GP Samples Hair of Turkish Chlorine Workers

["Greenbase" <greenbas@gb.greenpeace.org>]

GREENPEACE SAMPLES HAIR OF TURKISH  WORKERS
Trade Union wants to know if workers of chlorine 
plant are contaminated by mercury
 
Aliaga, Turkey, 3 March 1997 - Greenpeace activists 
today took hair samples from dozens of workers at 
the "Petkim" chlorine plant to see if they were 
contaminated by the toxic heavy metal mercury.
 
The action took place following a request by the 
"Trade Union of Petroleum Workers" in Aliaga, 55 
kilometres north of the city of Izmir.
 
At the Aliaga complex, Petkim has 12 plants 
producing a variety of petrochemical products, 
chlorine and the chlorinated plastic raw material 
PVC. Current technologies for the production of 
chlorine and caustic soda in the world are based on 
mercury, diaphragm and membrane processes.
 
Petkim's Aliaga chlor-alkali unit is operated on 
mercury cell process. The management agreed with 
the union to change the system to the mercury-free 
membrane process.
 
The factory's trade union has officially asked the 
Greenpeace Mediterranean Office for help because 
previous blood sampling of the workers, which was 
carried out by state-owned "Social Security 
Hospital" and the "Health Institute", showed 
contradicting levels of mercury contamination.
 
"We hope that our test results will prove that the 
workers of Petkim are healthy and not contaminated 
by mercury," said in Aliaga Tolga Temuge, 
Greenpeace Mediterranean Toxics Campaigner. The 
hair sampling was carried out by him and local 
Greenpeace activists.
 
"We will send the samples to the Greenpeace 
International laboratory in Exeter, England, which 
will deliver independent results in April," Temuge 
said.
 
The head of the "Trade Union of Petroleum 
Workers" in Aliaga, Mustafa Oztaskin, said: "Our 
workers were not satisfied by the official sample test 
results. We then asked help from the Ministry of 
Labor and from a number of universities, but 
unfortunately they did not cooperate. We are very 
happy that Greenpeace responded positively to our 
call, and we find it very important for us to have the 
cooperation of an international and independent 
environmental organisation."
 
The Greenpeace team in Aliaga told the management 
of Petkim and the Trade Union representatives that 
mercury is only one of the many problems of the 
chlorine production. The whole process itself is 
problematic and leads to the emissions of the highly 
toxic substances dioxins and furans. Alternatives to 
PVC and other chlorinated products are available.
 
Long-term exposure to mercury can permanently 
damage the brain and the kidneys. Exposures to 
mercury occur at the workplace in chemical, metal 
processing and other industries. 
 
Mercury can easily enter the body if its vapor is 
breathed in or if it is eaten in contaminated fish or 
other foods.  It can also enter the body directly 
through the skin. Once mercury has entered the 
body, it may take months before all of it leaves. (1) 
 
For more information please call in Izmir Tolga 
Temuge, Toxic Campaigner of the Greenpeace 
Mediterranean Office, or Press Officer Fouad 
Hamdan, mobile ++90-532-2152619. email: 
turkey.toxics@green2.greenpeace.org
 
NOTE:
 
(1) Mercury is a chemical element that occurs 
naturally in the environment in several forms.  One 
form of mercury is used in thermometers, in 
barometers and other consumer products.  Mercury 
can also combine with other chemicals, such as 
chlorine and carbon. Mercury released into the 
environment will stay there for a long time. 
 
In Turkey, the authorities allow in the air in working 
places 0.1 milligramme of mercury per cubic meter. 
Half as much is only allowed in the US, said the head 
of the "Trade Union of Petroleum Workers" in 
Aliaga, Mustafa Oztaskin.