Notable case, Pančevo, Vojvodina, Serbia
Pančevo (southern industrial zone)
Панчево
A refinery, a petrochemical plant and a nitrogen fertiliser works side by side on the edge of Belgrade. In 1999 NATO bombing hit them repeatedly, releasing vinyl chloride, ethylene dichloride, ammonia and mercury.
At a glance
- Status
- Under assessment
- Media
- soil, groundwater, surface water, sediment, air
- Kind of site
- petrochemicals, oil, chemical works, military, accident
Contaminants
Metals
Other inorganics
Status
Under assessment
According to Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso the sediments of the wastewater canal to the Danube had not yet been decontaminated; an air-monitoring network, set up with help from the Italian Province of Ravenna, has existed since 2001. We found no recent official source.
Story
Three large plants stand in Pančevo's southern industrial zone: the NIS refinery, the HIP Petrohemija petrochemical works and the HIP Azotara nitrogen plant. Between late March and early June 1999 they were bombed fourteen times; on 18 April all three were hit within two hours.
According to UNEP's October 1999 report, as summarised by Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso, 2,100 tonnes of ethylene dichloride (the source writes "dichloroethylene"), 460 tonnes of vinyl chloride monomer and 250 tonnes of ammonia were released, together with chlorine and sulphur and nitrogen oxides; more than 8 tonnes of mercury went towards the Tamiš river. Industrial effluent reaches the Danube through an artificial canal whose sediments have stayed contaminated.
Timeline
- 1999March–June: fourteen bombing raids on the plants; UNEP report in October.
- 2001The air-monitoring network is started.
Health
A 2009 survey of children found cardiovascular, blood and digestive illnesses 149% above the national average (Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso).
From the literature
Species that acted on one of this site's contaminants in at least one study. The list is automatic and takes no account of this site's soil, concentrations or climate.
Plants
- Eichhornia crassipesWater hyacinthEvidence: field
- Festuca arundinaceaTall fescuePetroleum hydrocarbonsEvidence: field
- Lolium perennePerennial ryegrassPetroleum hydrocarbonsEvidence: field
- Medicago sativaAlfalfa, lucernePetroleum hydrocarbonsEvidence: field
- Paulownia tomentosaPrincess tree, empress treePetroleum hydrocarbonsEvidence: field
- Populus × generosaHybrid poplar (P. trichocarpa × P. deltoides)Chlorinated solvents (TCE, PCE, chloroform)Evidence: field
Fungi
- Aspergillus nigerBlack mouldEvidence: laboratory
- Pleurotus pulmonariusPhoenix oyster, Indian oysterPetroleum hydrocarbonsEvidence: laboratory
- Rhodotorula taiwanensisEvidence: laboratory
- Scedosporium apiospermumPetroleum hydrocarbonsEvidence: laboratory
- Trametes versicolorTurkey tailChlorinated solvents (TCE, PCE, chloroform)Evidence: laboratory
- Boletus edulisKing bolete, porciniEvidence: survey of wild specimens
The rest are on the contaminant pages.
Nearby
Notable case, Borski okrug, Serbia
Bor (copper mines and smelter)
141 km
Notable case, Mitrovica / Zvečan, Kosovo
Mitrovica (Trepča mining and smelting complex)
216 km
Notable case, Sibiu, Romania
Copșa Mică
312 km
Notable case, Ajka / Kolontár, Hungary
Ajka red mud spill (Kolontár and Devecser)
351 km
- Red mud (alkaline)
Sources
- Pančevo, dead town, Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso Transeuropa
Draft compiled from public sources, not yet reviewed.