Madrid metro station shut down due to ‘highly toxic gases’

The Sol metro station, a major connection in the centre of Madrid, has been closed this Friday, October 16 due to the ‘unsanitary conditions’ of the station, as a result of deterioration caused by protesters who camped out in Puerta del Sol to contest the housing crisis. The regional government of Madrid warned of the “accumulation of urine, excrement, and other organic waste in the ventilation shafts and access points” due to the encampments. 

‘Urgent cleaning’ needs to be done in Madrid metro station

The announcement was made by Isabel Díaz Ayuso, the President of the Community of Madrid. “Right now, there are unsanitary conditions inside,” stated Díaz Ayuso. “Urgent cleaning and safety work needs to be done.”

The young protesters have now been camped out in Puerta del Sol for more than two weeks. According to Díaz Ayuso, due to the protest, “all the surrounding streets and all the shops are empty because people are afraid to go shopping in this atmosphere.”

Vandalisation, foul smells, and blockages preventing ambulances from passing

Additionally, some fights, though isolated, have allegedly broken out during the demonstration, and people have vandalised the statue of the bear, emblematic of Puerta del Sol, as well as the equestrian statue of Charles III. According to Díaz Ayuso, “the smell is already starting to contaminate the exits of the Metro, the breathing vents of the subway itself” and that there is “difficulty for ambulances to pass, journalists are attacked and it is already the law of the jungle”.

Health concerns outlined in a letter addressed to government delegate

The Minister of Housing, Transport and Infrastructure, Jorge Rodrigo addressed a letter to the Government Delegate in Madrid, Francisco Martín, warning of the serious health conditions present in the central Madrid metro station. In the letter, he forwarded an environmental report issued on Wednesday, October 14, by Himalaya Laboratories, a multinational pharmaceutical and personal care company. 

‘Highly toxic and pneumotoxic gases’

“In an enclosed space where urine accumulates, the combination of natural evaporation, bacterial decomposition, and lack of ventilation generates a complex mixture of organic and inorganic gases, vapours, and aerosols. The main process is due to urea fermentation: environmental bacteria (producers of the enzyme urease) rapidly break down the urea in the urine,” Rodrigo wrote.

“It must be taken into account that we are dealing with highly toxic and pneumotoxic gases, as the report itself indicates.”

The report also included recommendations for the staff who are tasked with cleaning and disinfecting the metro station.

The catalyst: An 87-year-old woman, forced out of her home

The protest, now well into its third week, involves more than 5,000 people, most of them young adults. The catalyst of this major protest was the eviction of Maricarmen, an 87-year-old woman who was forced out of her home and sadly died just two weeks later, as activists in Spain were rallying to get her back into her own home.