Environmental Activists Find Soil Pollution and Contaminated Backyard Eggs Near Čáslav Landfill

The environmental organization Arnika has published the results of a study conducted around the landfill in the town of Čáslav: analyses of soil, dust, water and eggs from free-range backyard poultry revealed levels of several harmful substances exceeding permitted limits. The samples were collected in spring last year and tested at accredited laboratories belonging to the State Veterinary Institute and the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague.

One of four egg samples exceeded the European limit for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Compared with supermarket eggs, all the egg samples from Čáslav showed noticeably elevated concentrations of harmful substances — DDT, hexachlorobenzene and pentachlorobenzene. However, none of the samples exceeded the overall limit for dioxins.

Lead Levels in Dust Off the Charts

Dust collected on the main access road to the landfill contained 886 milligrams of lead per kilogram — well above the Ministry of the Environment's indicative threshold of 800 milligrams for soil in industrial zones. According to Arnika, this is twice the level considered acceptable for other types of land, such as gardens or farmland. The same sample also contained the highest concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls and aromatic hydrocarbons found among all the dust samples tested.

Arnika notes that pollution levels — particularly of heavy metals — gradually decrease with distance from the landfill toward residential areas, confirming that dust from the site is spreading toward homes. Overall, however, the surrounding soil does not show significant heavy metal contamination.

Groundwater Still Within Limits

Hygienic standards for groundwater and surface water were not exceeded. Nevertheless, the organization believes the study indicates that certain chemical substances from the landfill are still leaching into the environment. A monitoring well near the site contained synthetic compounds that do not naturally decompose. Substances typical of landfill leachate were found in waterlogged soil beneath the dump, at concentrations many times higher than those recorded at comparable landfills abroad.

City Hall's Response and Background to the Conflict

The monitoring was initiated by the group "Čáslav for All," which is in opposition to the city administration and has long campaigned against the landfill's expansion. The group's representative, Veronika Jandová, said the organization would file a complaint with the Czech Environmental Inspectorate.

Mayor Jarmír Strnad, who is running for re-election in the October elections, declined to comment on the study's findings, saying only that waste is no longer being brought to the landfill. He had previously claimed that the city was pushing for strict oversight of the site. Milan Tomanek, a representative of the AVE company, said that the firm's experts would only be able to comment on the methodology and interpretation of the measurements after thoroughly reviewing the report.

Last autumn, residents of Čáslav voted against the planned expansion of the landfill in a local referendum. The city must now amend its master plan so that the area earmarked for the landfill's expansion can no longer be used for waste management purposes. The AVE CZ company had been depositing waste in previously built facilities within the existing complex, but a court recently halted operations there after ruling in favor of a lawsuit filed by the Czech Union for Nature Conservation, "Green Čáslav."

Source: ekolist.cz