the toxic truth - Greenpeace

the toxic truth
Negative impacts on workers
and livelihoods
Though many people living near the dumpsites left the areas
to avoid continued exposure to the waste, others could not
abandon their homes because they were afraid that their crops
and houses would be looted in their absence. 289 Also, many
people could not afford the costs of leaving the area and had
to continue working close to the sites where the waste had
been dumped. 290 This left them in a double bind: they needed
to continue living and working near the dumpsites in order to
earn a living but exposure to the waste could have a continuing
negative impact on their ability to work.
Businesses in the Vridi industrial district were particularly hard
hit because some of the waste was dumped directly next to
factories and businesses. 291 A WHO report noted that most
companies in the area had been forced to close in the first few
weeks after the dumping. 292
Many workers in the industrial district, however, had to
continue working close to the waste because their employers
would not or could not move their businesses away from the
contaminated area. And although some employers reportedly
provided face masks for their workforce, others did not. Some
workers improvised home-made face masks in an attempt to
protect themselves against the overpowering fumes from the
waste. 293
Fishing and farming livelihoods were also affected because
the government banned certain activities and culled animals,
fearing contamination of the food chain. The Ministry of
Agriculture destroyed fruit and vegetable crops. 294 It also
ordered the destruction of livestock and fish, and the closure
of slaughterhouses near the affected sites. 295 According to
the government, 109.5 hectares of crops belonging to 245
farmers was destroyed, and 455 animals were culled. 296 In the
aftermath of the dumping, the government prohibited farming,
fishing and small commercial activities in areas next to the
contaminated sites. Special protection measures were also
adopted to prevent people consuming potentially contaminated
products. 297 These included a ban on fishing in the lagoon, and
culling of animals showing obvious signs of contamination. 298
As discussed in the limits of justice chapter later in this report,
many workers, businesses and others complained that they did
not receive compensation for their losses.
February 2009, Jérôme Agoua, president of the toxic waste
victims’ association of the Abobo-Plaque 1 area at a bakery in
Abidjan near to which toxic waste was dumped.
© amnesty InternatIonal
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Chapter 5