Intro
In certain areas across Europe, phosphogypsum (PG) stacks have become enduring landmarks of industrial prosperity—and unresolved environmental risk. From the Danube towns of Prahovo (Serbia) and Turnu Măgurele (Romania), to coastal Cartagena (Spain), and from the post-industrial sites of Barreiro (Portugal) and Veles (North Macedonia) to Kutina (Croatia), near sensitive protected wetlands, each location reflects a different combination of environmental, socio-economical, governance and local context factors. Yet they share common challenges: long-term storage of large PG deposits, concerns about dust and leachates, uncertainty around health impacts, and often limited public trust driven by slow action and unclear responsibility.
The FIC-Fighter project helps to connect these places into a single learning landscape, turning isolated case studies into shared evidence and practical pathways. By combining community experience with scientific expertise, the project helps surface what residents need most—credible monitoring, transparent communication, and realistic safe-use options and remediation when feasible— while comparing approaches across countries and regulatory contexts. This cross-site perspective supports trans-regional cooperation and more informed decisions on containment, risk reduction and potential reuse, and strengthens the conclusions to bring policy recommendations that protect both people and the environments that surround PG stacks.
To explore these shared challenges and local realities in more detail, below each case study is introduced one by one linking to its “study card”, where more information can be found.
Barreiro (Portugal)
Barreiro, on the metropolitan area of Lisbon, carries the legacy of decades of phosphoric acid production that generated vast quantities of phosphogypsum (PG). Stored in open-air lagoons and piles across Barreiro and neighbouring Moita, the stacks remain a visible barrier to environmental recovery and local redevelopment. This case study explores the long delays in remediation, the governance challenges behind them, and the community’s push for transparency and future uses of the land that bring local benefit.
Kutina (Croatia)
Kutina grew around the former Petrokemija fertiliser plant, and its PG stacks remain one of the town’s most sensitive environmental issues today. Although the material is kept in a controlled setting, residents worry about potential impacts on soil, water, air quality, and property values. The stacks lie close to Lonjsko Polje Nature Park, an important protected habitat, which highlights how environmental monitoring, stronger containment, and clearer communication are central to rebuilding trust and protecting both livelihoods and nature.
Prahovo (Serbia)
Prahovo is a small industrial town on the Danube, where phosphoric acid production has created an enduring phosphogypsum stockpile in a highly sensitive river environment. The case study focuses on local concerns about dust, containment, and the risk of contamination reaching one of Europe’s major waterways, alongside calls for independent oversight and transparent monitoring. It also captures the community’s dilemma: how to balance jobs and economic stability with long-term environmental and health protection, while exploring safer uses for PG by-products.
Turnu Măgurele (Romania)
Turnu Măgurele, also near the Danube in southern Romania, hosted one of the country’s major fertiliser plants, leaving behind large phosphogypsum deposits. After privatisation and subsequent bankruptcy, responsibility for the landfill’s management became a persistent challenge, fuelling public concern despite ongoing monitoring of water, soil, and air. This case study examines why the site continues to generate concerns and how a lack of transparent communication can deepen mistrust and delay solutions.
Veles (North Macedonia)
In Veles, decades of fertiliser production created large phosphogypsum stacks that were left unmanaged after the plant closed, in an open landfill some distance from the village. The site’s proximity to agricultural land and the Vardar River raises concerns about contamination pathways. This case study focuses on a site with a strong industrial past, where other types of environmental legacies closer to home have been the subject of social mobilisation in the past, and also where current socio-economic problems may diminish the memory of other important issues, like the Veles PG stacks.
Cartagena (Spain)
In Cartagena (Murcia), the former El Hondón industrial site accumulated phosphogypsum and other waste for decades, alongside heavy metals from nearby industries, before being abandoned after the plant’s closure in 2001. Studies and official assessments point to a complex mix of radiological and chemical contamination, with public concern focused on dust dispersion and leachates containing metals—especially given the site’s proximity to housing. This case study follows the ongoing debate over remediation options, citizen mobilisation, and the legal process now shaping what happens next.