From: ahmed-shakil@cs.yale.edu (Shakil Waiz Ahmed)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.bangladesh
Subject: US exports toxic "fertilizer" to Bangladesh
Date: 15 Nov 1992 18:14:46 -0500
Organization: Yale University Computer Science Dept., New Haven, CT 06520-2158
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: curie.systemsy.cs.yale.edu
Keywords: From SCI


This article appeared on SCI -- seems very relevant to SCB:

Newsgroups: soc.culture.indian
From: bala@iastate.edu (M.K.Balasubramanya)
Subject: US exports toxic "fertilizer" to Bangladesh
Organization: Iowa State University, Ames, IA
Date: Sun, 15 Nov 92 03:49:19 EST


From: John Bonine  E-LAW US <ejohn>
Subject: U.S. Law and Toxic Fertilizer Export

The following has just been released by Greenpeace, based on an investigation
in Bangladesh and an extensive compilation of background information.

This report reveals weaknesses in U.S. laws and an international trade in
toxic wastes, sometimes disguised in fertilizer shipments to South countries.
Greenpeace and UBINIG argue that the new Clinton administration should adopt
a ban on international hazardous waste trade and a "return to sender" policy.

John Bonine, Chair, E-LAW U.S.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 92 08:16:44 PST
From: Greenpeace -- DC <wastetrade>

           U.S. HAZARDOUS WASTE DUMPING IN BANGLADESH:

                   THE TOXIC FERTILIZER CRISIS

                 A Greenpeace and UBINIG Report
                          November 1992

          Contents                                 Page

          Greenpeace and UBINIG Investigation........ 1
          Background Information..................... 2
          Health & Environmental Impacts............. 3
          The Bangladesh Government's Role........... 4
          The Asia Development Bank's Role........... 5
          Return to Sender........................... 6
          Greenpeace & UBINIG Recommendations........ 7




GREENPEACE AND UBINIG INVESTIGATION

The international environmental organization, Greenpeace, and
Dhaka-based, UBINIG (Policy Research for Development
Alternative), have joined forces to investigate and make
recommendations regarding the current crisis surrounding the
hazardous waste illegally sent as fertilizer from the United
States.

In the first week of November 1992, investigators from Greenpeace
and UBINIG journeyed to Dinajpur, in the Northwest of Bangladesh. 
In addition to the 17 tons found stored at the Bangladesh
Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) there, the
investigators discovered the fertilizer in use at a number of
farms.  Greenpeace and UBINIG interviewed dealers who had
distributed, and farmers who had used, the fertilizer.  Although
the local BADC representative knew of the dangers of the
contaminated fertilizer, none of the dealers or farmers
interviewed by Greenpeace and UBINIG had received warnings about
the potential hazards associated with its use.

The most disturbing finding was that, in spite of the government
knowing of the contamination for almost a year, the toxic waste
fertilizer is still being sold at the market!  The investigators
purchased a 25 kg bag of contaminated fertilizer for US$5.00. 
The bag was marked with the name of the U.S. producer, Stoller
Chemical Co., and the international waste trader,
Transcontinental Imex.  The investigators collected samples of
the fertilizer to be analyzed by an independent U.S. laboratory.

Distribution of the Hazardous Fertilizer:

BADC reports that approximately 3,130 tons of hazardous waste
fertilizer have been distributed in 12 areas.

Area

Sombhuganj(Mymenshing)    40     1     39
Chittagong               475   269    206
Melandaho(Jamalpur)       39    19     20
Rangpur                   39     5     34
Gaibandha                 40     8     32
Kurigram                  20     8     12  
Dinajpur                  20     3     17
Panchagar                 20     2     18
Sibganj                   19     4     15
Khulna                 2,412   695  1,717    
Barguna                    5     0      5
Patuakhali                 5  - unknown -     
TOTAL                  3,134  1,014 2,115


In June 1992, BADC informed all the local managers in Chittagong
and Khulna to stop selling the zinc-oxysulphate fertilizer.  They
have also instructed the local managers to collect the unsold
fertilizers from the dealers and to store it in the district
store houses.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

In early 1992, the Bangladesh Agricultural Development
Corporation (BADC) purchased approximately 3,150 tons of zinc
oxysulphate fertilizer from the United States.  Without notifying
either the Bangladesh or the U.S. government, the supplier of the
fertilizer, Stoller Chemical Company, allegedly illegally mixed
hazardous waste into the fertilizer before exporting it to
Bangladesh.

