To Catch a Polluter
British oil trader Trafigura had hundreds of tons of toxic waste. It decided to dump it in Ivory Coast, causing a number of deaths and sending thousands to hospitals. The company played dumb, claiming ignorance of the waste's lethal danger. Now Trafigura has been caught in a web of lies, shot down by internal company e-mails.
British oil trader Trafigura had hundreds of tons of toxic waste. It decided to dump it in Ivory Coast, causing a number of deaths and sending thousands to hospitals. The company played dumb, claiming ignorance of the waste’s lethal danger. Now Trafigura has been caught in a web of lies, shot down by internal company e-mails.
Your support matters…The Guardian:
The Guardian can reveal evidence today of a massive cover-up by the British oil trader Trafigura, in one of the worst pollution disasters in recent history.
Internal emails show that Trafigura, which yesterday suddenly announced an offer to pay compensation to 31,000 west African victims, was fully aware that its waste dumped in Ivory Coast was so toxic that it was banned in Europe.
Thousands of west Africans besieged local hospitals in 2006, and a number died, after the dumping of hundreds of tonnes of highly toxic oil waste around the country’s capital, Abidjan. Official local autopsy reports on 12 alleged victims appeared to show fatal levels of the poisonous gas hydrogen sulphide, one of the waste’s lethal byproducts.
Independent journalism is under threat and overshadowed by heavily funded mainstream media.
You can help level the playing field. Become a member.
Your tax-deductible contribution keeps us digging beneath the headlines to give you thought-provoking, investigative reporting and analysis that unearths what's really happening- without compromise.
Give today to support our courageous, independent journalists.
Wounds of War
Does a single photo or video of violence carry the Vietnam-era power to shock, or has scrolling produced a “numbing sameness’?
Africa
The war-torn country faces the destruction of its health infrastructure, widespread displacement and hunger.
Courts & Law
Some say the ruling points to a disconnect between what it takes for survivors of sexual violence to be believed and what the legal system demands.
Books
In 'Knife,' his memoir on narrowly surviving a vicious attack, the acclaimed author interrogates a world where liberal principles have become old-fashioned.
Ear to the Ground
With summer on the way, advocates say access to cool air amidst stifling heat is a constitutional right.
Film
In “I Am Gitmo,” French director Philippe Diaz recreates the torture rooms inside the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center.
You need to be a supporter to comment.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.