Russia accused of illegal trade in chemicals – Reuters
Substance in April stopped pumping oil via the "Druzhba" pipeline was carbon tetrachloride (carbon tetrachloride), a deadly chemical that has to be strictly controlled by international agreement according to the results of three separate trials, the Agency Reuters.
a summary of the results of tests carried out for the Ministry of energy of Russia and Transneft, the pipeline operator, at the Moscow state chemical laboratory, which Reuters held in may, which were not previously reported, shows that the contaminant consisted of 85 percent carbon tetrachloride.
According to sources Reuters in the oil industry, the presence of carbon tetrachloride indicates that Russia has not stopped the illegal trade of chemicals. These sources claim that carbon tetrachloride is strictly regulated by Russian legislation.
the Russian Ministry of energy explained the stop of "Druzhba" pipeline entering the oil legitimately sold solvent, ethylene dichloride, organic compounds used to clean oil wells.
Ministry of energy and Transneft did not respond to requests by Reuters for comment.
Two separate tests conducted by two different companies, an oil refinery of the European Union and international oil trading company, who told Reuters that they unwittingly bought tainted oil from the pipeline, yielded results almost identical to the results conducted in the laboratory of Moscow state, told Reuters two people familiar with the conclusions of the source.
the Russian authorities are still investigating the contamination, which affected about 5 million tons of oil in the pipeline running from Russia to Germany, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic via Belarus and Ukraine. Russian investigators suspect that the contaminated oil was in the pipeline at the receiving station in the Samara region of Russia.
Four people are in custody and two other suspects fled the country, reported Russian news agencies sources in law enforcement bodies. According to their lawyers, two of those detained, committed any offense.
carbon tetrachloride – pinkish, oily liquid. Used as a solvent, to obtain freon as the extractant in medicine. Carbon tetrachloride qualifications "EMU" is used for analysis of aquatic environments in the oil. Carbon tetrachloride from 1930-ies were widely used as filler handheld and stationary fire extinguishers for military aircraft and other equipment, particularly before widespread carbon dioxide, freon and powder systems.
Pair and decomposition products of tetrachlorophenate do not support combustion as the quenching agent, he has a lot of advantages: liquid under normal conditions, easily evaporates, thus significantly cooling the combustion zone, non-conductive, does not require a storage pressure vessel, do not corrode copper and tin-plated vessels, relatively inert to the treated surfaces (for use in cold weather, you need a product niskasaari solvents). However, due to the toxicity of the decomposition products in the civilian system application not received. Manual fire fighting in the car was required to carry gas masks — in case of tetrachloride of carbon on the hot surface of the chemical reaction of partial substitution of chlorine by atmospheric oxygen with the formation of phosgene — a highly toxic substance suffocating action.
Toxic in both its liquid and vaporous form. When ingested, are excreted rather rapidly and within 48 h not detected. Moist carbon tetrachloride corrodes metals (iron, aluminum), decomposing to carbon dioxide CO2 and hydrogen chloride HCl; invalid contact of carbon tetrachloride with alkali metals - a possible explosion. Chronic poisoning with carbon tetrachloride is characterized by memory impairment, drowsiness, inertia and other manifestations of the initial stage gepatogenna encephalopathy (see), disorders of cardiac activity and dysuric disorders. The liver is enlarged and painful, disturbed motility and intestinal peristalsis, spasms noted its various departments. In forensic practice, fatal poisoning with carbon tetrachloride are fairly rare, mainly as a result of negligent treatment at home or at work, or when incorrect use of carbon tetrachloride instead of alcoholic beverages. A lethal dose of carbon tetrachloride after oral poisoning is from 20 to 50 ml.