On her Facebook page, Enikő Tompa informed the residents of Debrecen that she had received the results of an independent laboratory analysis of the green liquid that surfaced on May 5, 2026, in front of Gate 2 of the CATL battery factory in Debrecen.
According to the member of parliament and state secretary of the Tisza Party, the laboratory results “paint a worrying picture of the composition of the analyzed sample.”
Tompa said that, using her right to request information under Hungary’s parliamentary law, she immediately asked the director-general of the Hajdú-Bihar County Government Office to provide the results of the authority’s own laboratory analysis and to make them public.
She added that discussions with the relevant ministries regarding further steps in the case had already begun.
What did the independent laboratory find?
The Mikepércsi Anyák published the report, which detected the following substances in the sample:
- Manganese (Mn): 160 µg/l
- Lithium (Li): 20 µg/l
- Nickel (Ni): 4.7 µg/l
- NMP (N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone): 1 µg/l
- Cobalt (Co): 0.9 µg/l
According to the report, the presence of NMP is particularly significant because the chemical does not occur naturally. Even at a concentration of 1 µg/l, it allegedly proves that the liquid came into contact with industrial technological contamination rather than being a harmless mixture of tap water and food coloring.
NMP is a hazardous solvent used in the production of battery cells, especially in cathode coating, and is classified as harmful to unborn babies. The report states that such a substance should never enter the sewage system.
“Fingerprint” of NMC batteries
The report claims the detected composition closely matches the raw materials used in NMC (nickel-manganese-cobalt) lithium-ion battery production. According to the analysis:
- NMP is the toxic solvent used in manufacturing,
- lithium is a key battery component,
- while manganese, nickel, and cobalt are ingredients of cathode powder.
The authors argue this indicates there was a physical connection — either leakage or technological discharge — between the factory’s supposedly closed internal system and the external rainwater drainage channel.
Why the “clean tap water” explanation is disputed
The report also challenges the theory that the liquid was simply clean drinking water released during testing.
- The measured nickel concentration slightly exceeded the environmental limit for open surface waters.
- Lithium levels were reportedly higher than the regional average.
- The manganese concentration was described as the strongest indication of contamination, measuring roughly 15 times higher than the normal level found in Debrecen’s drinking water and exceeding Hungary’s drinking water health limit.
Final conclusion of the report
According to the independent laboratory analysis, the discharged liquid was not harmless tap water. The report concludes that even if the process initially involved clean water, it likely mixed with battery production materials and industrial washing fluids inside pipes or tanks before reaching the open ditch outside the factory, potentially posing an environmental risk.
Members of the civic group stated they were present during the official sampling process and called on authorities to publish the results of their own laboratory tests as well.
Green liquid incident near Debrecen CATL plant raises concerns, no official update yet
