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| 20:55:13 | 08-06-2005 | Regions |

CEMENT POWDER OF ARARAT TOWN CAUSES ILLNESSES
Today the Caucasian region ecological center organized in Ararat a
conference with the theme `Environmental Protection For the Welfare of the
Coming Generations and Steady Development’. The aim of the conference was
create a field of cooperation and experience exchange between Ararat and
other regions in Armenia and the highlight the ecological problems of
Ararat.

According to Dshkhuhi Sahakyan, expert of the Ararat local environment
activities program, the town of Ararat has serious problems connected with
air and water pollution. Particularly, the problem is connected with the
Ararat cement factory. It has caused lung illnesses in many people.
According to the local residents, many people have been poisoned by the
water polluted by the gold extraction plant. Mrs. Sahakyan said that they
had offered to install filtering equipment in the cement factory, but they
were told that the equipment will be too expensive.

Head of the association «Principles of Steady Development» Karine Danielyan
referred to the food problems. According to her, many different types of
food with genetically changed components are imported into Armenia. The
reason of this, according to her, is the poor social conditions, as Armenia
imports these types of foods without detailed investigation.