USKOK's 365-page expert report confirmed severe soil contamination in Gospić, and a resident living about fifty meters from the landfill spoke out about daily fear and anger.
The expert report conducted by USKOK, whose results were published on August 6, 2026, spanning 365 pages, confirmed what the residents of Gospić had long feared. The findings unequivocally indicate significant soil contamination at the site of an illegal medical waste landfill, with a warning about the potential for further spread of pollution.
For those living in the immediate vicinity, this official confirmation means only one thing-the realization of their worst fears. Analyses showed extremely elevated concentrations of hazardous substances, including copper, zinc, lead, and antimony. The report's conclusion is clear: this is locally significant, progressive contamination that has already caused permanent changes to the environment. Without urgent remediation, the landfill will remain a permanent source of pollution with potentially unforeseeable consequences for human health and the environment.
N1 Television journalist Katarina Plantak spoke with Željka Šikić, a Gospić resident whose home is just fifty meters from the disputed landfill. Her testimony paints a picture of despair and anger among the local population. "I have only one question: So what do we do now?" Šikić said, adding that it's high time the landfill be urgently remediated.
She emphasized that residents have long been warning about the problem. "I think it's high time we seriously take everything that people are saying and have been warning about, both through protests and the initiative that has done its part," she told N1. She is aware of the scale of the problem, but also fears lengthy procedures. "People have done private analyses; we are all aware of what is across the street, that it's an ecological time bomb that needs to be remediated as soon as possible, but I'm afraid that once procedures start, it will take a long time, and the consequences will be unforeseeable-for human health, the environment, and all of Croatia," she stressed.
Šikić has gone through all stages of coping with the situation, but one fear remains dominant. "But I'm afraid, I'm extremely afraid, primarily for my children and all the children of this town, because they don't deserve something to happen, to die in agony, to have their parents watch their suffering, or for something to happen to their parents, that is, to us, and for those children to live without us," she said movingly.
She stressed that the contamination is a result of human action, not a natural disaster. "I think we live honestly, we try hard, and we certainly didn't deserve this, because, as I've also said, this wasn't some catastrophe we couldn't influence; this is an act of man," she added.
She confirmed that private analyses showed high levels of copper and antimony. Particularly concerning is the presence of so-called forever chemicals, which was also confirmed by Dr. Vrkljan. "I didn't analyze for forever chemicals; that was done by Dr. Vrkljan, and those results have been known for over six months, but they were ignored, not believed," Šikić recounted. She added that on that day she spoke with a man named Andrija, who himself fell ill from exposure to these substances. "I would really like the people of Lika to understand what this is about and to take it very seriously," she said, expressing disbelief at the silence. "I don't understand why we are silent, but here we are, we'll probably continue to be silent."
Due to fear of contamination, Šikić has not drunk tap water since 2021, only bottled water. The situation has escalated to the point where she received an additional warning. "And today, a man warned me, even said: 'Don't even boil it.' How am I supposed to buy more water for cooking too?" she wonders. "We pay exorbitant prices, and we don't drink the water, and I no longer know if there is clean, clear, cold, beautiful, healthy Lika water as there used to be."
The findings warn of the danger of pollution spreading through groundwater toward Otočac and Senj, and then into the sea. Šikić rejects the casual notion that this problem doesn't affect others. "So, Gospić residents should be happy that Otočac or Senj residents will suffer. That's beyond me," she said, explaining the closed loop of danger: "It's not just that; it goes into the sea, meaning through groundwater it reaches the sea, fish consume it, and we consume fish. It's a closed loop." Her assessment is dramatic: "I'm afraid that half of Croatia is threatened, if not all of Croatia, if we don't wake up and react promptly."
Although she witnesses an increased number of cancer cases in the town, she admits there are no official data. "We don't have official data; it's not known; it's all hearsay, but here's hoping we never find out, at least not me personally, but I'm afraid, honestly afraid for the future and everything that awaits us," she concluded for N1.
