Sverdlovsk Region public prosecution authorities for the environment looked into Uralasbest’s compliance with the environmental legislation. The inspection revealed some grave violations of the environmental legislation, including the law on atmospheric air protection, production and consumption waste treatment, sanitary-epidemiological regulations, and water use regulations, the spokesperson for the authorities reports.

The current sanitary legislation states that the sanitary protection zone should come to 1,000 meters for an enterprise like Uralasbest (Class 1 Hazard). The size and the borders of this zone are determined by a special project. The design of the sanitary protection zone project is an obligatory requirement, and it must contain the points regarding the size and the borders of the zone, the measures taken to protect the population from the impact of harmful toxic substances emitted in the air, the functional zoning of the sanitary protection area, and the mode in which it is to be used. However, Uralasbest still has not met this legal requirement.

Following the inspection by Sverdlovsk Region public prosecution authorities, Uralasbest and the person in charge at the enterprise had to face administrative liability, with charges based on Article 6.3 of Russia’s Administrative Offense Code (violating the population’s sanitary epidemiological well-being regulations). The administrative suits are now being considered. The court received claims in which the authorities insist that Uralasbest elaborate and get approved a project for the creation of a sanitary protection zone, reclaim the damaged soil, ensure the filtering of the water dumped from its Central mine by building cleaning facilities, and fit the manufacturing water outlets with water meters.

All the reports by the prosecution authorities are now being considered.