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Poisonous May day celebrations

In Nikel, people celebrated 1 May as local pollution reached alarming levels.

As people in Nikel, the Russian border town, enjoyed a day off on May 1, the deadly sulphur dioxide emissions from the local plant reached the highest level this year.

Location

The major level of pollution made the Murmansk Hydrometeorological and Environmental Monitoring authority issue a request to the local Pechenganickel plant to reduce emissions. Figures from the authority show that the SO2 emissions in Nikel on the 1 May exceeded the maximum allowed level with as much as 5,4 times.

Although the pollution from the nickel plant practically every day exceeds the allowed limits, the 1 May level caused serious reason for alarm among the local inhabitants.

As normal, many local families were enjoying the May Day out in the streets.

The Nikel plant remains a huge source of regional pollution with annual SO2 emissions exceeding 90,000 tons, reportedly more than five times the total Norwegian emissions.The pollution is felt also on the Norwegian side of the border where the concentrations of SO2 are the highest in the country. In addition, the nickel plant brings across the border also significant amounts of heavy metals. 

During his state visit to Norway in 2010, then President Dmitry Medvedev signed a joint declaration stating that “the parties agree that the emission from the nickel production in the Pechenga region in Murmansk Oblast is a cause for concern and must be brought down to a level that does not harm health and environment in the border area. The Russian side will in this regard ensure that necessary actions are taken to reduce the emissions.”

Three years later, the situation in Nikel remain as before with emissions unchanged and negotiations on emission cuts deadlocked.

The Nikel plant is owned by Kola GMK, a subsidiary of the powerful Norilsk Nickel company.