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Agence France Presse KATHMANDU, Nepal, 11 October 2001-- Environmental activists from India, Germany and the UK Thursday launched a massive clean-up of six tons of dangerous pesticides stockpiled in Nepal, they said. The activists, members of Greenpeace, said the pesticides were manufactured and exported to Nepal by multinational companies, but were never used and have since been stockpiled in a warehouse in Kathmandu. "The obsolete pesticides stored in rusting and rotting original packages are exposed to the elements posing a constant threat to the environment and health of people working or staying near the warehouse," said Greenpeace toxic waste expert Andreas Bemstroff. The activists are working to repackage the pesticides so they can be transported out of Nepal by sea and disposed of safely. "All companies must finally take responsibility for their products, ship the toxic waste out of Nepal and dispose of them in accordance with regulations. Nepal is one of the poorest countries on earth and is unable to meet such a challenge," Bemstroff said. The activists, wearing full protective clothing, are repackaging the liquid or powder pesticides which have escaped from rotting bags, broken bottles or rusting canisters. 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 |