Noxious fumes from a landfill land 23 children in the hospital outside Moscow

12:33 pm, March 21, 2018

Source: Meduza

Twenty-three children were hospitalized at a school in Volokolamsk, outside Moscow, with signs of poisoning. After initial rumors that someone had released a gas canister in a classroom, city officials confirmed that the children were actually feeling the effects of hydrogen sulfide being released into the air by the nearby “Yadrovo” landfill, which has been the focus of repeated local protests. All Volokolamsk schools are still operating normally, despite the health risk.

The mismanagement of trash disposal outside Moscow has sparked a wave of protests throughout March.

For more about trash protests in Volokolamsk, Klin, Balashikha, Troitsk, and Sergiev Posad

The Moscow region's great trash upheaval A movement against poor trash management and public health risks erupts outside Russia's capital

What is the Yadrovo landfill?

Located a few miles from Volokolamsk, the Yadrovo landfill was opened in 2008. In late 2017, Russian FEMA officials published ecological data revealing that the city’s air has dangerous concentrations of chlorine, hydrogen sulfide, and nitrogen. Scientists also discovered iron in the city’s water supply. On March 7, local officials declared a state of emergency around the landfill.