TOXIC FREE ASIA TOUR
The SV Rainbow Warrior Tour in Asia

TOUR LOGBOOK

2 May 2000 - Greenpeace returns toxic effluent to sender

Activists from Greenpeace Japan today took direct action to stop the continuing pollution of the Seto Sea by pumping toxic effluent being discharged by a Kanegafuchi Chemicals back into the company's premises.
Arriving in inflatable boats with the Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior, the Japanese activists set up a pump connected to a water hose to literally return and spray Kanegafuchi's wastewater over the company's fence. The group then unfurled a banner which read " From the Discharge Pipe to the Dinner Plate" to highlight the company's unacceptable practice of releasing carcinogenic and other hazardous substances into the rich food bowl of the Seto Sea.

"We are returning this toxic discharge back to its source. This company has no right to pollute our water systems and food sources. By its toxic discharges, our people are being robbed of our right to a clean environment. This practice should be not be allowed to continue," said Ayako Sekine toxics campaigner of Greenpeace Japan.

Kanegafuchi Chemicals manufactures VCM (vinyl chloride monomer), the raw material for making PVC plastic. Greenpeace sampling of wastewater discharge from Kanegafuchi Chemicals in Takasago City revealed the presence of chloroform, butylated hdroxytoluene (BHT) and other halogenated compounds.

"The serious pollution being caused by this company is further proof that the PVC manufacturing chain is a constant source of deadly and persistent poisons. Throughout its entire lifecycle, PVC plastic is a wellspring of hazardous chemical pollution, including the ultra toxic dioxins," added Sekine.

Chloroform has been specified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a possible human carcinogen. Animal studies also confirm that chloroform causes reproductive defects like miscarriages. There is evidence that BHT can act as a promoter of liver cancer in combination with other carcinogenic substances.

"It is high time for the government to reconsider and radicalize its approach to pollution. Effective government action should be anchored on the principles of toxics elimination and clean production to achieve the objective of zero toxic discharge," stressed Sekine.

More info from our Global Toxic Hotspots: Seto Inland Sea (Teshima)

9 May - Activists scale Tokyo's Tallest Incinerator