Spanish Waste WaterSpill

WHEN WHERE WHAT

• APRIL 25, 1998• AZNALCOLLAR, SPAIN• RAPTURED PIPE • CAUSED BY DEEP LAND SLIDE• RELEASED SLUDGE AND CONTAMINATED

WATER

CADMIUM

• Extremely toxic metal• Causes heart disease, cancer, and diabetes• Contaminates soil• sewage sludge, super phosphate fertilizers and

irrigation water. • When it contaminates the soil it contaminates

the food too• More toxic than lead or mercury

Lead

• Very toxic metal • Small amounts can cause serious health

problems • Children under 6 are very vulnerable to lead• Can be caused by contaminated air water and

soil• Lead is found in house paint, toys, Stain glass

jewelry, exhaust pipes, and pottery glazing

COPPER

*CAUSES PROBLEMS LIKE ANOREXIA, FATIGUE, DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, MIGRAINE HEADACHES, ALLERGIES, AND OTHER PROBLEMS

• DOES NOT CAUSE SERIOUS PROBLEMS• IS NOT TOXIC• NOT A DANGEROUS METAL

Affected

• Acidic water was found in the Guadiamar River

• The affected area was 4,635 hectares • Contaminated area was 2,703 hectares• contaminated soil (farmers were affected)• Fish were contaminated (birds died)

Restoration

• Canadian/Swedish company was fined and paid for cleaning up

• Spanish reacted quickly and cleaned up fast• Company paid for repairs and compensation

to victims• Took more than a month for the river to

restore

Thanks for listeningQuestions or Comments?

RESOURCESARL: Cadmium Toxcity retrieved from:http://www.arltma.com/Articles/CadmiumToxDoc.htm• Revere Copper Products, INC. (May 2005), Retrieved from: http://www.reverecopper.com/pdf/COPPERMSDS2005.pdf• Science Lab, Material Safety Data Sheet cadmium, Retrieved

from: http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9923223• Gavin Davids, 2009 Spanish Waste Water Spill), Retrieved from:

http://news.in.msn.com/gallery.aspx?cp-documentid=3460600&page=9

Lead Poisining Med line plus• http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002473.htmAPL: Copper toxcity• http://www.arltma.com/Articles/CopperToxDoc.htm