80 tonnes of pesticides that posed a threat to life and agriculture, gathered from 13 villages of Ungheni district, where collected from a store situated near Zagarancea village of Ungheni district on June 22. These were loaded onto special containers and will be transported to Poland for being destroyed, IPN reports.

According to National Army colonel Mariana Gramma, 48 types of pesticides, 24 of which cannot be used in agriculture, were stored near Zagarancea. These were gathered by National Army service members from auxiliary and agricultural farms in 2004-2008.

Mariana Gramma noted that in the Soviet period Moldova was used as a ground for testing different types of new pesticide. The lab examinations identified over 100 types of pesticides, some of which are very dangerous to human health.

The toxic waste was taken away within a project financed by the NATO Trust Fund and supported by the partner states, with Romania playing the leading role in the project. Romania’s Ambassador in Chisinau Daniel Ionita said this is the last but one of the 15 planned pesticide collection operations. The last operation will be performed next week, at a stockpile in Sangerei district.

Ungheni district head Ludmila Guzun said June 22 is the day when Ungheni was freed from pesticides. Even if the pesticides were permanently guarded, these posed a danger to humans. The area for storing these was chosen in 2004 and is 2 km from the village, but is much closer to a road. They now hope to identify resources to decontaminate that area.

The last pesticides, from the store in Alexandreni, Sangerei, will be transported away on June 28.