Dead fish float on the surface of the Oder river, as water has been contaminated and is causing the mass extinction of fish in the river, in Bielinek, Poland, August, 11, 2022. Cezary Aszkiełowicz/Agencja Wyborcza.pl via REUTERS
BERLIN (Reuters) - An unknown, highly toxic substance in the Oder river, which runs through Poland and Germany, appears to be the cause of a mass die-off of fish, the German state of Brandenburg's environment ministry said.
An analysis of river water from Monday showed evidence of "synthetic chemical substances, very probably also with toxic effects for vertebrates," the ministry said on Thursday, adding that it remained unclear how the substance entered the water.
According to local broadcaster rbb, the state laboratory found high levels of mercury in the water samples.
The head of Poland's national water management authority told private broadcaster Polsat News that the presence of mercury in the water had yet to be confirmed, however.
"At the moment, these are press reports. We have no confirmation regarding mercury in the Oder," Przemyslaw Daca, the head of Polish Waters, said.
The ministry in Brandenburg, the state surrounding Berlin, said it had not yet been possible to assess how many fish had died across Poland and Germany.
"The chains of communication between the Polish and German sides did not work in this case," Brandenburg environment minister Axel Vogel said, adding that German authorities still had received no notification from Poland on the incident.
In a warning sent to the public earlier this week, Germans in the Uckermark and Barnim districts, home to rolling hills and a nature reserve, advised citizens to avoid contact with water from the Oder and an adjacent canal.
(Reporting by Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk; Writing by Rachel More; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
