New publications
Gas pipeline next door to pharmacy warehouse - environmentalists sound the alarm
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
Environmentalists are constantly in conflict with pharmaceutical companies, which can sacrifice safety for the sake of profit. Recently, a situation arose in Kyiv that, according to environmentalists, could lead to an environmental disaster. Numerous pharmacy warehouses located closer than the prescribed standards from the Efremovka-Dikanka-Kyiv gas pipeline pose a threat to the environment, and any, even the most insignificant, dangerous situation in the warehouses can lead to dangerous consequences.
The warehouses have been located in this area for several years, their total area is more than 20 thousand kilometers, at the moment various medicines intended for pharmacies in Kyiv and the Kyiv region are stored here. It is worth noting that the warehouses were built with some violations and residents of the Boryspil district are concerned about the current situation and fear for their health and life.
According to lawyer Viktor Lutsenko, there should not be any objects within a radius of 250 km from the gas pipeline, especially those with large crowds and active activities. Warehouses are precisely those objects that under no circumstances should be built closer than the law provides for to gas pipes, since a fire or explosion of a pipe due to improper use can lead to serious environmental problems. Warehouses in the urban-type settlement of Bolshaya Aleksandrovka are located 48 km closer to the restricted facility than the law provides for, and the concern of the local population is understandable. Last year, a fire occurred at the BRSM oil depot, which led to the explosion of 17 oil tanks, the death of 1 person, and the injury of 14 people. Local residents within a radius of 2 km were amused, and the incident was called the "second Chernobyl".
Environmentalists note that the fire at the oil depot caused irreparable harm to both people and nature, the threat of destruction arose in front of nearby objects, forest plantations, and the airfield. What happened quickly grew into a state problem and even the military was called in to eliminate the consequences of the accident. It is worth noting that minor safety violations led to the catastrophe at the oil depot and it is from this moment that much more attention is paid to safety than in previous years. Residents of the urban-type settlement. Bolshaya Aleksandrovka intend to defend their own safety and have already sent many complaints to the company that manages the warehouse premises.
According to the head of the Boryspil administration, Volodymyr Soldatenko, the situation with the warehouses is not as dangerous as the local population imagines, in addition, a thorough inspection of the dangerous zone along the gas pipeline was recently carried out and no violations were found. After the explosion at the oil depot, thorough inspections of all sensitive facilities that could cause an explosion were carried out, so there is no serious reason for concern.
During the construction of the warehouses and after their commissioning, the company was repeatedly sued by Kyivtransgaz, the gas pipeline operator, and Ukrtransgaz. But the company's management is confident that all safety standards were observed during construction and the building design complied with all fire safety standards. The warehouses were also repeatedly inspected by government agencies and inspections. In addition, the company noted that according to the inspection by the State Mining Supervision Service, the warehouses do not pose any threat and the border from the gas pipeline can be narrowed without any dangerous consequences.
But lawyers of the public organization ordered an examination at the Kiev Scientific Research Institute of Expertise, the results of which may put an end to the protracted disputes. According to lawyers, the danger in this case is precisely that these warehouses contain medicines. In the event of an emergency in the warehouses, not only the lives and health of local residents, the environment will be at risk, but the work of pharmacies in Kyiv and the Kyiv region will also be blocked, which will lead to a shortage of vital drugs.