Agencies-Gaza post
Mass deaths of fish due to strange toxic substances in the world
The German Ministry of Environment said an unknown highly toxic substance found in the Oder River, which runs through Poland and Germany, caused mass fish deaths.
On Thursday, the ministry said an analysis of river water had shown evidence of “synthetic chemicals that are very likely to have toxic effects on vertebrates”, adding that it was not yet clear how the substance had reached river waters.
According to a local radio station, the State laboratory found high levels of mercury in water samples.
However, the President of Poland’s National Water Management Authority, Primeswav Dhaka, told private broadcaster Polsat News that the presence of mercury in the water had not yet been confirmed.
“It’s just press reports to this point. We are not sure there is mercury in the River Oder”.
The ministry in the state of Brandenburg, surrounding Berlin, said it was not yet possible to quantify the amount of fish spent across Poland and Germany.
“The channels of communication between the Polish and German sides have not succeeded in this case,” Brandenburg Environment Minister Axel Vogel said, adding that the German authorities have not yet received any notification from Poland about the incident.
In a public warning issued earlier this week, German authorities in the Okermark and Barneim regions, home to winding hills and a nature reserve, advised citizens to avoid contact with the waters of the Oder River and a canal adjacent to it.
