The Anglo-Dutch multinational, Unilever, has admitted that the mercury contaminated waste dumps exposed by Greenpeace and local citizens' groups two weeks ago, originated from its mercury thermometer factory in the Indian tourist town of Kodiakanal.
Although its Indian subsidiary, Hindustan Lever, initially denied responsibility for the 5.3 tonnes of wastes lying at the Munjikal scrapyard in Kodaikanal, it finally closed its factory pending an investigation and has said it will assess the environmental consequences of the dump.
"Mercury production and trade is banned in The Netherlands, where Unilever is based, because it's so toxic yet the company continues to use mercury in its operations in India. It's time Unilever implemented the same standards worldwide and stopped using and trading mercury and mercury products," said Navroz Mody, Campaigns Director of Greenpeace India.
Hindustan Lever claims to have employed an international consultant, Dames & Moore to advise it on assessing and remediating the environmental consequences of its waste dumping. The Indian representatives of this company have submitted guidelines for clearing the mercury-contaminated wastes lying in Munjikal.
Although Greenpeace and the Tamilnadu Alliance Against Mercury (TAAM) consider Hindustan Lever's admission of responsibility to be a good first good step, they are aware that the company has still not apologised to the people and workers of Kodiakanal. They are also concerned that it is downplaying the extent of its bad practices as over its17 years of operation, several batches of wastes, potentially contaminated with mercury, were dispatched from the factory and may now be untraceable and spread out over various parts of Tamilnadu and beyond.
Despite the company's assurances that its production practices poses no risk to the workers, statements from workers and ex-workers recorded by the Alliance indicate that mercury was handled casually in the factory shop-floor lending weight to allegations by many workers of occupational exposure to mercury and associated health effects.
"Workers tell us that mercury spillage on the floor, and intentional and accidental handling of mercury is routine within the factory. Workers were certainly exposed to mercury vapours, more in some sections than others," said Dr. Kolhatkar, a medical doctor and member of the Kodaikanal Consumer Action Group.
At a press conference held in Chennai, India today, TAAM stated:
- In a letter to Greenpeace India, Hindustan Lever agreed to track and retrieve other batches of waste that have been sent to various locations outside the factory, and to clearing up the wastes that have been dumped in the watershed forests behind the factory wall.
- That its concern extends beyond the Munjikal dump. The fact that this company, which vehemently denied all charges of wrongdoing, now admits that such wastes may be lying in various locations outside the factory fuels our concern of the long-term impact to the water bodies in those areas.
- The Alliance issued an appeal to the Tamilnadu public and to the Government to look out for any stockpiles or dumps of glass or thermometer wastes and report the same to the Alliance and/or the Tamilnadu Pollution Control Board.
Note's to Editors:
- On March 7, residents of Kodaikanal, HLL's ex-workers and Greenpeace exposed HLL's recently discovered 15-tonne mercury waste dumpsite and demonstrated at the factory gates, demanding an immediate end to the mercury pollution. Mercury, in the presence of water, readily converts into methyl mercury, a deadly poison, which is persistent in the environment and moves through the food chain magnifying up to 100,000 times in quantity by the time it reaches the top predators in aquatic ecosystems.
- The Tamilnadu Alliance Against Mercury comprises local, national and international environmental, worker and human rights organisations.
- Owing to the extreme toxicity of some of the mercury compounds and the practical difficulty in keeping pollution to harmless levels has resulted in various national and regional initiatives to eliminate all releases of mercury into the environment. In India, mercury is still classified as a low-level hazard according to the Ministry of Environment.
For more information please contact Greenpeace Press Office: Tel: 020 7865 8255/6/7/8
