No heavy metals found in contaminated Odra river

An analysis of samples of contaminated water from the Odra River showed no evidence of heavy metals, a deputy interior minister said.

More than ten tons of dead fish have been found in the Odra, Poland's second largest river since July, which also runs through Germany.

The toxic spill has been described as an ecological disaster and there are fears that the river could be affected for years.

Maciej Wasik, deputy minister of internal affairs and administration, told a press conference on Friday that no heavy metals were found in 50 samples of water from the Odra River. He said crisis management services are already working in the provinces affected by the disaster to remove the effects of the river contamination. Wasik also announced a ban on access to the Odra in the provinces of Dolnoslaskie, Lubuskie and Zachodniopomorskie. He stated that water sports, bathing, angling and watering animals in the river are not allowed.

He said that the police, along with the local environmental protection inspectorates, would check all industrial plants along the Odra in order to find out who caused this state of affairs. Just what has killed river life and how it got into the river remains a mystery.

German Environment Minister Steffi Lemke warned of an ecological disaster on Friday.

Lemke told the German portal Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland RND An environmental catastrophe is imminent, and I am very shocked and concerned about the fish dying in the Odra.