Toxinas dumped in West Africa

In August and September of 2006 a contractor of the cargo ship, Probo Koala, from a giant oil trading company dumped five hundred tons of toxic waste on a city in West Africa. The waste was dumped in Abidjan, Ivory Coast's largest city and has impacted the people greatly. The toxins killed fifteen people and sickened another 100,000 people. 69 people were hospitalized and most people reported headaches, skin lesions, digestive difficulties and nose, throat and lung problems. To resolve the problem, Trafigura is offering about 1500 dollars per person to settle the lawsuit. There are about 30 thousand people who have been affected making the settlement worth nearly 46 million. The Dutch-based company does not admit liability in the settlement and aggressively fought the suit. It threatened to sue media outlets, including the BBC, for its reporting of the case. The judge still must approve the deal before it becomes final. The company admits that they dumped the toxic waste but does not claim responsibility.
The toxic waste, if not removed, will continue to damage people’s health and the environment. It was dumped three years ago and the effects are still occurring. The waste must be removed or else the health defects and pollution will continue in this city. A payment for the damage may satisfy the cities residents but the money will soon be gone but the health problems will continue. Also, the city is off the coast meaning that the toxins could possibly reach the ocean and affect animal life. The toxins need to be removed instead of a payment to resolve the lawsuit.


http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/09/21/ivory.coast.toxic.waste/index.html