Turkey faces new threat: Mountains of earthquake rubble.

Turkey is facing a complex task of disposing of up to 210 million tons of rubble created by two earthquakes that struck in February, killing over 50,000 people. Environmental activists fear that the building materials mingling with the detritus of countless lives are emitting harmful substances such as asbestos fibers. Dump sites in Hatay province are being chosen with input from local officials, and precautions are being taken to mitigate harm from the wreckage, including testing the air. However, residents and environmental activists complain that the disposal effort is being handled recklessly, with rubble being dumped in populated areas and on the sides of major roads, violating Turkish regulations on the handling of such debris.