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by Allan Dowd, Reuters SEATTLE, USA, 6 April 2000 -- The refusal by Vancouver to accept a shipment of hazardous waste from a U.S. military base in Japan left U.S. authorities scrambling yesterday over what to do with the material. The 14 containers were destined for delivery to an Ontario disposal company, but Canadian authorities refused to allow the Port of Vancouver to handle the shipment after environmentalists complained Canada was being used as a dumping ground for toxic material. The containers are carrying equipment contaminated with cancer-causing polychlorinated biphenyls. PCBs are are a family of chemical compounds once used for electrical equipment insulation. The Vancouver Port Authority reaffirmed yesterday that it will not allow the containers to be unloaded when the ship is scheduled to arrive on Friday unless it is assured there is someone legally able to receive the cargo. The ship, which is also carrying containers of non-hazardous material, is scheduled to stop in Seattle late yesterday before sailing to Vancouver, but the U.S. Coast Guard will not allow the containers to be unloaded in Seattle without a special permit from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The United States prohibits the importation of foreign-produced PCBs, even from its own military facilities overseas, but the EPA can grant a special permit to allow the containers to be stored in the country for up to 30 days. The U.S. Department of Defence and EPA were negotiating yesterday what to do with the shipment, but had not yet reached an agreement, said Mark MacIntyre, a spokesman for the EPA office in Seattle. A Coast Guard official said the shipping agent handling the cargo has found at least five countries willing to take the PCBs, but it was unclear how long containers would be allowed to remain in Seattle before heading to a new destination. "It could be on the docks for two hours...it could be here for 30 days, I don't know," said Steve Wolfe, a marine science technician first class. Vancouver and Seattle port officials said concern over the shipment was likely being driven by politics more than safety, since both ports regularly handle cargo that is considered much more hazardous. Failure to win a permit to unload the PCBs could also make it difficult for the ship, the Chinese-owned Wen He, to unload its non-hazardous cargo since the 14-containers are stacked on top of the entire load, Wolfe said. FAIR USE NOTICE. This document contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. The Basel Action Network is making this article available in our efforts to advance understanding of ecological sustainability and environmental justice issues. We believe that this constitutes a `fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond `fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. More News |