Assessing environmental and health risks from chemicals in Republic of Macedonia

Abstract

The paper presents the current status of the contaminated sites in Republic Macedonia including policy aspects. Special emphasize has been put on the most dangerous site of the ex chemical plant near the capital city of Skopje. The Republic of Macedonia faces similar problems in the environmental sector to those of many other former command economies in Central and Eastern Europe. In particular, inadequate solid waste management and numerous industrial hotspots (including historical industrial pollution sites) have in some cases led to threatened public health with environmental implications. The lack of suitable infrastructure hampers adequate waste disposal in general and disposal of hazardous waste in particular. There is only one licensed (though not acquiscompliant) landfill in the country compared to around a thousand illegal dumps; there are no incineration (except for medical waste), no composting and few recycling facilities. Hazardous waste is exported in accordance with the Basel Convention. A register and maps for pollutants and polluting substances for solid and hazardous waste and waste waters were completed in September 2005. Decades of industrialization and extensive exploitation of natural resources have left certain number of areas heavily polluted in the country. Since independence no significant concrete investments in this regard have taken place for the protection of the environment. As a result many uncontrolled municipal, as well as industrial landfills and wild dumps proliferated. With regard to economic activities contributing to soil contamination expressed in percentage, the highest share belongs to mining and metallurgy with 31.25%, followed by organic chemical industry with 12.5% and oil refining and leather manufacturing industry with 6.25% (2). There are many barriers in the management of the hot spots such are: no official National Strategy for remediation of contaminated sites; no specific law on soil protection; lack of technical guidelines for investigation of contamination, human health and/or environmental risk assessment and prioritizing the need of actions and management of contaminated sites; insufficient institutional capacity for contaminated site management; no permanent intergovernmental or inter-institutional coordination bodies established for the coordination of contaminated sites management, with the consequence of improper inspection on site