The 'red mud' burns the skin and affects the eyes

Hungary is in a "state of emergency" after a spate of toxic red mud have swept across the country, on Monday night. The reason: the failure of a waste pond with a manufacturer of aluminum situated 165 kilometers west of the capital, Budapest. As a result, four people have died, there are 120 injured and rescuers are still working on finding people who remain missing and the Red Mud in Hungary.

It seems that they have been killed by drowning. The spill has affected an area of 40 square miles from three counties (Veszprém, Győr-Moson-Sopron and Vas), with an estimated flood of 700,000 cubic meters. The other has been concerned mainly skin burns and irritation to the eyes, caused by contact with lead and other corrosive elements present in this mud.

The 'red mud' in Hungary is not very toxic by aluminum, a metal that, as vain Sergio Galvan, a dermatologist at the Hospital Ramón y Cajal de Madrid, "is in fact used in the treatment of certain dermatological disorders such as hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating). "

Red Mud in Hungary

The really harmful component of the discharge "is sodium hydroxide (better known as caustic soda), which is used as a base chemical for aluminum. They can also be harmful heavy metals that could be important in the development of chronic changes neurological or kidney depends on the composition ..... will have to analyze the mud, "sources point to National Institute of Toxicology and the Red Mud in Hungar.

Agrees with this view Ruth Saavedra Jiménez, Technical Chemical Risk Area of the Institute of Work, Environment and Health (ISTAS) of Labor Committees, who emphasizes that "to establish the effects on health and the environment arising the discharge is to characterize the red clay and accurately determine each of the components and the Red Mud in Hungar. "

Toxic Red Mud

In principle, this expert continues, "the major components of this type of sludge are the bauxite ore, iron oxides, aluminum, silicon, sodium, calcium, titanium and other trace elements (chromium, nickel, lead, manganese among others), plus the soda used. "

Spanish according to experts, from the point of view right away, "caustic soda (NaOH) produces burns of varying severity, depending on concentration, exposure time and the contact surface and the Red Mud in Hungar."

In this case, given the circumstances, probably many of the wounded suffered severe burns. "This compound is so corrosive if not cleaned well from the surface continues to penetrate the skin into the body, causing maximum degree burns." Depending on the severity, treatment ranges from a saline wash to skin grafts or death in severe cases and the Red Mud in Hungary.