Spolana Neratovice got higher in the lists, in particular, due to still very high emissions of trichloroethylene (3). „Hazardousness of this substance was re-evaluated by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), and trichloroethylene is now ranked among substances that are proved carcinogens to humans. In addition to that, Spolana increased emissions of a probably carcinogenic substances 1,2-dichloroethane (4), namely to three and a half tons. The company intends to import this substance as a raw material for PVC manufacturing. Higher emissions of this substance do not improve confidence into this plan. In fact, the reverse is true,“ commented RNDr. Jindřich Petrlík, the head of the Toxics and Waste Programme of the Arnika Association, the development in the case of Spolana.

Besides Spolana Neratovice, Kovohutě holding DT, a.s. in Mníšek pod Brdy may be labelled as the company showing the highest increase in emissions. The company reported 29 grams of dioxins (5) in transfers in waste. This is approximately the amount by which the total amount of these hazardous substances, reported by the companies into the IPR, increased this year. The list of the ten biggest dioxin producers includes three waste incinerators of the company SITA CZ, a.s. - namely in Trmice, in Zlín, and in Ostrava. „For the state administration authorities, the fact that ArcelorMittal and the incinerator SAKO Brno stated that they recycled wastes containing dioxins should be a warning signal. This is in contradiction with the purpose of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, ratified by the Czech Republic,“ stressed Petrlík.

Concerning 2015, releases and transfers of hazardous substances were reported, in total, by 1770 companies (by seventy more than in the previous year), and the number of substances increased by four from 59 reported concerning 2014 to 63 concerning 2015. The data into the IPR, as a publicly accessible database, are reported by the individual plants themselves. On the basis of these data, Arnika has prepared lists according to groups of substances hazardous to human health and the environment, for twelve years already.

After Arnika had published lists of the biggest polluters in the Czech Republic for ten years, it started similar evaluation of data in the IPR systems in Kazakhstan, and in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the both countries, it has published similar lists this year already. „An interesting fact is that the multinational metallurgical giant ArcelorMittal is in the first places of the lists in these countries too, similarly as in the Czech lists. Moreover, a study made in Zenice in Bosnia proved high dioxin concentrations in eggs of chickens raised in the vicinity of its plant,“ said Martin Skalský, the head of the Arnika's projects in the both countries. Also in the Czech Republic, ArcelorMittal continues to be the largest producer of dust emissions, in spite of the fact that it significantly decreased their amounts.

Further, styrene (6) emissions slightly increased in the Czech Republic in comparison with the previous year. Whereas the company Synthos Kralupy nad Vltavou decreased its emissions by approximately three tons, the laminate producing company Peter GFK in Trhový Štepánov increased them by twelve tons. The importance of styrene producers, in comparison with formaldehyde (7), increased in the share of emissions of potentially carcinogenic and carcinogenic substances. The wood processing plant in Lukavec reached the level of formaldehyde emissions of the more famous Kronospan in Jihlava already.

Three Prague plants got into the lists of the biggest polluters: The Prague waste water treatment plant to the second place in the list of the largest sources of substances hazardous to water organisms, due to releases of heavy metals, copper and zinc, and waste incinerator in Malešice (with dioxins and mercury in waste). The third one was a plant of the company Cofely, a.s. in Prague 4 where an accidental release of halons took place, probably from a fire-extinguishing equipment. „The use of halons in fire-extinguishing equipment has been banned since 2003. These substances extremely deplete the Earth ozone layer and two accidental releases reported this year represent the highest reported amount in the whole IPR history,“ commented Petrlík the exceptional accidental release of halons. An even higher release of halons than the one in  Cofely, a.s. was reported by Kopos Kolín, a.s.

The seventeen current tables are dominated especially by polluters from the Moravian-Silesian Region, Ústí nad Labem Region, and Central Bohemian Region, and also polluters from the Vysočina Region got higher in the lists.

This year, the Arnika Association published the lists of the biggest polluters according to the IPR data within the framework of the projects „Prague Polluters under a Magnifying Glass“, supported by the Metropolitan Authority of the Capital City of Prague, and „Arnika Regional & International Support for a Toxic Free Future“ supported by the foundation Global Greengrants Fund. Preparation of the internet application, and of the lists, was financially supported also by individual donors of Arnika, who deserve thanks not only from us, but also from users of the web page http://www.znecitovatele.cz.

