Poison cannot be ruled out as the reason of a major fish die-off in the Oder River, but studies have so far shown no evidence that poisonous substances were to blame, according to Polish Environment Minister Anna Moskwa on Sunday.
Tons of dead fish have been discovered in the Oder River, which flows through Germany and Poland, since late July. Both governments have stated that a dangerous substance is to blame, but neither has identified what it is.
‘As of today,’ Moskwa said after meeting with her German colleague and other German and Polish officials, ‘none of these (water) tests have proved the presence of harmful compounds.’
‘We are also testing fish at the same time. We have finished testing the fish for mercury and heavy metals. The gathered samples contained no mercury or heavy metals,’ she continued.
Moskwa stated that samples are already being tested for pesticides, and that 300 additional compounds would be examined for in the next hours.
‘We still cannot rule out a variety of the hazardous substances…so we are interested in identifying the perpetrator as soon as possible… We are investigating entities that conduct commercial and industrial activity along the river,’ Moskwa elaborated.
According to the German and Polish administrations, the mass die-off is a serious environmental disaster, and the river could take years to recover.
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