据俄罗斯克拉斯诺达尔地区的卫生官员称,近150名志愿者正在清理黑海沿岸的大规模石油泄漏,他们需要接受医疗护理。
漏油事件发生在2024年12月15日,当时两艘载有9200公吨重燃料油Mazut的油轮在刻赤海峡附近遭遇严重风暴而破裂。
克拉斯诺达尔地区卫生部长叶夫根尼·菲利波夫报告说,在清理工作期间,有146名志愿者寻求治疗。其中3人住院,142人接受门诊治疗。
菲利波夫没有具体说明具体的健康问题,但他提到,在石油也扩散的克里米亚,没有报告出现医疗病例。在受影响地区设立了六个医疗站,流动医疗队继续在清理区巡逻。
参与清理工作的志愿者报告了各种健康问题。许多人抱怨说,由于接触到粘稠的燃料油,皮肤灼伤,还有恶心、头痛、呼吸问题,嘴里还有油的味道。
一些志愿者甚至在工作期间饮用了一种名为Polisorb的医用吸收剂溶液,作为预防措施。
一名志愿者告诉当地一家新闻媒体,他感到呼吸急促,类似于COVID-19的症状。拉里萨·舒尔茨(Larisa Shultz)是志愿者之一,她在清理了一只沾满油污的天鹅后获得了社交媒体的关注。
舒尔茨后来在接触有毒气体后需要静脉注射治疗。她在Instagram上分享道:“如果我知道帮助鸟类会变成这样,我会帮忙吗?是的。现在我在救我自己。一切都在控制之中。基本上,还剩下三针静脉注射了。”
可悲的是,一名17岁的大学生参加了阿纳帕的清理工作,不幸去世。确切的死因尚未得到证实,但一些媒体猜测,这名青少年可能接触过有毒气体。
Mazut是一种泄漏的燃料,很难清理,因为它往往会下沉而不是漂浮在水面上。这使得它更难以控制和从海洋中移除。
俄罗斯政府宣布进入联邦紧急状态,总统弗拉基米尔·普京称这一事件是俄罗斯近年来最严重的环境灾难之一。
普京还批评了最初的反应,在他1月12日访问该地区期间,称这“显然不够”。
石油已沿海岸线扩散,影响了俄罗斯海滩和克里米亚部分地区。漏油事件已经导致海鸟和海洋哺乳动物死亡,大片的沙子和土壤也受到了污染。包括志愿者和紧急救援人员在内的8500多人参与了清理工作。
此次漏油事件始于一艘名为Volgoneft-212的油轮在距离刻赤海峡约5海里处沉没。不久之后,它的姊妹船Volgoneft-239在塔曼附近的岩石岸边搁浅。
这两艘船都很旧,船龄都超过50年,不能承受恶劣的天气条件。油轮破裂,燃油溢出。
俄罗斯海上救援局澄清说,油轮在风暴期间抛锚。两艘油轮的船首部分立即沉没,而船尾部分则漂流了很长一段距离。Volgoneft-239的船尾在克拉斯诺达尔附近被冲上岸,距离船首约6英里。
救援人员一直在努力控制泄漏。修建了一条通往沉船现场的道路,并在沉船周围修建了一个泥土和岩石堤岸,以防止石油进一步泄漏到海里。剩余的燃油正从搁浅的船尾部分的货舱中抽出。
俄罗斯政府称此次泄漏是已知的Mazut首次海上泄漏。清理方法仍在开发中,专家们正在努力解决这种燃料带来的具体问题。2007年,刻赤海峡发生了一起类似的油轮解体泄漏事件。
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英文原文
Almost 150 volunteers cleaning up a massive oil spill along the Black Sea coast have required medical attention, according to health officials in Russia’s Krasnodar region.
The spill occurred on December 15, 2024, when two tankers carrying 9,200 metric tons of mazut, a heavy fuel oil, broke apart in severe storms near the Kerch Strait.
Krasnodar Region Health Minister Yevgeny Filippov reported that 146 volunteers sought medical treatment during the cleanup efforts. Three of them were hospitalised, while 142 received outpatient care.
Filippov did not specify the exact health problems but mentioned that no medical cases had been reported in Crimea, where the oil also spread. Six medical stations were set up in the affected areas, and mobile medical teams continued to patrol the cleanup zones.
Volunteers who helped with the cleanup reported various health issues. Many complained of skin burns from coming into contact with the viscous fuel oil, as well as nausea, headaches, breathing problems, and a taste of oil in their mouths.
Some volunteers even drank a medical sorbent solution, known as Polisorb, as a precaution during their work.
One volunteer told a local news outlet that he experienced shortness of breath, similar to symptoms of COVID-19. Among the volunteers was Larisa Shultz, who gained social media attention after cleaning an oil-covered swan.
Shultz later required IV treatment after being exposed to toxic fumes. She shared on Instagram, “If I knew that helping birds would turn out like this, would I help? Yes. Now I’m saving myself. Everything is under control. Basically, three IVs are left.”
Tragically, a 17-year-old university student who had joined the cleanup efforts in Anapa died. The exact cause of death has not been confirmed, but some media outlets speculated that the teenager may have been exposed to toxic fumes.
Mazut, the type of fuel spilt, is difficult to clean up because it tends to sink rather than float on the water. This makes it harder to contain and remove from the sea.
The Russian government declared a federal emergency, and President Vladimir Putin called the incident one of the country’s most severe environmental disasters in recent years.
Putin also criticised the initial response, saying it was “obviously not enough” during his visit to the region on January 12.
The oil has spread along the coastline, affecting both Russian beaches and parts of Crimea. The spill has already killed sea birds and marine mammals, and large stretches of sand and soil have been contaminated. Over 8,500 people, including volunteers and emergency workers, have been involved in the cleanup efforts.
The oil spill started when the Volgoneft-212, a river-sea tanker, sank about five nautical miles from the Kerch Strait. Shortly after, its sister ship, the Volgoneft-239, ran aground on a rocky shore near Taman.
Both vessels were old, aged over 50 years, and not built to withstand severe weather conditions. The tankers broke apart, spilling the fuel oil.
The Russian Marine Rescue Service clarified that the tankers broke up at anchor during the storm. The bow sections of both tankers sank immediately, while the stern sections drifted over large distances. Volgoneft-239’s stern washed ashore near Krasnodar, about six miles from the bow.
Responders have been working to contain the spill. A road was built to the wreck site, and a dirt and rock embankment was created around the wreck to prevent further oil spillage into the sea. The remaining fuel oil is being pumped out of the cargo tanks of the grounded stern section.
The Russian government has described the spill as the first known marine spill of Mazut. Cleanup methods are still being developed, with experts working to tackle the specific issues posed by this type of fuel. A similar spill from a tanker breakup occurred in the Kerch Strait in 2007.
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