Roscommon farmer kept 'enough cyanide to wipe out town'

[nivilla1982]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38067042

 

[Great In Grass]

A farmer in Roscommon turned up at a hazardous waste disposal site with enough cyanide to 'wipe out' the county.

The farmer had the hazardous waste on his farm for the past 45 years and told officials he had originally bought it to get rid of rabbits on his farm.

Suzanne Dempsey, Environmental Officer with Roscommon County Council told Shannonside radio that the 4kg of cyanide was handed over by an elderly farmer. She said he had used it in the past to kill rabbits on his farm.

"That would have been common practice. The farmer had it in his shed for 45 years and had previously sought advice on how to dispose of it safely.

"The toxic expert on the day said the amount was enough to wipe out most of the county."

She also said the farmer had the chemical well secured in containers.

Other waste products that farmers arrived with included one of the main ingredients in Agent Orange, a chemical weapon used in the Vietnam war.

The Environmental Protection Agency is currently running a series of hazardous waste disposal collection events where people can take any dangerous or hazardous waste they have have and dispose of it safely.

YIKES!!!

Credit: FARM IRELAND

 

[michael N123]

Should of saved it for badgers

 

[llamedos]

Bet he is not on his own at having stuff like this in a shed.

 

[David.]

It all sounds as scary as you want it to with the right spin.
Plenty of Cymag, HCH and 245T used down the years quite routinely.

 

[suffolksmallholder]

I bet there's still plenty of this lurking in sheds too. There's the story of damp getting into phostoxin stored in a farmers kitchen killing the fellow.....
SS

 

[Andy84]

4kg of Cymag isn't a lot just usual sensationalist spin trying to create a story!

 

[Kevtherev]

I'd have put it on ebay

 

[Irish NZ]

The way they're talking you'd swear they're complaining about it. surely they should be commending him to encourage people to follow suit

 

[Kidds]

Disposed of some Cymag through official channels some years ago. Ultimately it was taken to a landfill with the correct paperwork upon which they said chuck it over there, it will sort a few rats out.