Notes:

(1) The Integrated Pollution Register (IPR) is operated, and data into it are collected, by the Ministry of Environment of the Czech Republic via the Czech Environmental Information Agency CENIA. It may be found, and searched, at the address www.irz.cz. The data on the releases of selected chemical substances are reported by the individual companies themselves into the Register, because this duty is set upon them by the Act. Arnika then analyses the data, and prepares clearly organised lists of polluters which cannot be easily found in the Register. Presence in these lists, and their publication, often motivate the companies to eliminate emissions of harmful substances, and to introduce more environmentally-friendly technologies. In spite of that, there were already several attempts to limit the IPR, and, thus, the public right to information on environmental pollution. The last time this has happened within the framework of the so-called environmental audit, as the Ministry of Industry and Trade has wanted to reduce the number of the monitored substances, as well as of the companies obliged to submit reports. Arnika's pages concerning the IPR (including the lists from the previous years): arnika.org/registr-znecistovani , and the new internet application where people may create lists, for example, according to the place where they live: http://www.znecistovatele.cz.

(2) Dividing of the substances into groups - carcinogenic and probably and potentially  carcinogenic substances, reprotoxins, mutagens, and others is put more precisely at http://arnika.org/hodnoceni-latek-v-irz.

(3) Trichloroethylene – for more information, please see: http://arnika.org/trichlorethylen

(4) 1,2-dichloroethane – for more information, please see: http://arnika.org/dichlorethan

(5) Dioxins – for more information, please see: http://arnika.org/toxicke-latky/databaze-latek/dioxiny-pcdd-pcdf

(6) Styrene – for more information, please see: http://arnika.org/styren

(7) Formaldehyde – for more information, please see: http://arnika.org/formaldehyd

Table 2 – Carcinogenic substances

The order of facilities according to the amounts of substances and their compounds classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as carcinogenic (1), contained in the total releases into the air, water, and soil according to the data published in the Integrated Pollution Register for the year 2015 (www.irz.cz). Group 1 includes the following chemical substances and their compounds reported into the IPR: arsenic, asbestos, benzene, ethylene oxide, formaldehyde, chromium, cadmium, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), vinyl chloride, and trichloroethylene.

Table 3 – Substances toxic to reproduction (without carbon monoxide)

Industrial facilities which released the highest amounts of reprotoxic substances (substances harmful to reproduction), except carbon monoxide, in 2015. Incorporation of substances among substances toxic to reproduction is based on the assessment of the State of California EPA¹ and on the profiles of the substances stated on the internet pages of the Integrated Pollution Register. On the basis of the above-mentioned documents, the following substances were included among the substances toxic to reproduction: 1,2,3,4,5,6-hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), arsenic, benzene, benzo(g,h,i)perylene, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), di-(2-ethyl hexyl) phthalate (DEHP), diuron, ethylene oxide, fluoranthene, hexachlorobenzene (HCB), chlordecone, chromium, cadmium, mirex, nonylphenol and nonylphenol ethoxylates, organic compounds of tin, carbon monoxide, pentachlorobenzene, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated dioxins + furans (PCDD/Fs), mercury, simazine, toluene, toxaphene, tributyltin and its compounds, triphenyltin and its compounds, and xylenes.

¹ State of California EPA - Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment 2006: Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 - Chemicals Known to the State to Cause Cancor or Reproductive Toxicity, 29.IX.06. Proposition 65. Available at: http://www.oehha.ca.gov/prop65/prop65_list/Newlist.html#list

Table 4 – Carbon monoxide

Industrial facilities which released the highest amounts of carbon monoxide, a substance toxic to reproduction, in 2015.

Table 5 – Mutagenic substances

The order of facilities according to the amounts of substances and their compounds classified as mutagenic, contained in the total releases into the air, water, and soil, according to the data published in the IPR for the year 2015 (www.irz.cz). Incorporation of substances among the mutagenic ones is based on the profiles of the substances published on the internet pages of the IPR. The group of mutagenic substances includes the following chemical substances and their compounds reported into the IPR: alachlor, anthracene, 1,2-dichloroethane, diuron, ethylene oxide, phenols, formaldehyde, mirex, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), trifluralin, trichloroethylene, and vinyl chloride.

Table 6 – Endocrine disruptors

The order of facilities according to the amounts of substances and their compounds classified as endocrine disruptors, contained in the total releases into the air, water, and soil, according to the data published in the IPR for the year 2015 (www.irz.cz). Incorporation of substances among endocrine disruptors is based on classification of the substances in the EU and USA. The group of endocrine disruptors includes the following chemical substances and their compounds reported into the IPR: atrazine, chloroalkanes (C_10-13), di-(2-ethyl hexyl) phthalate (DEHP), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated dioxins + furans (PCDD/Ff), tetrachloroethylene (PER), trichlorobenzenes, styrene.

Table 7 – Greenhouse gases

The order of facilities according to the amounts of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane), calculated according to their potential to contribute to the greenhouse effect, in the total releases into the air, according to the data published in the IPR for the year 2015 (www.irz.cz). The data are in tons. The first places in the list are influenced by carbon dioxide emissions only.

