SWEDES are at risk from toxic chemicals
leaking out of old concrete towers,
according to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA).
Concentrations of polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs) in soil close to a block
of flats in capital Stockholm have been
found to be 20 times higher than the
country's safety limit and 1,000 times
the normal levels. These toxic chemicals
can harm the immune and reproductive
systems, hamper mental development
in children and may even cause
cancer.
PCBs had been widely used in sealing
material for filling the gaps between
concrete blocks in buildings until
1973, when their use began to be
restricted; they were totally banned
across Europe in 1986. They were
believed to have been released in buildings that were being renovated or
demolished. The recent discovery by
SEPA that they are continuously leaking
out has set the alarm bells ringing
across Europe. The agency has recommended an urgent inspection of
concrete buildings in Sweden and
the immediate disposal of all sealing
material containing more than one per
cent of PCBs.
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