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Gospić environmental contamination concerns

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2026-08-04 14:55 UTC → 2026-08-10 14:33 UTC · added removed

In late July 2026, soil analyses at the former Mesna industrija Velebit site in Gospić revealed dangerous levels of heavy metals and buried infectious medical waste. Civic groups pressed Tests conducted by the Institute of Public Health Dr Andrija Štampar for the State Inspectorate confirmed elevated concentrations of antimony, lead, and cadmium. The civic initiative ‘Gospić je naš dom’ pressured authorities for transparency, and expressing fears that antimony could poison water sources. While the Ministry of Environment and Energy Energy, represented by Marija Vučković, pledged remediation and groundwater monitoring, though the clean‑up additional borehole analyses, locals noted that clean-up efforts had already been delayed for over a year. A few days later, the ministry broadened its oversight to a newly built lithium‑processing lithium-processing plant near Gospić. Citing an incorrect classification and the karst terrain’s high permeability, officials ordered a comprehensive environmental impact assessment before the plant could continue operating, highlighting concerns over potential leaks, groundwater contamination, leaks and public‑health groundwater contamination. By early August, health concerns escalated as experts identified additional risks. Together, Professor Marin Glad of the two events illustrate escalating regulatory scrutiny Institute of Public Health of Primorsko-Goranska County warned that illegal waste disposal has caused chronic exposure to copper, zinc, lead, and antimony since 2022. Furthermore, reports indicated that residents face long-term health risks from both legacy industrial sites heavy metals and new mineral‑processing facilities in microplastic pollution, which threaten to damage natural ecosystems through the Gospić region, driven by fears contamination of soil and water pollution. systems.

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  1. 2026-08-10 14:33 UTC Gospić environmental contamination concerns
  2. 2026-08-04 14:55 UTC Gospić environmental contamination concerns

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