The new technical report, "Atmospheric dispersal of mercury from
the HLL thermometer factory, Tamil Nadu, India using lichen as
a
bio-monitor" by the Greenpeace Research Laboratories, UK
demonstrates the spread of mercury through the atmosphere to areas
that an earlier assessment commissioned by HLL had failed to
investigate. These include Bombay Shola,Vattakanal Shola and a
residential area some way from the factory.
"It's absolutely imperative that the company conducts a
thorough, scientific decontamination of the site and its
surroundings, further afield than they planned to, and to standards
far more stringent than they propose," said Ruth Stringer, Senior
Scientist of the Greenpeace Research Lab., and co-author of this
report. Greenpeace's lichen analysis in the Bombay Shola forest
showed upto 1.99 mg/kg of mercury. She added, "We're demanding that
HLL cleans up not
just their factory premises, but also the areas surrounding the
site, and the homes of the workers whose contaminated clothes and
shoes could have taken the mercury out of the factory premises and
into the lives of their families."
Common symptoms reported by workers include fatigue, headaches,
nausea and other stomach dysfunctions, giddiness, blurring of
vision, skin complaints including burns and dermatitis, respiratory
disorders, kidney dysfunction.Central nervous system effects were
also reported including loss of memory, tremors, depression and
mood changes. A number of workers were reported to have suffered
from epileptic seizures after commencing work at the factory .
Many of the reported symptoms match known effects that can
result for exposure to metallic mercury through inhalation and
dermal absorption.
"By now, 13 people have died from diseases known to be caused by
mercury exposure," said S. Raja Mohamed, Secretary of the Ponds-HLL
ex-mercury employees Association, "The latest casualty was Mr.
Britto, who succumbed to kidney failure on October 7th, 2003. HLL
meanwhile, remains unmoved, and continues to deny any health impact
on workers. Only those workers who were on the rolls till the last
day of the factory's operations have received their medical records
so far, and no-one has received any compensation of any kind!"
Ameer Shahul, Greenpeace Campaigner, adds, "Apart from ignoring
its liabilities towards the community and the environment, HLL is
yet to commit to retire the merury recovered from the site, to
prevent its reuse. The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB)
ordered HLL to export its mercury-laden waste to the US and to
produce a detailed plan for cleanup of contaminated soils,
structures, and machinery from the plant, which needs to be
disabled and decontaminated."
"This is precisely the kind of corporate crime that Rainbow
Warrior is here to expose. Whether at the shipbreaking yards of
Alang or in the pristine forests of Kodaikanal, we will continue to
confront corporations that neglect their responsibilities towards
the environment and the communities they operate in. I cannot
imagine that Unilever would ever be allowed to get away so easily
in the
Netherlands," said Cosmo Wassenaar, Captain of the Rainbow
Warrior.
A delegation of Greenpeace activists, ex-workers from the
Hindustan Lever thermometer factory and residents of Kodaikanal
also visited the corporate headquarters of Hindustan Lever Limited
in Mumbai along with journalists, to present a letter to the HLL
management, demanding:
· A comprehensive epidemiological health survey of ex-employees,
their families, and local residents of Kodaikanal, to be conducted
by a team of independent researchers.
· A thorough decontamination of the site and its surroundings,
to levels of mercury no higher than 0.3mg / kg of soil.
· An assurance that they mercury-laden soil that will be
recovered will be returned to the United States, where it came from
originally, instead of being stored in the plains of India as the
company proposed initially.
· Compensation to be provided to all ex-employees suffering from
mercury-exposure related diseases, and to the next of kin of those
who have died from the same.
The Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior is currently on a month-long
Corporate Accountability tour of India and is scheduled to set sail
from Mumbai for Cochin on the 9th of November 2003.
For further details, including an update on the company's
response to this letter, please contact :
Namrata Chowdhary, Media Officer, Greenpeace India +91
9810850092;
Email: 