Before the consignment reached Chittagong port in Bangladesh, the
U.S. Embassy notified the relevant departments that the
"fertilizer may contain a type of waste sludge which contains
lead and cadmium."  In a 17 December 1991 letter from the U.S.
Embassy to the Chairman of Rupeli Bank Limited, the Embassy
stated that "if the shipment does contain those substance then it
would be in violation of U.S. law."

On 4 January 1992, BADC sent a letter to Bangladesh Agricultural
Research Institute (BARI) asking for a test of the fertilizer. 
BARI gave the results of the tests on 14 January 1992, and
claimed that the levels of lead and cadmium found in the samples
were not toxic for plants and would not have any toxic effect on
the environment.  On the basis of the report of BARI, BADC
accepted the shipment.  The distribution of the fertilizer to 11
areas throughout Bangladesh began immediately.  By now, more than
1000 tons of the toxic fertilizer have been sold to farmers.

Public outcry over the international waste trade scandal followed
in Bangladesh and the United States, with UBINIG, Greenpeace and
other environmental organizations condemning the shipment and
calling for its return to the companies responsible for the
hazardous waste production and export.   Bangladesh newspapers
reported in September 1992 that the Minster of Agriculture had
halted the distribution of the contaminated fertilizer and BADC
has requested the U.S. supplier to return the fertilizer to the
United States.

On 5 November 1992, the Bangladesh government announced the
formation of a special enquiry committee to investigate the
illegal waste import.  The seven-member committee is chaired by
the Vice Chancellor of the Open University, Dr. Shamser Ali.  The
other members include the Director General of Department of
Environment, and joint secretary or equivalent officers of
Ministries of Agriculture, Commerce, Health, Foreign Affairs and
Law.  They will examine facts relating to the import of the
waste, make recommendations regarding the stockpiled waste,
investigate possible ways to reduce the hazards of the applied
fertilizer, and make recommendations regarding future waste
imports.

The case of the shipment of hazardous waste fertilizer to
Bangladesh is indicative of two emerging trends in the
international waste trade.  First, countries in Asia are
increasingly being targeted to receive foreign waste imports.  In
recent years, over 90 less-industrialized countries have enacted
legislation prohibiting international waste imports.  Nearly all
of these countries are located in Africa, the Caribbean, Latin
America or the South Pacific.  

With so much of the world now off-limits to waste importers,
waste traders are trying to avert these bans with claims that
their cargo is destined for reuse as fertilizer, construction
material, fuel substitute or other benign-sounding uses.  A false
premise of waste "recycling" or "reuse" is used to justify the
waste traders' continued exploitation of low cost, less regulated
waste disposal or processing facilities in the Third World.

ENVIRONMENTAL AND HEALTH IMPACTS

The waste which was mixed into the fertilizer in the United
States is known as "baghouse dust" which is collected in
pollution control devices in certain metal smelting furnaces. 
The baghouse dust contains toxic levels of lead and cadmium, and
is classified as a hazardous waste under U.S. law.

Lead and cadmium are both heavy metals which are known destroyers
of human health and the environment.  Because of their well
documented dangers, the use and disposal of lead and cadmium are
severely restricted within industrialized countries.

Human Health Impacts -

LEAD:  Repeated exposure to lead causes dangerous lead build-up
in the body.  At low levels, lead may cause fatigue, headaches,
stomach problems, irritability, depression and insomnia.  At
higher levels of exposure, lead causes weakness, memory problems,
low blood count (anemia) and miscarriages.  Lead can also cause
serious permanent damage to the brain and kidney.  Because lead
can disrupt the mental development of children, children and
pregnant women are especially vulnerable to lead damage.
CADMIUM:  Exposure to cadmium can cause severe health problems. 
At repeated low level exposure, cadmium can cause kidney damage,
emphysema, anemia, and loss of smell.  At higher levels, cadmium
can cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.  Cadmium can also damage
the lungs and reproductive system.  Cadmium has been shown to
cause lung and testes cancer in animals and there is evidence
that it causes prostate and kidney cancer in humans.

