GREENPEACE BLOCKS BALTIC PAPER POLLUTER'S TOXIC WASTE STREAMS, PAPER INDUSTRY MUST STOP ALL DISCHARGES

3 May 2001

Kaliningrad, Russia - 03 May 2001 Greenpeace today stopped the Cepruss pulp & paper mill in Kaliningrad city discharging toxic pollution directly into the Baltic Sea from three different discharge streams. Thirty activists built two dams to block two of the plants waste streams while another three activists used a fire hose to return contaminated water from a third discharge pipe directly to the plant. At the same time, Greenpeace released results of samples taken from Cepruss's discharge streams that confirm the plant is releasing a cocktail of chemicals to the environment, including organochlorines. It also released a report, "Pulp bleaching around the Baltic sea", that reveals Cepruss is one of three remaining chemical bleaching paper mills in the Baltic drainage basin that still use chlorine gas to bleach their pulp and paper. All three are located in the Kaliningrad region (1).

"Chlorine bleaching of paper has been a major source of pollutants to the Baltic Sea and has stained the industry's history. But while the other thirty seven plants in the region have taken steps to reduce its chlorine dependency, this and two others in Kaliningrad are still pouring the most dangerous of chlorinated wastes directly into the Baltic marine environment. It must stop bleaching the Baltic immediately," said Mats Knapp from Greenpeace Nordic.

The rest of the paper industry in the Baltic has stopped using chlorine gas because it causes so much damage to the environment. Yet most still use chlorine dioxide in the bleaching process so still significantly contributes to the critical levels of organochlorines in the Baltic environment. Currently, only eleven plants in the Baltic region are based on totally chlorine free (TCF) production.

TCF production releases less polluting discharges and, importantly, it is possible for these plants to stop their water discharges to the environment completely. Two TCF plants in Sweden have already managed to stop 90-95 per cent of their water discharges. Plants that still use chlorine dioxide compounds have, so far, not been able to close their discharges due to problems they create in the process.

"The technology to stop this environmental abuse is readily available. The paper industry must make the jump to chlorine free processes and stop its waste water discharges. This is an example of an industry that can achieve zero waste water discharges, reduce its impact on the environment and still satisfy consumer demand for white paper," said Greenpeace International toxics campaigner, Wytze van der Naald.

Some of the organochlorines released by the pulp and paper bleaching industry are dioxins, which are persistent organic pollutants (POPs). They are one of the most dangerous chemicals known to science and can cause cancers, endocrine disruption and other serious health problems in wildlife and humans.

World governments, including all Baltic countries, are so concerned about the impacts POPs are having on the environment and human health they have agreed to eliminate them under an impending international treaty to be signed in Stockholm on 22-23rd May 2001.

In the agreed treaty text, the United Nations Environment Programme has specifically cited the production of pulp using chlorine gas and the incineration of waste as having the potential for high formation of POPs, such as dioxins and PCBs.

Greenpeace is calling on all governments to act on their agreement and start eliminating all POPs from the planet. This will mean reforming or closing all industries that release POPs into the environment, including pulp and paper plants which must stop bleaching with chlorine compounds and close all their waste water discharges.

"These industries have been abusing the environment and threatening public health for too long. It's time for change. Our children will suffer the consequences of today's escalating chemical crisis if governments don't take action now," concluded van der Naald.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
Matilda Bradshaw, Greenpeace International Press, + 31 6 535 04701 (m)
Wytze van der Naald, Greenpeace International Toxics Campaigner, + 31 6 270 0005 (M)
Alexey Kiselev, Greenpeace Russia Toxic Campaigner, - +7 901 7705786 (m)
Mats Knapp, Greenpeace Nordic Toxics Campaigner, +46 703 217364 (m)
Footage and stills of the MV Greenpeace, pollution in the Baltic and today's action are available on request, please contact Greenpeace Video Production, +31 653504721

Greenpeace is demanding that the Cepruss pulp and paper plant: stops chlorine bleaching immediately converts to totally chlorine free and effluent free production in the meantime, takes other measures to reduce discharges.

(1) Both the Greenpeace results of contaminants released by the Cepruss plant and full copies of the report " Pulp bleaching around the Baltic Sea" are available on :

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

The Greenpeace report " POPs in the Baltic", which confirms there are high levels of dioxins and other POPs in the Baltic environment, is available on the above web address.

Greenpeace will continue to tour the Baltic region over the next month 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 as the POPs treaty is signed. For further information, interviews with Greenpeace campaigners or the crew of the MV Greenpeace call the above contact numbers.