The poisoned legacy of Albania's steel city

Once the pride of Albania's communist regime, Elbasan's giant metals complex is now one of the most polluted sites in the Balkans, laden with hundreds of thousands of tons of waste, much of it hazardous.

Built in the 1970s with Chinese assistance, the vast "Party Steel" shipyard once employed 10,000 workers in 500 factories during the dictatorship of Enver Hoxha.

Now only a tenth of that number work in the privatized factories that have survived, with everything that could be sold being removed from the ruins of the rest.

Despite the dangers and the stench, anyone can enter large areas of it, and many make a living by cleaning up piles of hazardous waste, searching for metals to resell.

"This is an area where 1.5 to two million tons of hazardous waste have been stored for more than 35 years, polluting the water, air and soil," Beqir Kila, a prominent Albanian environmental activist and engineer, told AFP.

Analyses conducted by various independent expert groups showed levels of lead, nickel and chromium at least three times higher than European limits, he said.

The Albanian Environmental Agency said the complex, just five kilometers (three miles) from the city of Elbasan, tops the list of "high-risk areas, with a high potential for pollution from heavy metal residues such as ferronickel and ferrochrome, a legacy that continues to pollute the waters of the Shkumbin River", in a report published in January.

However, the authorities are not proposing any solutions, environmentalists warn.

"Stored in the open air, at the mercy of atmospheric conditions, this waste undergoes changes and all the dangerous and toxic elements it contains penetrate the soil and water," warned Kila, pointing to his hands covered in black dust.

For years, the area in Albania's fertile central valley has been haunted by reports of high rates of cancer and birth defects.

"Lead emissions have caused brain failure, especially in children, but also genetic problems in cattle and poultry," Kila said.

'Catastrophic pollution'

The steel mills have long insisted they are following the rules, but neither they nor the Albanian government responded to AFP's requests for comment.

 "We consider the pollution in the industrial area of ​​the former Elbasan steel complex catastrophic," said environmental expert Ahmet Mehmeti.

In addition to problems from old, dilapidated factories, many of which are at risk of collapse, there is also pollution from new factories, he warned.

Official figures for air pollution around Elbasan do not exist, and air quality assessments are made by the factories themselves.

"The secret game with the authorities suits companies perfectly," Mehmeti said, as they are interested in reducing costs and not pollution levels.

An AFP team saw a chimney spewing black smoke at the site. But when a cameraman with a drone arrived, the smoke suddenly stopped.

"The waste contains chromium, nickel, zinc... the discharges pass into the water, flow into the nearby river, which is used to irrigate the land and ends up in fruits and vegetables on our plate," said Mehmeti.

Albania exports hazardous and non-hazardous waste that is not left in the country, as it is unable to treat it itself.

Last July, a total of 102 containers filled with waste left Albania for Thailand, where they would be recycled.

But after a whistleblower reported that the waste was suspected to be toxic and had not been registered as such, it was returned and has been in Albania since November.

"Albania has a law on the export of hazardous and non-hazardous waste, but the problem lies in the lack of control over procedures and documents," said environmental activist Lavdosh Ferruni.

The public prosecution office at the port of Durres has opened an investigation with the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) into the case.

Meanwhile, suspected toxic waste remains in Albania./ France 24.