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Associated Press PORTLAND, MAINE, U.S.A., 24 January, 2001 -- A 20-ton cargo of mercury from Maine that was bound for India has apparently been halted in Egypt, at least for the time being, government officials and environmental activists said Wednesday. The shipment was part of the more than 130 tons of mercury that was removed from the HoltraChem plant in Orrington, which closed last September after coming under fire because of mercury emissions. The 20 tons of mercury were being shipped to India for use in medical instruments and other manufacturing processes. Activists in the United States and overseas have criticized the transaction as an example of U.S. dumping of toxic materials in underdeveloped countries. At a time when mercury use in developed countries is being phased out, the United States has continued to export the toxic metal to Third World countries, said Michael Bender, executive director of the Mercury Policy Project in Montpelier, Vt. A source at the State Department disputed the allegation of toxic dumping, saying that the mercury shipment was simply a commercial transaction between businesses in the United States and India and that the shipment was legal under Indian law. Bender and officials at the Environmental Protection Agency and the State Department said they understood that the mercury shipment was halted in Port Said, Egypt, but it was not clear what prompted the decision. The status of the cargo, which was shipped out of New York Harbor earlier this month, was not immediately known. Officials at the EPA said the mercury shipment was not regarded as hazardous under the agency's regulations. The HoltraChem plant had turned out chlorine and rayon-grade caustic soda for the paper, plastics, fiber, water purification and drug industries. 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 |
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