In the U.s., workers who handle lead and cadmium wear protective
clothing and eyewear to avoid inhalation and skin contact with
the toxic metals.  Of course, no protective clothing is available
to the Bangladeshi farmers who have applied the fertilizer by
hand.  The lead and cadmium in the contaminated fertilizer can
enter the body through inhalation of dust during fertilizer
handling and through ingestion when contaminated soil, crops,
livestock or water are swallowed.

Most health effects of lead and cadmium are chronic or long-term
and are not apparent immediately after exposure.  For this
reason, exposed individuals may be unaware of any damage for
months or years.

Agricultural Impacts -

Lead and cadmium can be picked up by crops and are among the most
toxic elements to plants when present in excess quantity.  These
heavy metals threaten agricultural crops by inhibiting root
growth which limits the plants' ability to absorb nutrients and
water and by damaging the leaves which interferes with
photosynthesis.  Studies are need to identify the exact impact of
the applied toxic fertilizer, since specific tolerance to heavy
metals varies between plant species and is affected by seasonal
changes and soil type.

Farm animals are also likely to be impacted by exposure to the
toxic fertilizer through contaminated crops, soil, and water. 
Neither lead or cadmium is a necessary metal for livestock
health, and when present in excess quantity, both can cause
livestock poisoning.  Lead causes anaemia, constipation,
vomiting, renal damage, and muscle discoordination and cadmium
causes reproductive problems, cardiovascular disorders and
hypertension in livestock.  Testing of livestock which grazed on
lead contaminated soil in the United Kingdom revealed high blood
lead levels in both cattle and sheep.  When eaten, this
contamination will be passed on to people.

During the 1950's, cadmium contaminated water was used to
irrigate rice fields in Japan, resulting in widespread health
problems.  The rice crops picked pu so much cadmium that people
who consumed it developed a serious illness called "itai-itai,"
which means "a cry of pain" in Japanese.  People with itai-itai
suffered severe pain, bone deformities and kidney problems.  In
Japan, older women, who consumed diets high in rice and low in
protein and calcium, suffered the severe impacts of itai-itai. 
Once contaminated with heavy metals, the fields may take many
decades to recover.  In Japan, ten percent of paddy soils remain
severely contaminated today.

One farmer in Bangladesh interviewed said, "We would never like
to spoil our land with any harmful fertilizer.  We, the farmers,
love our land the most.  But if we are not told that the
fertilizer is harmful, and because we are not literate, we have
no way of knowing.  Why is the government doing this to us?  Why
hasn't the government done tests on this?  They should know the
difference between good and bad."

The Tests conducted in Bangladesh --

Samples of the fertilizer were sent for analysis by BADC to the
Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), Bangladesh
Agricultural Research Council (BARC), Bangladesh Atomic Energy
Commission (BAEC), Bangladesh University of Engineering and
Technology (BUET), Universities of Dhaka and Rajshahi.  In
January 1992, the BARC reported the samples contain 2.01 to 4.02
percent lead and 0.034 to 0.043 percent cadmium.  The BARI
results, which were released very quickly, indicate the
fertilizer contains 2.3 to 4.17 percent lead and 0.18 to 0.195
percent cadmium.  Based on this date, the predominantly U.S.-
funded BARI announced that use of the fertilizer would not be
harmful.

In April 1992, the U.S. Embassy reported that the samples were
tested by the South Carolina Department of Health and
Environmental Control.  The U.S. tests showed the fertilizer's
lead content is 6.9 percent while that of cadmium is 0.6 percent. 

According to Professor Syed Zahir Haider of Department of Applied
Chemistry, Dhaka University and Professor K Ikhtyar Omaar of
Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, the lead and
cadmium levels are "very very high."  According to a 19 September
article in the Telegraph, quoting the Professors, the fertilizer
contains lead concentrations more than 800,000 times higher and
cadmium concentrations 200,000 times higher than U.S. standards.

