Everyone hopes that at some point the bombing will stop and the war in Ukraine with its destructive force will end. But from then on, another “war” will begin, equally agonizing, for the salvation of nature and its people. The question that arises is what will be done with the shells, mines, bombs and projectiles that release poisonous substances, such as asbestos, and other toxic substances? According to the Reuters news agency, at least 10.5 million hectares of land are contaminated with chemicals, which sooner or later will reach through plants, animals and water into the food chain and humans, if they haven’t already.

Carcinogenic, harmful substances

Edmund Mazer, professor of toxicology and director of the Institute of Toxicology at Kiel University, distinguishes between substances used in explosives, such as TNT, and heavy metals such as arsenic, mercury and lead found in detonators. “We know from feeding studies on rats and mice and from studies in explosives factories that TNT is very toxic to all kinds of living organisms. In marine organisms we know that it affects reproduction and development and from dietary studies we know that TNT is carcinogenic. And that’s a big problem.”

But also heavy metals, arsenic, cadmium, but above all mercury, are carcinogenic substances, the German professor points out. Mercury damages nerve cells, leads to deformities especially in unborn children. Arsenic can damage the liver, lungs. Lead can cause colic, increase in blood pressure. The list is endless. “It is certainly a problem that harmful substances can invade the ecological cycle. Plants absorb them, animals feed on them and absorb them. Thus, under certain conditions they can accumulate in the food chain and reach humans through agricultural products” describes the situation Edmund Mazer.

“Heavy metal remains heavy metal”

Kateryna Zmirnova, from the Sokolovksi Institute of Soil Science and Agrochemistry of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, one of the country’s leading scientific institutions for soil protection, reports that soil samples in the Kharkiv region have shown that the concentration of carcinogenic heavy metals is increased. A ruined land forever? Professor Mazer and his team are looking for solutions and propose to remove the top layer of the soil to remove the heavy metals and TNT and use the bottom layer in some way, but such methods are expensive and time consuming.

In the case of heavy metals, their removal in any case only means the storage of these dangerous substances in a place that is considered safe. Because, as Mazer says, heavy metals remain heavy metals, “you can’t get rid of them”. However, the experts of the Sokolovksi Institute estimate very roughly that the cost of damage to the lands of Ukraine will amount to more than 15 billion dollars.