Chemical find in Lithuanian forest prompts emergency response and investigation

A discovery of 219 containers of phosphoric acid in a forest in Lithuania’s Prienai district brought emergency services and local authorities to the site. Firefighters found the chemicals on a forest road in the Pelekonys area at about 5:42 p.m.

The 20-liter containers were sealed, and no material had leaked. Firefighters cordoned off the potentially dangerous area with warning tape, while representatives of the Prienai district municipality arrived and environmental officials were notified.

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According to preliminary information, it is phosphoric acid.

Mayor Alvydas Vaicekauskas said the chemicals were found in a privately owned forest belonging to a legal entity. Authorities were trying to establish how they got there. He said the materials may have been brought to the site earlier, although officials received the report only the previous day.

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The materials are still being guarded at the site, chemists have determined their preliminary composition, and arrangements will be made with a company that will collect and dispose of them. This will definitely cost a considerable amount, so it is essential to identify those who acted maliciously.

The chemicals remained under protection at the location. Chemists had made a preliminary identification of their composition, and officials planned to work with a company that could collect and dispose of them. Vaicekauskas said the operation would be costly and that those responsible for the deliberate dumping should be identified.

He added that the district occasionally sees waste or other materials dumped in wooded areas, including one earlier case in which an entire truckload of waste was brought in and unloaded. The environmental protection department was asked for comment, with further information expected.

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Unfortunately, such malicious people still appear.