GREENPEACE EXPOSES MILITARY'S TOXIC LEGACY ON STOCKHOLM'S DOORSTEP

10 May 2001

Stockholm, Sweden: The Greenpeace vessel MV Greenpeace sailed to Sweden's largest military underground naval base "Muskö" near Stockholm today to protest against it releasing persistent organic pollutants (POPs) directly into the Baltic Sea. The environmental organisation demanded that the Swedish navy close the base's tunnels and any other outflows in order to contain PCBs and other POPs contamination that Swedish authorities discovered at the base and prevent it from spreading into the environment.

"This military naval base is responsible for some of the highest levels of PCB ever found in Swedish sediments," said Emma Öberg, Greenpeace toxic campaigner on board the MV Greenpeace (1). The navy has known about this for over a year yet has done nothing to prevent these very hazardous substances from leaking into the Baltic Sea," she added.

Last year Swedish authorities realised "Muskö" was contaminating the Swedish archipelago with PCBs. Since then, they have been discussing with the Swedish navy how to locate the source of contamination and assess the extent of the pollution.

"It is urgent that the exact sources of this pollution are found but it is also vital that the spread of the contamination is ascertained as much of the surrounding archipelago may have been affected and in need of clean up," said Öberg. "Every day the doors to the military base remain open, we are concerned that more toxic POPs are being flushed into the Baltic. Until this area is sealed and decontaminated, it will continue to pose a serious hazard to public health and the environment," she added.

The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is expecting to start further assessment of the PCB pollution and a search for its sources this summer. According to the Swedish authorities, ship paints containing PCBs are the most likely source of the contamination. They may have polluted the sediments when naval ships have been stripped of their paint inside the underground base, despite that fact that Sweden banned the use of PCBs in ship paint decades ago. However other possible sources have not been excluded. The sediments are also expected to be polluted with other hazardous substances that are still used in ship paint such as TBT and Diuron.

"That old sins may have caused this PCB contamination serves as a sharp reminder that these types of chemicals poison the environment for years after they're released. They will haunt us for many decades to come if we do not take immediate action to stop their production and use and start cleaning up the legacy of our past mistakes now," said Öberg.

POPs, including PCBs, are some of the most dangerous chemicals known to science and are at critical levels in the Baltic Sea. Concern over the havoc they are causing the environment and human health have led world governments to agree that all POPs must be eliminated from the planet. PCBs are among the twelve POPs that the United Nations Environment Programme has identified as in need of urgent action. Governments will meet in Stockholm to sign the treaty to eliminate POPs in two weeks time. Once signed, it needs to be ratified by 50 countries before it comes into legal force.

"The POPs problem is too critical to wait for the treaty to be ratified before its addressed. That the very government scheduled to host the signing of the Stockholm Convention has not taken immediate action to eradicate this POPs hotspot on its doorstep is deeply worrying. All governments must act now to close the doors on POPs and stop existing PCBs, dioxins and other POPs spreading into the environment. If we can see what enormous problems old sins are causing to us today - how can we go on doing this to future generations?" said Öberg.

The impending Stockholm Convention also requires governments to destroy POPs stockpiles so that they no longer pose a threat to the environment and public health. This means that POPs contaminated waste must not be incinerated as incineration is recognised as one of the main sources of dioxins and other POPs. (2)

"The only way to solve the problem is to turn off the tap and clean up the mess. Incineration is a significant POPs source in itself and just shifts the problem onto future generations via air emissions and in the enormous amounts of toxic ash they produce," said Dr. Darryl Luscombe of Greenpeace International.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
For further information, interviews with Greenpeace campaigners or the crew of the MV Greenpeace call:
Emma Öberg, Greenpeace toxics campaigner on + 46 70 608 74 83 (m)
Darryl Luscombe, Greenpeace International toxics campaigner and expert in non-incineration technologies, on +46-(0) 70-6087481 (m)
Matilda Bradshaw, Greenpeace International press officer, + 31 20 524 9545 or + 31 6 535 04701 (m)
Ulrika Tenlid, Greenpeace Nordic press officer on + 46 8 702 70 73 (office) or + 46 70 668 70 70 (m)
Footage and stills of the MV Greenpeace and images of pollution in the Baltic are available on request

(1) "Muskö örlogshamn-Sedimentsundersökning Maj 2000" by Ulf Qvarfort (Sveriges Geologiska Undersökning) and Birgitta Liljedahl (Försvarets Forskningsanstalt, Umeå.

(2) The United Nations Environment Programme has listed waste incineration as having the potential for comparatively high formation and release of dioxins, furans, hexachlorobenzenes and PCBs in the final text of the upcoming Stockholm Convention.

For the Greenpeace report "POPs in the Baltic", which confirms there are high levels of PCBs, dioxins and other POPs in the Baltic environment, and further information on alternative destruction technologies are available on:

http://archive.greenpeace.org/toxics/globaltour/

Greenpeace will continue to tour the Baltic region on board the Greenpeace vessel, MV Greenpeace, highlighting the problems of toxic pollution in the area. The Baltic tour is a culmination of a three year tour exposing toxic pollution worldwide and will end in Stockholm on 23rd May as the POPs treaty is signed.