the toxic truth - Greenpeace

the toxic truth
What should have been done
Much more complete information would be
required to assess the effects of dumping on
a population, including:
1 Full details about the waste
» its composition and variability;
» its pH, and how that varied initially and
over time;
» where it was dumped and in what quantities;
» what it was dumped into and whether the
receiving fluid or soil would alter the waste
and in what manner;
» the method of dumping and whether this
may result in aerosolization of material;
» measurement of air concentrations of all
chemicals downwind of the dumping and
particularly in areas where there is any
human habitation;
» repeat measurements of air
concentrations and at various locations
to encompass all exposed populations
and to enable modelling to be done to
estimate exposures;
» details about rainfall and measurement of
the composition of the waste at different
times to monitor how it might be changing
to support modelling of the likely exposure
of the population;
» wind direction and speed, at least for
the period when exposure is likely to
be significant, to again model exposure
patterns.
2 The health effects of exposure to all the
chemicals in the waste with which people
may come into contact and the concentrations
likely to be injurious.
3 Monitoring of the health records for the
local population to see if there had been
any change in the frequency of admissions
to hospitals/health centres/or visits to local
medical practitioners in the period immediately
prior to the dumping of the waste compared with
the period after the dumping, and to note the
symptoms of which individuals complained.
If changes in reporting frequencies had
occurred, to follow up with those who had
complained after the dumping to see if their
complaints were consistent with exposure to
components of the waste.
4 a proper epidemiological study of the
population (to assess any changes in health
or increased mortality) which may have been
exposed to the chemicals from the waste and
to have a matching control group of individuals
who could not have been exposed. The study
would need to be of sufficient size and power
to detect changes and would have to match
individuals according to age, sex, general
environment and any other variable to ensure
as far as possible that the only difference
between the exposed group and the controls
was possible exposure to chemicals in the
waste.
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ANNEX I