RUBBER POLLUTION IN LIBERIA
Oct 30th, 2009 by admin
- A three-month investigation by the Liberian government has found an American rubber company guilty of polluting local water sources. The Firestone Rubber Plantation Company is located 48km south-east of the capital Monrovia and has been found to be contaminating creeks in the region with high levels of orthophosphate, according to the investigation’s final report. Tens of thousands of villagers are reportedly no longer able to use these creeks as a water source. Residents in the town of Kpanyah also complained about skin rashes after swimming in the affected creeks, the BBC reported. Firestone disputes the report and said yesterday it fully complies with environmental law. The company’s statement added that the plant’s water treatment system was working properly and was not producing harmful waste water.
