trigger asthma attacks and allergic reactions among nearby residents.