THE BANGLADESH GOVERNMENT'S ROLE IN INTERNATIONAL WASTE TRADE

The primary responsibility for the fertilizer within Bangladesh
lies with the Ministry of Agriculture who approved the import and
distribution, and BADC, the government agency which distributes
fertilizers in the country. According to the fertilizer dealers
in Dinajpur, the usual procedure for distributing new fertilizers
requires a demonstration of the fertilizer on model farms in each
area.  Though the zinc oxysulphate was a new fertilizer, a BADC
regional officer told Greenpeace and UBINIG that they were not
instructed to conduct the usual demonstration; instead, the
fertilizer was immediately sold.

The dealers were informed that the fertilizer was newly imported
from the USA.  Trusting the quality of foreign products, the
farmers bought the "new" fertilizer with the hope of improving
the crops.  However, the farmers who used the fertilizer for the
IRRI crop reported being disappointed at the low crop output. 
When they spoke to the dealers, they were told to increase the
application of the fertilizer.  The rich farmers of the area
could afford to buy more fertilizer, but the poor farmers bough
less.  Some farmers reported that they have used the fertilizer
for the next Aman crop as well.  That means, in many farms, the
fertilizer has already been used twice, once in March and another
time in June-July.

The dealers were instructed by BADC in June 1992 to discontinue
selling the fertilizer.  Since BADC did not provide an
explanation for this order, some dealers reported that they
continued to sell the toxic product after that date.  In fact,
the UBINIG and Greenpeace investigators could still purchase a
bag of fertilizer from a dealer in Dinajpur in the first week of
November 1992.

The Bangladesh media has begun reporting the news of the toxic
fertilizer in great detail in recent months, prompting
Bangladeshis living in the U.s. to write letters to the
Bangladesh embassy in the U.s., the Prime Minster of the People's
Republic of Bangladesh and to the ministry of Education.   The
Ministry of Environment and Agriculture, which responded to these
letters, promised action would be taken to prevent the use of the
toxic fertilizer and suggested the possibility of sending the
fertilizer back to the U.S.

Concern about the role of the private sector fertilizer
distributors has also increased as a result of this incident.  A
private agency, S. Huda & Co., claims to be sole agent of Stoller
Inc. in Bangladesh.  When the UBINIG and Greenpeace investigators
contacted them, the company denied the possibility of importing
toxic fertilizer.  However, BADC sources report that toxic
fertilizer has already been imported by the private sector. 
Concerns arise because the government can monitor and control
imports by government agencies, but not by private companies such
as the US International Fertilizer Development Corporation (IFDC)
which is increasingly involved in fertilizer trade.  UBINIG
recommends that the government of Bangladesh stop importing
fertilizer through the private sector directly from the companies
in U.s.  Such uncontrolled fertilizer trade offers greater
opportunities for unscrupulous businesses to manipulate
fertilizer products or information.

Meanwhile, another editorial published in daily "Inquilab" says
that another consignment of toxic TSP fertilizer (14,400 metric
tons) was unloaded in the port of Chittagong during the first
week of November 1992.  The fact that toxic zinc-oxysulphate
fertilizer could enter and remain in the country so easily, even
with clear warnings, has encouraged others to follow them.  At
the expense of the public health and environment, bangladesh is
providing an easy ground for dumping of the toxic waste of the
industrialize countries.  The case of toxic fertilizer cannot
therefore be solved only by stopping further distribution and
selling within Bangladesh; the government has to take very strong
steps to collect all the unsold and unused fertilizer and return
it to the United States.

THE U.S. GOVERNMENT'S ROLE IN INTERNATIONAL WASTE TRADE

Industries in the United States produce over one million pounds
of hazardous waste each minute.  After many toxic disasters in
the country, the U.S. public and government have realized the
dangers of hazardous waste.   As a result, the regulations and
costs associated with waste disposal facilities have increased
tremendously in recent years.  Rather than implement clean
technologies to reduce waste production, some U.S. companies are
intent on finding cheap and easy dumpsites for their waste. 
Increasingly, these sits are located in Third World countries. 
In recent years, waste from the U.S. has been sent to less
expensive and less regulated dumpsites in Bangladesh, Brazil,
China, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, the Philippines
and other less-industrialized countries.

