The sulfur level in the ARMO petrol is several times higher than the
legal norm. Top Channel’s investigative show “Fiks Fare” brought facts
on the quality of petrol coming out of the ARMO refinery in Ballsh. The
sulfur level is 28,44 ppm more than the allowed norm, which is set by
law at only 10 ppm.
Evidence of this abuse are the test results of samples taken from ARMO and analyzed in Kosovo, at the “Kosova-Lab” certified lab. Engineers of this lab say that this petrol should not be on the market, because it doesn’t guarantee quality, it damages citizens’ health and pollutes the environment.
After receiving information that the ARMO petrol in Ballsh is substandard and that there are flagrant law violations, “Fiks Fare” decided to follow the case and make this offense known to the public.
Fiks Fare’s team focused on a tank truck loaded at the ARMO refinery in Ballsh and followed all of its moves. After making sure that the tank was empty, Fiks Fare followed the truck when it was being filled at the refinery. All the itinerary of the tank truck has been documented through the footage.
After arriving at the refinery, the truck entered a wholesale supply station, where all sections of the tank are filled. Another main evidence is that when the tanker was being filled inside, a SGS specialist was waiting for the samples at the exit door of the refinery. After the tanker was loaded, it drove through the exit door and stopped after two kilometers. The SGS specialist proceeded and took the petrol samples. Once taken, samples are sealed and labeled, an action that removes any doubt on the investigative work of Fiks Fare. These samples were sent outside Albania to be tested at the certified lab in Kosovo, “Kosova-Lab”.
Once arrived, the samples were given to specialists who were informed about the types of tests that were needed. After two hours, the Fiks Fare journalists received the test results which are unobjectionable. The results showed that this petrol should not be allowed in the market, since it contains 38.44 ppm of sulfur, from 10 ppm that are permitted by law.
For a more complete understanding of the dangers caused by this petrol, Fiks Fare asked the opinion of air monitoring specialists at the Public Health Institution. When asked about the damage caused by excessive sulfur in fuels, specialist Agron Deliu stated that “the most recent case of a So2 discharge combined with soot was in 1952, in London, where 4000 more deaths were registered for two weeks. It is even more dangerous when combined with other polluting agents, such as humidity, etc”.
During his interview, Deliu noted the danger of sulfur by emphasizing that “sulfur complicates the situation of people who already suffer of heart diseases or who have respiratory problems. This element might cause even death to these people”.
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