During the preliminary examinations in the immediate vicinity of the Abloy surface treatment facility in the Eastern City of Joensuu, which was gutted in a fire on Friday evening, some residuals of chrome have been spotted. Certain chrome compounds are dangerous for both humans and the environment.
On Saturday, the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE) had some samples taken in the ditches close to the plant.
A closer analysis of the samples will be made in Kuopio in order to establish potential heavy metal concentrations as soon as possible.
Senior inspector Juha Aho from the North Karelia Environment Centre cannot evaluate as yet what kind of harm the toxic combustion gases and the discharge of poisonous substances may have caused to nearby residents.
The fire began on Friday evening just before 18:00. A warning triggered by an automatic device was received by the emergency services at 17:56. Serious personal injuries were avoided.
The approximately 1,200 residents in three districts of Joensuu were ordered to stay indoors on Friday night and turn on the radio for further instructions, as the combustion gases started to spread in the area. Television programmes nationwide featured a ticker at the top of the screen and an alarm sound in the first "for real" application of a public service warning of this nature.
The curfew was cancelled around 2:00 a.m. on Saturday morning, while firefighting and damping down was still going on at the scene.
