Bayer- Dangerous for the Environment

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Oslo Historic Claim Filed Against PCB Producers

 

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 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.

 

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