Albchrome scandal/ NEA report: Environmental catastrophe as metallurgical operator illegally deposits hundreds of tons of toxic poisonous waste in the open

The Ferrochrome Plant in Papër, Elbasan, owned by “Albchrome sh.p.k.”, has become a high-risk environmental time bomb for public health.

A field inspection by the National Environment Agency uncovered a serious scandal: the metallurgical operator has illegally deposited hundreds of tons of highly poisonous toxic waste in the open, triggering a silent environmental catastrophe.

Kapitali exclusively publishes the inspection report on the Albchrome facility, whose legal representative is its administrator, Teuta Ustundag. The report, prepared by inspectors Xhevdet Haxhiaj, Henri Bacinozi and Enver Halipaj, identifies a genuine environmental genocide with fatal consequences for the health of the local population.

The most alarming finding of the inspection was the discovery of more than 300 tons of dust captured by chimney filters, classified under the hazardous environmental code 10 08 15*.

These industrial wastes, which contain high concentrations of heavy metals, had been packed in simple “bigbag” sacks and left stacked in the open air for more than a year.

The scandal deepens further with the management of ferrochrome slag (code 10 08 09). Its massive disposal site is completely unsealed, without perimeter fencing and without any protective drainage system.

In contact with rain and atmospheric agents, the slag continuously oxidizes.

The contaminated water generated by this process, laden with hazardous metallurgical waste, flows without any control, is absorbed by the soil and directly poisons the underground water basins in the Papër area.

Classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the WHO

The hazardous waste seeping from the plant threatens the health of the population through two fatal pathways: air and water. On the one hand, the 300 tons of filter dust (code 10 08 15*), left for more than a year in simple sacks in the open air, break down and are dispersed into the atmosphere by the wind, being directly inhaled by residents.

On the other hand, the massive quantities of unsealed slag (code 10 08 09) are washed away by rain, allowing hexavalent chromium and heavy metals to penetrate deep into the soil. This process directly contaminates underground water flows and local springs, causing the poisons to end up in drinking water and in agricultural products irrigated with it.

The presence of hexavalent chromium in the air and water is a red alert, as this element has been certified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a Group 1 carcinogen.

Fatal consequences for public health

Inhaling the dust and consuming contaminated water directly cause lung cancer and significantly increase the risk of stomach, liver and kidney cancer.

In addition to the risk of tumors, continuous exposure to this waste causes severe respiratory damage—including chronic bronchitis and irreversible fibrosis—as well as mutagenic effects that directly damage DNA, posing serious reproductive risks for pregnant women.

Finally, simply using contaminated water causes severe skin inflammation (dermatitis), serious environmental allergies and open skin ulcers that are very difficult to treat.

Residents of Papër and Elbasan have been unknowingly inhaling and drinking a poison that has remained stacked in the open air for more than a year.

Environmental chaos and concealed installations

NEA documents demonstrate complete anarchy within the plant’s perimeter. Albchrome secretly operated an entire fuel station (point ID 1.10) without declaring it or including it in the environmental permit.

In addition, near the fuel depot—which lacks even a protective embankment against leakage risks—inspectors found piles of scrap materials and discarded plastic containers with no separation or environmental criteria whatsoever.

The facts uncovered in Papër clearly show how heavy industry operates when business profits are placed ahead of residents’ safety and environmental protection. / Kapitali.al