Greenpeace and survivors of the world's worst industrial disaster in Bhopal, India, return poisonous waste collected from the disaster scene at the former Union Carbide plant in Bhopal to it's owner, Dow Benelux in the Netherlands
At midday today, Greenpeace and survivors of the world's worst
industrial disaster in Bhopal, India, started returning poisonous
waste collected from the disaster scene to its rightful owner, Dow
Chemical. The waste was abandoned in Bhopal in 1984 and has been
poisoning people there ever since.
Ten Greenpeace activists, including John Passacantando,
Executive Director of Greenpeace in the U.S. and Rashida Bi, leader
of the Bhopal Gas Victim Women's Union, all constituents of the
International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal (1), unloaded 250 kg
of the waste safely contained in seven barrels (2) from the
Greenpeace ship 'Arctic Sunrise' and started delivering it to Dow's
largest European operation, Dow Benelux in the Netherlands. Three
activists abseiled down the building and hung eight huge
photographs depicting Dow's corporate crime in Bhopal and a banner
which called on Dow to clean up Bhopal. (3)
"We'll carry on confronting Dow with this corporate crime until
it cleans up its toxic fallout in Bhopal and stops poisoning us
(4). We're already struggling to survive sickness from gas exposure
without adequate help from the company responsible, and are now
facing a slow death from exposure to these poisons. How can a
corporation get away with this?" asked Rashida Bi who travelled to
the Netherlands to return the waste.
The poisonous waste returned today is only a fraction of
hundreds of tonnes that have been strewn around the derelict
pesticide plant in Bhopal since 1984 when Union Carbide, which is
now owned by Dow (5), fled the city after a gas leak at the plant
killed 8,000 people and injured half a million. No-one has accepted
responsibility for the waste and the chemical company still refuses
to clean up the site. For 18 years, chemicals have leaked into the
soil and ground water in and around the factory site and have been
poisoning people who survived the gas leak. Today, the death toll
stands at 20,000 and is rising every day. Children born to
survivors are suffering health problems and 150,000 people are in
urgent need of medical attention.
A new report released by Greenpeace today (6) presents further
evidence of severe contamination from chemical waste dumped at the
plant. Greenpeace scientists have identified numerous poisons in
the waste, including Sevin, the pesticide Union Carbide used to
manufacture in Bhopal, and BHC, a mixture of toxic chemicals that
can damage the nervous system, liver and kidneys and which can be
passed from mother to child in the womb.
"We will not let Dow bury this crime in India but will carry on
returning evidence to the company worldwide to confront it with its
responsibilities towards all those who are being poisoned because
of its failure to accept its pending liabilities in Bhopal.
Corporations like Dow benefit from a global market for the
development of their businesses but are not held globally
accountable for their operations. Until they are, crimes such as
this will continue to be committed and people and the environment
will pay the price," said Ganesh Nochur, campaigner from Greenpeace
India onboard the 'Arctic Sunrise'.
The International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal is calling on
Dow to accept its pending liabilities in Bhopal, to clean up the
site, provide people with clean drinking water, long-term medical
care and full compensation. It is also calling for international
legislation to be put in place to make sure companies, such as Dow,
are held responsible for pollution or accidents their operations
cause, wherever they occur (7).
Notes:
(1) The International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal is
comprised of 18 non-government organisations from Bhopal and around
the world.
(2) The toxic waste has been safely contained in shock proof,
airtight barrels.
(3) Photos are taken by Raghu Rai and are part of a travelling
exhibition " Exposure: Portrait of a corporate crime".
(4) In November 2002, Greenpeace and the ICJB were arrested when
they attempted to start cleaning up the toxic waste in Bhopal. On
December 2nd 2002, they returned samples of contaminated soil and
water from around the plant to Dow's Indian headquarters in Bombay.
Dow is now suing the Bhopal survivors and Greenpeace for loss of
working time allegedly incurred by this non-violent direct
action.
(5) Dow acquired Union Carbide in February 2001. Despite growing
evidence that Union Carbide cut safety measures at its Bhopal plant
that it insisted on at its sister plant in the US, and knew of the
contamination at the Bhopal site, Dow continues to claim that Union
Carbide "has done what it needs to do to pursue the correct
environment, health and safety programs" in Bhopal. See 'Poison
Papers' at www.bhopal.net
(6) Download
the new Greenpeace report Chemical Stockpiles at Union Carbide
India Limited in Bhopal: an investigation. Download
guidelines on how to clean up Bhopal.
(7)
Download the Greenpeace report 'Corporate Crimes' for the Ten
Bhopal Principles on Corporate Accountability, launched at the
Earth Summit last August where governments agreed to the need for a
global instrument on corporate accountability.