Mr Balázs Tömöri, Greenpeace representative in Hungary, said in a statement that Greenpeace had taken samples from the waterways in the area and had submitted them to two independent laboratories, the  Vienna Environmental Protection Agency and the Budapest Valentine Analytics Ltd.

Both laboratories found high concentrations of toxins in the samples they tested, indicating that the Torna river is still being polluted.

Tömöri said, "the concentration of arsenic, aluminum, and organic contamination in the water is significantly higher than the allowable limit, and the results of studies of the acid and gypsum treatment are alarming. The organic contamination detected is five times the legally regulated level."

The results showed that the samples contained 1300μg of arsenic per litre, which is ten times the amount allowed in Austria. 

The European Commission has recommended that Hungary work together with environmental groups to ensure the health of the people and wildlife in the region.

Pollutants that enter the Torna stream travel through the Marcal river and eventually end up in the Danube, so while the problem seems out-of-sight and out-of-mind, the pollution from the MAL plant could cause problems throughout the course of the Danube.

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