Thousand urged to flee from poison

Press, 5 August 1976, Page 6

Thousand urged to flee from poison

NZPA-Reuter Milan Officials in northern Italy have advised nearly 1000 children and pregnant women to leave an area contaminated by a poison-chem-ical leak. However, British experts in Milan have expressed confidence that they will be able to neutralise the toxic effects of the chemical which belched from a Swissowned factory at Seveso, north of Milan a few weeks ago. Lombardy’s regional health Minister (Mr Vittorio Rivolta) said - the new evacuation would be voluntary. “The children will be able to return to their homes at night if they want to, but we are anxious they should be out of the danger zone during the day ... it is impossible to keep an eye on them all the time and they could touch contaminated

crops and vegetables.” he said. Mr Frank Jackman, of the British chemical-engineer consultants, Cremer-Warner and Company, said he was confident that his team of experts would be able to find a way of destroying the very toxic chemical, T.C.D.D. “It’s possible that at least some of the people who have been evacuated will be able to return to their homes within a few weeks,” Mr Jackman said after a meeting with local government officials. Mr Rivolta said a total of 739 people had been evacuated from their homes, since the explosion at the Icemsa factory on July 10. About 20 of them were pregnant women who have since undergone medical tests to ascertain whether their unborn children have been damaged by the contamination.