Silly Environmentalists!! All Worked Up About UK Canal Spill, When It's Just A Little Sodium Cyanide!!
A major incident was in place on Wednesday after authorities said a spill of sodium cyanide into a West Midlands canal posed a serious health risk to the public. Members of the public are being advised to avoid a 12-mile stretch of canals and towpaths centred in Walsall after the toxic spillage, understood to have happened on Monday.
The risk is to people and pets who have direct contact with the canal water. According to the UK Health Security Agency, sodium cyanide can cause headache, nausea, dizziness, nervousness, confusion, changes in heart rate, drowsiness, fitting, vomiting, low blood pressure and loss of consciousness. Sodium cyanide consists of “white crystal-like solids with a faint almond odour”. It is, the agency said, “used in industry for metal cleaning, plating and extraction and photography”.
Walsall council said it was notified of a spillage in the canal at Pleck, which stretches for more than a mile from Spinks Bridge to Birchills Street Bridge, on 12 August. A major incident was declared the following day. On Wednesday, dozens of dead fish could be seen floating in the canal after the cyanide spillage.
Garry Perry, the leader of Walsall council, said the priority was the safety of local people. “I share their concerns and hope to see this incident resolved as soon as possible. We are working closely with our partners to manage this situation, which has been declared a major incident. For your own safety please avoid this area of the canal and its towpaths,” he said.
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https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/aug/14/west-midlands-uk-major-toxic-chemical-spill-sodium-cyanide