Under current U.S. law, U.S. companies are permitted to export
wastes classified as "hazardous" if the importing government
consents to the waste import.  Wastes which are not classified as
"hazardous," but which often contain hazardous components, may be
exported without notifying either the U.S. or the receiving
country.

Because the waste which was mixed into the fertilizer bound for
Bangladesh was classified as "hazardous," the exporting companies
were required to notify and receive consent from the Bangladesh
government before the export took place.  The companies failed to
notify either government or obtain prior consent to the shipment. 
On 12 June 1992, the U.S. government indicted four U.S. companies
for illegally transporting, treating and exporting hazardous
waste.  The companies indicted were: Gaston Copper Recycling
Corp., which produced the hazardous waste; Stoller Chemical Co.,
which allegedly illegally mixed it into the fertilizer and
exported it; Southwire Corporation, which is the primary
stockholder of Gaston Copper; and Hy-Tex Marketing, which
brokered the waste between Gaston Copper and Stoller Chemical. 
Another company, not included in this legal action,is
Transcontinental Imex.  A Bangladeshi national, who represents
this company, arranged the deal between Stoller Chemical Co. Inc.
and BADC.

Although Greenpeace and UBINIG commend the U.S. government for
prosecuting international waste traders, we recognize two serious
flaws in the indictment:

1.  The waste traders were only indicted because they had
bypassed the required notification and consent provision of U.s.
waste export law.  Had they performed this requirement, the U.S.
government would have routinely approved of the dangerous
international waste trade scheme.  By promoting a regulatory
system for, rather than a complete prohibition on, international
waste trade, the U.S. government legitimizes an unnecessary and
dangerous toxic trade and undermines waste prevention progress
within its industries.

2. The U.S. government did not require the waste producer or
exporter to retrieve the illegally exported waste from
Bangladesh.  Almost a year later, the hazardous waste continues
to threaten the environment and population of Bangladesh.

By allowing Stoller Chemical and the other companies to leave
their waste in Bangladesh, the U.S. government has given its
tacit approval for the use of another country as a dumping ground
for U.S. hazardous wastes.

For many U.S. companies, the monetary fines associated with
violating environmental laws are perceived as simply a cost of
doing business.  Even if Stoller Chemicals is forced to pay a
fine, the company has still gained financially from exporting the
waste by avoiding the high cost of hazardous waste disposal in
the United States.

Although the U.S. Embassy in Dhaka did contact the Bangladesh
government regarding the contaminated fertilizer, Greenpeace and
UBINIG believe their actions were insufficient.  The language of
the letter from the U.S. Embassy regarding the fertilizer
shipment was unclear, stating only that contamination may be
possible, but not providing any information about the known
health damage caused by either lead or cadmium.

The result of the recent Presidential election provides hope for
improving U.S. international waste trade policy.  Vice President-
elect Al Gore is also the international president of the Global
Legislators' Organization for a Balanced Environment (GLOBE). 
GLOBE members from the U.S., Europe and Japan meet regularly to
develop and promote environmentally responsible policies in their
respective countries.  At a February 1992 GLOBE meeting in
Washington D.C., GLOBE called upon their member countries to
prohibit all hazardous waste exports to non-OECD countries. 
Greenpeace and UBINIG urge Vice President-elect Gore and the new
administration to maintain GLOBE's commitment to ending
international waste trade to the Third World by immediately
prohibiting U.S. waste exports to non-OECD countries.

