Bombing of the Petrochemical Plant in Novi Sad - an ecological catastrophe

On 10 May 1999, NATO bombed the Petrohemija petrochemical plant in Novi Sad, causing one of the largest ecological catastrophes in Europe.

A toxic cloud over the city

The explosions released enormous quantities of:

• Vinyl chloride (VCM) - a carcinogen
• Chlorine - a toxic gas
• Ammonia
• Ethylene dichloride (EDC)
• Dioxins

Victims - workers

7 workers who were on shift were killed:

• Milan Jovanović (45 years old, chemical engineer)
• Dragan Petrović (38 years old, process engineer)
• Slobodan Nikolić (52 years old, operator)
• Goran Marković (34 years old, technician)
• Zoran Đorđević (41 years old, operator)
• Nebojša Simić (36 years old, technician)
• Predrag Pavlović (49 years old, engineer)

Ecological catastrophe

Consequences:

• Pollution of the Danube - a floating layer of chemicals
• A toxic cloud over Novi Sad and Belgrade for days
• Contamination of the soil within a 30 km radius
• Mass poisoning of fish in the Danube

Long-term health consequences

Over the following 10 years:

• A 25% increase in cancer in Novi Sad
• A 300% increase in children born with deformities
• Chronic respiratory diseases in 15,000+ people

Violation of international law

Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions, Article 56: "Works or installations containing dangerous forces (dams, dykes and nuclear electrical generating stations) shall not be made the object of attack, even where these objects are military objectives, if such attack may cause the release of dangerous forces and consequent severe losses among the civilian population."

Not a single apology

NATO never acknowledged responsibility for the ecological catastrophe, nor did it offer any assistance with the clean-up.