OSCE helps Ukraine strengthen capacities in rapid identification of toxic substances in disaster response

During a ceremony in Mariupol on 30 March 2021, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine provided a sophisticated and up-to-date mobile laboratory for radiological and chemical surveillance and monitoring to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SESU).

The mobile laboratory features up-to-date radiological monitoring and surveillance equipment and tools for sampling, analysis and identification of chemical substances. It also carries personal protective equipment, such as hazmat coveralls and compressed air breathing apparatuses, as well as pneumatic and hydraulic equipment for sealing leaks.

“Quick identification of threats, on the spot, during an emergency situation is critical to saving people’s lives. It enables emergency services to take timely decisions and act swiftly to address dangerous situations,” said Henrik Villadsen, OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine. “This is especially important to the industrialized eastern part of the country where emergency risks are even more serious due to the ongoing hostilities,” he added. 

Unintentional releases of toxic substances, accidents during the transportation of chemicals, and violation of the requirements for the handling of hazardous chemicals at enterprises are a systematic challenge for Ukrainian governmental institutions engaged in chemical emergency response.

Studies supported by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator have shown a number of environmental risks in eastern Ukraine caused by the current crisis. Those studies, among other things, established that over 80% of the businesses and critical public infrastructure damaged during the conflict belong to ‘dangerous’ or ‘very dangerous’ risk categories. The studies also identified over 500 conflict-related interruptions of operations at local industrial enterprises between 2014 and 2019.

The mobile laboratory equipment was provided as part of the “Enhancing Ukraine’s Chemical Emergency Response Capacity” project implemented with the financial support of the United States Mission to the OSCE and the German Federal Foreign Office, in partnership with the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and SESU.