GREENPEACE DENOUNCES TOXIC PVC-WASTE DUMPING PLANS IN GOA

4 May 2000

Panjim/Amsterdam - Greenpeace today urged the local government of Goa to act against the plans of a Goa based Indian company "Meta Strips" to import polyvinyl chloride (PVC) coated copper cables from the West despite the serious pollution potential posed by PVC. The international environmental group stressed that the import of PVC-coated cable waste is a clear case of toxic waste dumping by the West.

The company Meta Strips has proposed to start importing 16,980 tons of PVC-coated copper cable scrap annually. The plant intends to extract the copper to use is as a raw material. The PVC plastic sheathing around the copper would be mechanically stripped. The discarded PVC waste would then be sent to Mumbai for "recycling". However, this does not address the fact that PVC can not be recycled without causing serious toxic pollution; it merely transports the problem from Goa to Mumbai.

"PVC is a poisonous plastic that cannot be recycled or disposed of without serious implications to health and the environment. By importing PVC-coated copper cable wastes into India, "Meta Strips" will only be importing threats to the environment and to the workers treating PVC," said Nityanand Jayaraman, Asia Toxics Campaigner for Greenpeace in India. "The level of protest against such waste dumping in India sends a signal to the international community that the West cannot simply dump its poisonous wastes such as PVC on developing countries."

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) has raised international concern for the threats it poses to the environment and human health through every stage of its lifecycle -- from manufacturing to disposal. The PVC plastic in cables often contains highly toxic substances such as lead, antimony, chlorinated paraffins and softeners such as phthalates. Recycling of PVC leads to the release of these poisons into the environment and the creation of new toxic organochlorines.

"No measures have been taken to prevent environmental releases of dioxins and furans. It is surprising that neither the Goa Government nor the Union Ministry of Environment thought it fit to question the wisdom of importing toxic wastes from richer countries," added Jayaraman.

Greenpeace demanded that environmental and health concerns of the local villages are sincerely addressed and that the plant should not be allowed to use PVC-coated cables at all.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
- Nityanand Jayaraman, Greenpeace Toxics Campaigner in India, Tel: +91-9820182304
- Shailendra Yashwant, Press Officer: Tel: +91-9820182304

World-wide, approximately 1.6 million metric tonnes of PVC is used for wire and cable, representing 8% of PVC consumption. Electrical cables consist of approximately 50% metals (copper, aluminium, lead) and approximately 50% insulation material (PVC, polyethylene, rubber, silicon, synthetic rubbers). Copper and PVC are the main constituents, making up 75% of the cable waste.

The PVC sheathing contains a number of hazardous constituents; PVC, lead compounds, chlorinated paraffins, plasticisers, antimony compounds and others. The primary plasticisers in use are phthalates. They are generally present at concentrations of 20-30%. Their toxic effects include liver and kidney damage, reduced testicle size and reduced sperm count, reduced fertility death and deformation of foetuses and carcinogenicity.

Burning of PVC is a significant source of dioxin. Dioxins are the most persistent and potent man-made toxic substances known to science. Dioxin is a potent cancer-causing agent, and is known to cause reproductive and developmental defects in animals at very low doses. These defects include decreased fertility, birth disorders and miscarriages.