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| HUMAN RIGHTS AND TOXIC DUMPING IN AFRICA: By I J Mbachu : |
1/11/2009 |
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Africa, already suffering from poverty, drought, famine, malaria, “contra” wars, and the hiv/ AIDS epidemic, now appears destined to become the world’s toxic waste dump. Toxic wastes are waste materials, often in chemical form that can cause death or injury to living creatures. It is usually the product of industry or commerce, but comes also from residential use, agriculture, the military, medical facilities, radioactive sources, and light industry, such as dry cleaning establishments. The term often includes discarded materials that can pose a long-term risk to health or environment. Toxics can be released into air, water, or land. Foreign nations are taking advantage of Africa’s “lack of harmonization” to turn its people into consumers rather than producers, and to dump obsolete and discarded products not wanted by the developed world. Africa, unfortunately, has become a prime target. Geographically, most sub-Saharan countries have vast, sparsely populated territories that are not properly manned by any authority. There are also no serious controls of Africa’s coastal waters. Hence, millions of tons of hazardous wastes cross national borders throughout the world each year as waste generators seek less expensive methods of waste disposal.
The dark side to this unholy trade, however, is that “less expensive methods” sometimes translate into disposal that damage the environment and threatens human health and safety. The threat of unsound environmental practices is particularly acute in developing countries. Such nations typically lack the funding, training and infrastructure safely to dispose of hazardous wastes, handle accidents, and monitor the environment. The threat of the so called “Digital Dump”-which involves the exportation of High-Tech re-use and abuse to Africa exposes the ugly underbelly of an escalating global trade in toxic, obsolete, discarded computers and other ‘e-scrap’ collected in North America and Europe, which are sent to developing countries by waste brokers and so-called recyclers. While there is a legitimately robust market and some have the ability to repair and refurbish old electronic equipment including computers, monitors, TVs and cell phones, the local experts complain that about 75% of the imports are junk and are not economically repairable or marketable. The Third World has been turned into the industrialized world’s “outhouse”, and certain recycling facilities do not have adequate safety or environmental standards. There is not enough protective equipment and workers suffer lead and mercury poisoning, increased rates of birth defects and miscarriages, kidney disease, cancer and even death from toxic waste. It is a mirage to think that highly toxic nuclear waste is “recycled” or simply disappears. But the reality is that no nation in the industrialized world has any safe “disposal” solution. The best idea is to bury nuclear waste in a large hole in the ground-such a huge tunnel that costs millions and looks more like an underground subway station. The only question is where the industrialized world plans to put theirs? In Africa? The toxic dump of the industrialized world? J.Paul Getty had joked that “the meek shall inherit the earth, but not the mineral rights”. Should their environment be polluted too? Throughout the 1980s, Africa was Europe and America’s most popular dumping ground, with radioactive waste and toxic chemicals foisted on landowners.
In 1987 an Italian ship dumped a load of waste on Koko Beach, Nigeria. Workers who came into contact with it suffered from chemical burns and partial paralysis, and began to vomit blood. Guernica Chemicals, a British company in South Africa received “thousands of tonnes of chemical waste in the 1980s and early 1990s from the United States and European companies, including American Cyanamid and Borden Chemicals, to be reprocessed. All that remains of the facility, since the South African government forced the company to stop operations in 1994, are rusty and corroded machinery.” In 2004 for instance, it was reported that around 50 thousand tonnes of pesticides have ended up in Africa - 270 tonnes of which are stored in Mali. A series of pollution scandals, ranging from the discharge of toxic waste in Nigeria to Ivory Coast to radioactive tanks in Somalia, show that Africa’s poverty, corruption, and non-existent or malfunctioning democracies make it the world’s preferred dumping ground. The problem is complicated by the threat of dumping of electronic
wastes, or e-waste, which includes such items as unwanted mobile phones, computers and printers. Some companies in the West quickly find their way to toxic waste dumps, being not economically repairable or usable. Renowned environmentalists have noted that the waste sent to Africa-such as old tyres, cars and broken computers containing toxic parts and is very difficult, if not impossible, to recycle. Consumers International, The United Nations and other concerned bodies have called for policies to protect African nations from unregulated
imports of electronic wastes (e-waste) that release lead, mercury and other dangerous chemicals and for exporting countries to implement tougher monitoring procedures to ensure second-hand electronic goods are in a meaningful working order before being shipped. Obsolete electrical equipment is waste and, as such, illegal to export to developing countries. It should be disposed of or recycled in the country of origin using environmentally sustainable methods. AU should take a cue from the new rule which the EU has introduced by obliging its national authorities to make spot checks on ships and give them the right to open containers. Also waste being moved around the EU will also have to be accompanied by detailed information. Re-use is a good way of bridging the digital divide for people who could ill-afford brand new models of these machines and equipment. However, exporting loads of technotrash in the name of these lofty ideals and seriously damaging the environment and health of poor communities in developing countries is inhuman, immoral and criminal, to say the least. It is in direct contravention of international legislation and is causing serious health problems for inhabitants of Africa. Serious and immediate efforts are required because, as Western technology becomes cheaper and the latest machine comes to be regarded as a disposable fashion statement, this e-waste dumping will
only intensify.
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