Table 8 – Gases causing acid rains

The following industrial facilities released the highest amounts of gases causing acid rains (ammonia, nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides, hydrogen fluoride and hydrogen chloride) in 2015:

Important comment!

Teplárna České Budějovice is in the first place in the list of the biggest polluters by gases causing acid rains released in 2015, however its report contained an error. The facility reported 1000-times higher emissions of hydrogen fluoride and hydrogen chloride than in the previous years.

Table 9 – Ozone depleting substances

The order of facilities according to the amounts of ozone depleting substances, calculated according to their potential to contribute to depletion of the Earth ozone layer, in the total releases into the air, according to the data published in the Integrated Pollution Register for the year 2015 (www.irz.cz). Only halons, hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and tetrachloromethane (TCM) are included. The ozone depletion potential is calculated relative to the effects of CFCs (so-called "hard freons"), having the potential of 1. We use the coefficient of 0.062 in the case of HCFCs (so-called "soft freons"), 1.1 in the case of TCM, and 6.1 in the case of halons.

Table 10 – Substances hazardous to water organisms

The following industrial facilities released the highest amounts of substances hazardous to water organisms into water in 2015. The substances were selected according to the R‑phrases. Simultaneously, there were selected only substances in the case of which emissions into water are reported (1,2,3,4,5,6-hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH),  arsenic and its compounds, atrazine, brominated diphenylethers (PBDEs), DDT, diuron, endosulfan, endrin, heptachlor, hexachlorobenzene, chloroalkanes (C_10-13), chlordane, chlordecone, chlorfenvinphos, chlorpyriphos, chromium and its compounds, isodrin, isoproturon, cadmium and its compounds, cyanides, lindane (γ-HCH), copper and its compounds, mirex, naphthalene, nickel and its compounds, nonylphenol and nonylphenol ethoxylates, lead and its compounds, pentachlorobenzene (PeCB), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), mercury and its compounds, simazine, organotin compounds, toxaphene, tributyltin and its compounds, triphenyltin and its compounds, trifluralin, and zinc and its compounds).

Table 11 – Persistent organic pollutants (POPs)

In 2015, the following industrial facilities released or transferred to other places the highest amounts of POPs, listed on the lists of the Stockholm Convention and the POPs Protocol to the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution. These substances are 1,2,3,4,5,6-hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), aldrin, brominated diphenylethers (PBDEs), DDT, dieldrin, endosulfan, endrin, heptachlor, hexachlorobenzene (HCB), hexachlorobutadiene (HCBD), chlordane, chlordecone, lindane, mirex, organic compounds of tin, pentachlorobenzene (PeCB), polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and toxaphene, with the exception of the amounts of PCBs and polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs) in waste, which, according to our estimates, need not be produced as by-products of the operation of the facilities. Moreover, a separate table was drawn up for dioxins.

Table 12 – Mercury and its compounds

The following industrial facilities released the highest amounts of mercury and its compounds in emissions into the air, water, and soil in 2015:

Table 13 – Mercury and its compounds (in emissions and waste)

Industrial facilities which released or transferred in wastes the highest amounts of mercury and its compounds in 2015:

Table 14 – Styrene

The order of facilities according to the amounts of styrene in the total releases into the air:

Table 15 - Formaldehyde

The following industrial facilities released the highest amounts of formaldehyde into the air in 2015:

Table 16 – Polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)

The following industrial facilities released the highest amounts of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) into the air in 2015:

Table 17 – Dioxins

The highest amounts of dioxins were released into the air and transferred to other places in waste and waste water by the following industrial facilities in 2015:

Table 18 – Dust emissions (PM₁₀)

The following industrial facilities released the highest amounts of dust particles into the air in 2015:

The Integrated Pollution Register (IPR) is operated, and data into it are collected, by the Ministry of Environment of the Czech Republic via the Czech Environmental Information Agency CENIA. It may be found, and searched, at the address www.irz.cz. The data on the releases of selected chemical substances are reported by the individual companies themselves into the Register, because this duty is set upon them by the Act. Arnika then analyses the data, and prepares clearly organised lists of polluters which cannot be easily found in the Register. Presence in these lists, and their publication, often motivate the companies to eliminate emissions of harmful substances, and to introduce more environmentally-friendly technologies. In spite of that, there were already several attempts to limit the IPR, and, thus, the public right to information on environmental pollution. The last time this has happened within the framework of the so-called environmental audit, as the Ministry of Industry and Trade has wanted to reduce the number of the monitored substances, as well as of the companies obliged to submit reports. For more information, please see: arnika.org/zachovejme-irz-snahy-omezit-registr-znecistovatelu

Arnika's pages concerning the IPR (including the lists from the previous years): arnika.org/toxicke-latky/nase-temata/prumyslove-znecisteni/zebricky-znecistovatelu