- Authorities on Wednesday announced the National Health
System has taken steps to face any eventuality which may occur following
the disappearance of eight tons of sodium cyanide.
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- A truck originally carrying 96 barrels containing nearly
10 tons of the poisonous material was reported stolen May 10 on a stretch
of the Mexico City-Hidalgo highway. Most of the cargo has yet to be found
despite a nationwide search; only 13 barrels with 1.3 tons of the chemicals
remained on the truck which was found a week later.
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- Health Secretary Julio Frenk on Wednesday said no cases
of direct contact with the hazardous substance have been reported, but
authorities are taking no chances. He said contact with the toxic material
can cause nausea, vomiting, convulsions, mental disorders and even death.
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- Frenk also expressed confidence the sodium cyanide has
not left Mexico despite warnings the cargo may have been transported to
the northern state of Tamaulipas.
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- In Cuidad Victoria, Federal Preventative Police (PFP)
commander Manuel Deverido said authorities "immediately began coordinating
actions with the Mexican Army and some checkpoints were set up, primarily
near the port of Tampico which could be used to ship the cargo to another
country."
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- In Mexico City, all 16 precincts have been put on preventative
alert following the disappearance of the deadly sodium cyanide.
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- The city government instructed the local Civil Protection
Agency to declare the alert and proposed a series of precautionary measures,
government news agency Notimex reported.
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- In the Alvaro Obregon precinct, residents were warned
not to open any mysterious blue containers marked with the number 1589
and were asked to report any such finding to authorities.
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- Should such a container be found opened, residents are
cautioned to prevent contact of the cyanide with water or liquid substances,
nor should they spill it on the ground lest it get into the drainage system.
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- Residents also were advised to evacuate the area in a
radius of 50 meters.
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- http://www.thenewsmexico.com/noticia.asp?id=26314
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