asbestos removal

азбест - Агробиохим - Стара Загора
Abandoned Agrobiochim chemical plant near Stara Zagora (Bulgaria).­

This blue-gray thing on the ground is asbestos!

It is crocidolite (blue asbestos), Crocidolite is considered the most hazardous asbestos fiber.­ Asbestos causes a type of cancer called Mesothelioma.­

When it was active, this plant used to produce ammonia, nitrogen fertilisers, plastics, caprolactam and silicon dioxide for rubber and pharmaceutical industries.­

On this photo you can see the asbestos removed from pipes that were probably recycled.­ They just left all the asbestos waste on the ground.­

Tons of nitrates, asbestos, dioxins and other dangerous chemicals are just sitting there in this industrial wasteland.­ This abandoned factory is an environmental disaster and no-one wants to pay for the clean-up (Agrobiochim was a semi-state-owned company that got bankrupt).­

After taking those photos I got arrested for trespassing by some sort of Bulgarian Military Police.­ After an afternoon of interrogation at the Stara Zagora Police station, I was released and no charges were filed.­

Before letting me go, the police chief told me: "if anything blows-up in this country, we'll be looking for you" !

This photo is part of my България - Bulgaria series.