Chemicals At Vasiliko Station Threaten Employees, Firemen

Dangerous chemicals stored at the damaged Vasiliko power station could pose a threat to employees and firemen and have to be removed from the site, said Green Party MP George Perdikis in comments at Sigma TV's Mera Mesimeri programme.

The ecologists are trying to prevent another fatal accident, he said, criticising the electricity authority for not informing the state laboratory and the parliamentary environmental committee about the chemicals, which include tons of caustic soda.

"The electricity authority was obliged to inform the enviromental committee..they are underestimating the danger," he said, reiterating that he had repeatedly asked what chemicals were stored at Vasiliko and was not told the truth.

Director of the state laboratory Dr. Poppi Kannari was also a guest on the programme and said that the laboratory did not do tests for dangerous chemical substances in the air or soil.

"The electricity authority was doing its own investigation, we didn't test for substances like acids," she said, adding that she didn't know why she wasn't invited to examine for these chemicals.

The state laboratory was also supposed to be sent samples from the 98 containers which exploded on July 11th, but never received them, said Kannari.

"The fact that samples from the containers were not given to the laboratory, this means criminal liabilities," said Perdikis.

The MP dismissed criticism from farmers in the area around Vasiliko who said that he was fearmongering and reducing their chances of selling their produce.

"As ecologists we are trying to prevent more accidents, as we all know, prevention is better than a cure," he said, reiterating that electricity employees and other service personnel should take urine and blood tests as a precaution.

A spokesman for the electricity authority said that there was a team handling the stores of chemicals and denied that there was any danger to personnel.