The North Rhine-Westphalian State Environment Agency found "only low pollution" in the soot and dust that fell after the explosion in the hazardous waste facility in the chemical park in Leverkusen in the city area.
The authority announced on Friday.
In the middle of the week, the environmental agency had warned that dioxins and PCBs and hydrocarbons might have escaped in the cloud of smoke after the explosion.
Jonas Jansen
Business correspondent in Düsseldorf.
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For the polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) and the so-called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), very low values have now been measured, which are below the assessment limits. Dioxins could therefore not be detected. The so-called reaction conditions, such as the temperature of the “uncontrolled combustion”, as the LANUV calls the explosion, would not have favored the formation of the substances, “or even inhibited this process,” it said.
Measurements of the air for pollutants by the fire brigade and the environmental agency also showed no abnormalities.
However, this does not mean the all-clear.
“At the moment, the investigations into which other substances were involved in the accident are still ongoing.
It is therefore still unclear whether other, previously unknown substances were introduced into the immediate vicinity of the fire, ”reports the LANUV.
Therefore, the precautionary measures continue to apply: residents should currently not consume fruit and vegetables from the garden, they should not touch contaminated surfaces or clean them themselves.
This applies to the affected urban area of Leverkusen and the immediately adjacent areas of the cities of Leichlingen and Opladen.
The State Environment Agency wants to make the investigation report available on its website.