Stricter inspections of manufacturers suspected of dumping toxic waste in the area of Koropi, eastern Attica, appear to have had a positive impact as tests on local water resources revealed a drop in levels of the carcinogenic hexavalent chromium (or chromium 6).

The results of the tests, conducted by the University of Athens, are preliminary – with final results expected in January – but they indicate a clear decline in chromium 6 as well as zinc and other chemicals in local underground water reserves.

“The state played a significant role in bringing about this drop by imposing fines on four local firms late last year and conducting stringent checks on eight industrial plants,” said professor Leonidas Kouris, who supervised the tests.

Manufacturers have also been obliged to submit studies to local authorities regarding the storage, management and transport of their waste, Kouris said.

High levels of chromium 6 were first discovered in Koropi’s underground water reserves in 2004.