THE ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK'S ROLE IN INTERNATIONAL WASTE TRADE

Bangladesh obtained the funding to purchase the contaminated
fertilizer from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).  In their
invitation for bids from potential suppliers, BADC stated that
the funds were provided under "Asian Development Bank Loan No.
558 Ban (SF) for Supply of 3,000 M.Tons Zinc Sulphate/Zinc
OxySulphate - Tender No. PUR/FERT/2F/58/90, Dated 05.11.1990"

On 11 November 1992, Mr. Karimul Haque Talukdar, a project
officer in the Dhaka office of the ADB, told a Greenpeace
investigator that environmental impacts were not considered in
evaluating the bids to supply fertilizer to BADC.  Talukdar told
Greenpeace that ADB chooses the "lowest responsive bid,"
considering only two factors: price and adherence to ADB
procedures.  "Once the payment is made," he explained, "we wash
our hands of it, we are not involved."

For this reason, Talukdar believes that the ADB has no
responsibility to remedy the damage caused by the imported
fertilizer.  When asked if ADB would consider funding the removal
of the waste, Talukar responded, "there is no possibility of
that."

By providing funding for the import of toxic waste in the form of
low-cost products, the ADB forces Third World countries to choose
between poison and poverty.  Instead of funding toxic trade, the
ADB and other international lending institutions should fund
environmentally beneficial projects which truly involve and meet
the needs of the receiving communities.  Moreover, it is a
question of whether the taxpayers money can be used for such
harmful activities in the recipient's countries.


                        RETURN TO SENDER

All hazardous waste treatment, storage and disposal facilities
release contaminants into the environment.  As long as the toxic
fertilizer remains in Bangladesh, the people and environment of
this country will be threatened by U.S.-produced and exported
hazardous wastes.  For this reason, no storage facility or
further processing of the waste within Bangladesh is acceptable;
the only solution is to RETURN IT TO THE COUNTRY OF ORIGIN.

"Return to Sender" is increasingly being recognized as the only
solution for less-industrialized countries to handle imported
wastes and other toxic products.  For example, after Italian
businessmen illegally exported hazardous waste to Nigeria, the
Nigerian government demanded that the Italian government take the
waste back, and remove all contamination from the site.  The
Italian government did return the waste, and soon after, agreed
to prohibit all future waste exports to Third World Countries. 
Recently, another African country, Niger, forced European
companies to repatriate obsolete toxic pesticides left there
years before.

This past summer, a U.S. company agreed to remove wastes and
abandoned pesticides left on a small island in the Bahamas.  And
residents of Haiti are currently negotiating for the removal of
U.S. waste dumped there, also as fertilizer, 4 years ago.

Returning the toxic fertilizer to the United States not only
immediately removes the threat of further lead and cadmium
contamination from Bangladesh, but its also sends a message to
international waste traders worldwide that Bangladesh is not a
dumping ground.  Leaving the waste in Bangladesh sets a dangerous
precedent and invites other unscrupulous businesses to unload
their hazards here.

By returning hazardous waste to the company and country which
produced the waste, Third World countries are rejecting toxic
colonialism and forcing the industrialized world to develop clean
technologies to prevent their waste problem in the future.

              GREENPEACE AND UBINIG RECOMMENDATIONS

We recommend that the Government of Bangladesh:

* Immediately return all unused distributed fertilizer to one
central depot and demand the U.S. take back the illegally
exported hazard.

* Issue an official government alert to all fertilizer
distributors explaining the dangers of using the fertilizer and
instructing them to inform all farmers who purchase the toxic
product.

* Conduct health and environment surveys to determine the extent
of contamination in areas where the fertilizer has been applied
and provide alternative food and water supplies to impacted
communities.

* Enact national legislation prohibiting the import of foreign
wastes for any purpose into Bangladesh territory and join with
neighboring countries to prohibit foreign waste imports into the
entire region.

We recommend that the Government of the United States: 

* Immediately reimport the hazardous waste illegally exported to
Bangladesh.
* Enact legislation to prohibit all future international waste
exports, especially to Third World countries.

* Develop and implement clean technologies in order to prevent
their waste problem at home.

We recommend that the Asian Development Bank:

* Provide funds to return the illegally imported waste to the
United States and to compensate the Bangladesh farmers who have
applied the waste to their fields.

* Refuse to fund any projects involving international toxic
trade, including trade of wastes, banned products or other
restricted hazardous materials.


** End of text from cdp:headlines **