- City of Oslo demands 7 million Euro from Bayer AG, Solutia
and Kaneka in compensation for harbour clean-up
-
- The City of Oslo, Department of Environment, has
initiated a claim of 7 million Euros against three multinational chemical
companies responsible for severe contamination with Polychlorinated
Biphenyls (PCBs) in the Oslo fjord. - A historic claim. This is an
important step towards establishing the principle of extended producers'
responsibility, says Tom Erik Okland (1) of Friends of the Earth Norway.
Friends of the Earth Norway has advocated the principle for several years.
-
-
- About half of the PCBs in Oslo harbour have been traced
back to German chemical giant Bayer AG. The rest originates from two
other producers, Belgium based Solutia (chemical division of multinational
Monsanto) and the Japanese Kaneka Corporation. In a letter to Bayer AG,
the City of Oslo has asked for compensation of 3.5 million Euros to
cover part of the clean-up of heavily contaminated sediments in Oslo harbour.
Similar claims have been addressed to the two other companies. Bayer AG
has responded to the City of Oslo that they will look into the claim.
Kaneka has denied any responsibility. Solutia has not yet responded.
Wide parts of the Norwegian coast are heavily contaminated with PCBs.
This is well documented by the Norwegian Pollution Control Authorities
and Friends of the Earth. In several areas the use of seafood is restricted
or forbidden. The massive clean-up operations necessary are estimated
to cost a total of 3.5 billion Euros. Oslo City is backed up by Friends
of the Earth Norway, Norway's largest environmental organisation, and
environmental lawyers and experts. Tom Erik Okland, of Friends of
the Earth Norway commented: - A Norwegian lawsuit will be considered
if the PCB-producers do not voluntarily participate in the cost-sharing
scheme. Our investigation has firmly established that the main sources
of PCBs in Oslo harbour have been ship painting and sandblasting
at the shipyards. The named PCB-producers supplied PCBs for ship paint,
but failed to inform the shipyards about the environmental hazards involved.
Such information could have prevented most of the PCB-pollution along
the coast. Comments, background material, and copies of the letters
from Oslo City: - Per-Erik Schulze, Tel: +47 22 40 24 00 , +47 95 17 94
22 - Kare Olerud, Tel: +47 22 40 24 00, +47 950 73 320
-
- Notes: (1) Tom Erik Okland, tel: +47 97 56 17
36, will be available in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands this week
for the media
-
- Coalition against BAYER-dangers www.CBGnetwork.org
CBGnetwork@aol.com Fax: (+49) 211 333 940 Tel: (+49) 211 333 911 please
send an e-mail for receiving the English newsletter Keycode BAYER
free of charge. We fully depend on donations and payed subscriptions.
Please send checks to: CBG, Postfach 15 04 18, 40081 Duesseldorf, Germany
or to bank account Nr. 378383439 at Postbank Essen, Germany (BLZ 36010043)
-
- The Coalition against BAYER-dangers has been monitoring
the BAYER Corporation for more than 20 years. Anyone who has information
on possibly illicit activities of BAYER - please let us know.
-
- http://www.connectotel.com/gmfood/fo210103.txt
|
