The now-defunct Prydniprovskyi Chemical Plant ( uk, Придніпровський хімічний завод, ПХЗ; ''Prydniprovskyi khimichnyi zavod'', ''PKhZ'', also PChP) in the city of

Kamianske Kamianske ( uk, Кам'янське, ), formerly Dniprodzerzhynsk, is an industrial city in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast of Ukraine and a port on the Dnieper. Administratively, it serves as the administrative center of Kamianske Raion. Kamianske hosts ...

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

, processed

uranium Uranium is a chemical element with the symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Uranium is weak ...

ore for the

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...

nuclear program from 1948 through 1991, preparing

yellowcake Yellowcake (also called urania) is a type of uranium concentrate powder obtained from leach solutions, in an intermediate step in the processing of uranium ores. It is a step in the processing of uranium after it has been mined but before f ...

. Its processing wastes are now stored in nine open-air dumping grounds containing about 36 million tonnes of sand-like low-

radioactive Radioactive decay (also known as nuclear decay, radioactivity, radioactive disintegration, or nuclear disintegration) is the process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by radiation. A material containing unstable nuclei is consi ...

residue, occupying an area of 2.5 million square meters. The sites, improperly constructed from the very beginning, have been abandoned by the industry long ago and remain in very poor condition. The top concern is the dumps’ closeness to both the large Dnipro River and city residential areas. According to government experts, the

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

s separating the grounds from soil water are already leaking, causing the pollution of Dnipro basin. It is believed that further deterioration of the dams, irrespective of any outer accidents, may cause a devastating radioactive mudslide. The Ukrainian government is now tightening control over the grounds and seeking international aid in projects aimed at securing and the gradual re-processing of the PHZ wastes. Recently, the International Atomic Energy Agency has evaluated the condition of the sites and is considering dispatching a major observation and aid mission to Kamianske. From 1946 to 1972, the company was engaged in uranium enrichment (production of its nitrous oxide) - the plant processed 65% of uranium ores in the Soviet Union. Attempts to recycle fuel elements began in 1974, but due to the growing number of oncological diseases in the city, this idea was abandoned. The isolated dump grounds (about nine altogether, at a depth of 3 m) of the former plant are now located in different parts of the city and operated by the purposely-created "Barrier" State Enterprise - with an obscure-meaning new name that has yet to be widely known. That is why the sites, the company, and the whole problem is still commonly referred to as the "Prydniprovskyi Chemical Plant (PKhZ) wastes". In 1964 the first treatment facilities appeared at the enterprise. In 2003, the Cabinet of Ministers approved an 11-year program on "bringing hazardous facilities of the Prydniprovskyi Chemical Plant to an environmentally safe state and ensuring protection of the population from the harmful effects of ionizing radiation".

References

Environment of Ukraine Nuclear technology in Ukraine Kamianske Radioactive waste Chemical engineering Chemical companies of Ukraine Nuclear technology in the Soviet Union Chemical companies of the Soviet Union Government-owned companies of Ukraine {{waste-stub

See also

References