Problem of disposal of unwanted pesticides deposited in concrete tombs

The contents of a selected dual-chamber tomb containing pesticide wastes we re investigated. Organochlorine pesticides constituted 30% of the buried wa ste and DDT constituted 50% of the chlorinated hydrocarbons. The investigat ed tomb also contained about 8.2 kg of mercury in organic and inorganic com pounds and 600 kg of explosive nitrophenols. Because the bituminous coating s on the concrete walls of the tomb may be destroyed by oil-water emulsions and/or organic solvents from solvent-based preparations deposited in the t omb, it is possible that the unprotected concrete walls will be corroded an d that toxic chemicals may subsequently migrate to the surrounding area. Th e exact composition of each tomb chamber is unknown, therefore the processi ng technology needs to be flexible enough to cope with the different proper ties and concentrations of the deposited chemicals.