Even several days after thousands of dead fish were found in the Oder, the authorities are still puzzling over the cause.

Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke (Greens) said in the ARD "Morgenmagazin" that "various factors" would probably come together.

Brandenburg's Environment Minister Axel Vogel (Greens) spoke on Monday on the Berlin-Brandenburg radio station of an "absolute anomaly" in the water.

The river has high oxygen levels, high salinity and high pH.

It is still unclear whether additional chemical substances got into the river.

Kim Maurus

volunteer.

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According to Environment Minister Anna Moskwa, increased salt levels in the water were also found in Poland: "The high salt content of the Oder may have activated other toxic substances in the water or in the bottom sediment," Moskwa told the PAP news agency.

"Toxicology testing of the fish will help identify any contaminants that may have contributed to the deaths of the animals."

Identifying the cause of damage

Vogel warned of long-term damage as a result of the environmental disaster: "We're always talking about fish now, in fact the entire ecosystem of the Oder has been damaged." Other animals such as mussels, mollusks and insects also needed a long time to rebuild.

Lemke said on Monday that all decision-makers - including Poland - are responsible for finding the cause of the environmental disaster.

The background to the fish kills urgently needs to be clarified: "There would be a massive loss of trust, especially among the Polish population, but probably also with us if that didn't succeed".

Poland forwarded information too late, which made it difficult to "identify the cause of the damage." According to the government, Polish authorities received evidence of mass deaths of fish in the Oder at the end of July.

"Chemical substances from industrial production"

At a meeting with her Polish counterpart Moskwa on Sunday evening in Szczecin, Lemke announced closer cooperation in order to clarify the incident.

A task force that has now been set up is intended to coordinate the work of Polish and German experts and enable a better exchange of information.

According to the Federal Environment Ministry, further analysis results are expected "early in the week".

According to Lemke, Polish authorities would examine the fish for 300 other harmful substances, including pesticides.

Contrary to previous assumptions, the Polish government has now ruled out mercury as the cause of the mass deaths.

On Sunday evening, Lemke also named chemical substances as a possible reason for the environmental disaster.

So far, she has no information on this.

But: "It actually seems to be the case that these are chemical substances from industrial production." Ultimately, however, one does not know that.

According to Moskva, heat and drought are also not excluded as causes.