Solvay okays Brazil dioxin checks of lime
13 July 1999 16:57 [Source: ICIS news]
LONDON (CNI)--Belgian chemicals company Solvay said Tuesday it has agreed with Brazilian legal and environment authorities to a detailed probe of dioxin contamination and management plans at its lime storage site near Sao Paulo.
A spokesman for Solvay told CNI that the investigation should help determine the extent of furanes contamination and approval of its management plan for the 1m tonne site based on risk assessment data. Solvay signed an agreement for the detailed investigation on Monday with Sao Paulo state's prosecutor's office and the environmental protection agency.
Environmental pressure group has continued to blame Solvay for serious dioxin contamination of citrus pulp in Europe which led to milk contamination via animal fodder last year. Greenpeace repeated its claim today despite the European Commission recently reporting that the toxic dioxins responsible for the milk contamination - such as tetrachlorodibenzo - were not found in lime supplied by Solvay. The company had supplied its Brazilian hydrated lime to Carbotex, which in turn is a general supplier to the citrus industry.
The Solvay spokesman said that although the most harmful dioxins had not been found at its Santo Andre site on the outskirts of Sao Paulo, its own investigations had found traces of other dioxins, such as furanes. "We have agreed to further checks," he said.
Greenpeace claims that its recent sampling of lime at the Brazilian storage site revealed "high levels of mercury contamination as well as the presence of organochlorines in the river sediment just downstream from Solvay's discharge."
By: Patrick Reynolds
+44 208 652 3214
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