OSCE helps Albanian army get rid of dangerous old chemicals

Eighty tonnes of hazardous chemicals in Albania’s military facilities will be repackaged and safely stored in a single place, as part of a project by the OSCE Presence in Albania that started on 14 October 2013. 

“The chemicals are currently stored near populated areas, and the existing packaging in most cases is almost totally destroyed, putting lives and the environment at risk,” said the Head of OSCE Presence, Ambassador Florian Raunig. “Through this project, OSCE seeks to make a significant contribution to improving security and safety of people in Albania.”

The project covers 37 different kinds of chemicals, including highly dangerous substances such as dichloramine and xylenol, stored in military facilities in Tirana and other locations across the country. Over the coming five weeks, they will be repackaged, safely stored and prepared for shipment and destruction at chemical disposal facilities abroad at a later stage.

The activities are funded by the OSCE, the Czech Republic and Turkey, and carried out by a private contractor together with staff of the Albanian Armed Forces, who also received training from the OSCE.

The OSCE Presence has been assisting Albania in its efforts to safely destroy surplus conventional ammunition and dangerous toxic chemicals since 2008. The OSCE Presence already helped to dispose of 60 tonnes of a toxic rocket fuel component known as mélange, 120 tonnes of dichloroethane, and provided equipment for the destruction of surplus ammunition.