Action assured in mercury leak case – ExpressBuzz
CHENNAI: B V Ramanna, who took over as the environment minister following the latest reshuffle, has assured to look into the issue of mercury leak from the erstwhile factory of Hindustan Unilever in Kodaikanal. The decade old issue had come under widespread criticism from residents and activists after RTI responses exposed that mercury cleanup standards […]
Is your garam masala safe from mercury?
Paliya tribes living in and around Kodaikanal are allegedly facing health problems attributable to mercury pollution, according to an NGO working with tribals in the region. However, no study has been conducted till date to validate these claims as the tribal group continues to stay away from modern healthcare facilities. “About 20-25 per cent of […]
Waiting in vain for compensation – Expressbuzz
Ruby Martine (80) walks to the graveyard every Wednesday to offer flowers at the grave of her son Christopher Martine, who worked at the Hindustan Lever Limited’s (HLL) erstwhile mercury plant in Kodaikanal. Christopher died in 1997 due to kidney failure at the age of 33 and his mother claims this was due to his […]
Unwanted gift of quicksilver to Kodaikanal – Express News Service
THE issue of mercury leak in the eco-sensitive Pambar Shola forest in Kodaikanal from Hindustan Lever’s thermometer factory was first brought to notice in 2001 by factory workers and environmental groups. The company later admitted on record to have discharged more than 1.3 tons of toxic mercury into the Pambar Shola and that the soil […]
Tamil Nadu’s “Bhopal in waiting” – Express News Service
MORE skeletons have tumbled out of Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board’s (TNPCB) closet relating to its actions on the Kodaikanal mercury leak cleanup, this time in the form of false claims in its status note to the Union environment ministry and specifying cleanup standards that have not been scientifically validated. Following an alarm raised by […]
Current cleanup can’t protect Pambar Shola – Express News Service
A site-specific target level of 25mg/kg for cleanup of mercury in Kodaikanal is grossly inadequate to save the eco-sensitive Pambar Shola forest, according to Mark Chernaik, toxicologist and staff scientist at the US-based ‘environment law alliance worldwide’. Chernaik made the remark after conducting a critical assessment of the four major reports on the proposed cleanup […]