Skopje, 15 September 2025 (MIA) - Initial measurements of gases in the air from samples taken during the fire at F-Group in Trubarevo indicate that all parameters were two to three times above permissible levels, with carbon monoxide reaching 300 mg/m³, far exceeding the 10 mg/m³ limit.

This was underscored at a press conference on Monday by the State Environmental Inspectorate director, Ivana Ginovska, who, together with the Minister of Environment and Physical Planning, Izet Mexhiti, the Director of the Environmental Administration, Igor Nikovski, and the Goce Delchev University Rector and head of the AMBICON laboratory, Dejan Mirakovski, provided information on the initial inspections and measures being taken following the catastrophic fire at the electronic waste landfill.

“By Friday, we will have information on the types of heavy metals released over Skopje. Preliminary results for gases indicate levels above the allowed limits. Monitoring stations have been installed to track daily levels and assess air quality, so we can determine how safe citizens near the fire are,” Ginovska said.

Ginovska said that by Friday, results from the accredited laboratory for measurements of heavy metals in the air, taken on the day of the fire, will be available, and additionally, when conditions allow, water and soil will be tested.

Director of the Environmental Administration Igor Nikoski reported that the F-Group company had a permit issued on May 12, 2021, valid until May 12, 2026.

"An environmental report approved on February 19, 2021, and updated on May 7, 2021, allowed F-Group to start operations, according to on-site inspections by the Administration’s professional services. These are preliminary details. The waste handled includes electrical and electronic equipment, batteries, and accumulators. Under the permit, the company was authorized to treat up to 20 tons of non-hazardous waste and up to 500 kilograms of hazardous waste per day, or within a 24-hour period,” Nikoski noted.

The Goce Delchev University Rector and head of the AMBICON laboratory, Dejan Mirakovski, said that preliminary results from the air quality monitoring stations, installed yesterday in Trubarevo, Skopje, are expected next week. He explained that two devices have been set up, which will continuously, 24 hours a day for the next five days, collect particle samples for later analysis. One monitoring station is located about fifty meters, and the second about one hundred meters from the electronic and plastic waste recycling facility of F-Group in Trubarevo, which burned down on Saturday.

Photo: MIA