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Kodaikanal Mercury Contamination Crisis

Hindustan Lever Ltd was caught dumping 7.4 tons of toxic mercury-laced waste from their thermometer factory in Kodaikanal, India near a school in March 2001. An estimated 32,000 local residents were affected by the contamination. While operating from 1983 until 2001, the factory's mercury waste caused 10 worker deaths from mercury poisoning and numerous ex-workers reported health issues like fatigue, headaches, and respiratory problems.

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Azhar Manjothi
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26 views4 pages

Kodaikanal Mercury Contamination Crisis

Hindustan Lever Ltd was caught dumping 7.4 tons of toxic mercury-laced waste from their thermometer factory in Kodaikanal, India near a school in March 2001. An estimated 32,000 local residents were affected by the contamination. While operating from 1983 until 2001, the factory's mercury waste caused 10 worker deaths from mercury poisoning and numerous ex-workers reported health issues like fatigue, headaches, and respiratory problems.

Uploaded by

Azhar Manjothi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

INTRODUCTION


On March 2001, the multinational Hindustan Lever Ltd ( HLL) was caught
red-handed by the residents of Kodaikanal, when they found a dumpsite with toxic
mercury-laced waste from the company’s thermometer factory located in the heart
of the town

 7.4 ton of crushed mercury containing glass was spilled in a busy scrap yard
located near a school

 On the same day, during the annual review meeting of the Chairman of HLL held
at the headquarters in Mumbai, a question came from N. Jayaraman of 'Corporate
Watch, an NGO, has there been any disposal of mercury contamination?
 It was estimated that 32,000 people were affected, living in
Kodaikanal of the town

 It let to the death of 10 workers while it was functioning, and


Greenpeace , a global NGO committed to environmental protection,
claimed that the deaths were due to mercury poisoning

 Symptoms reported by ex workers were fatigue, headaches, nausea,


blurred vision, respiratory disorders, central nervous system
problems such as loss of memory and the like
  Former workers claimed that many of them developed these symptoms after they
worked at the factory in Kodaikanal, which has been operating since 1983.

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