Waste Dumping

Waste Dumping By Trafigura

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17152560/

http://www.trafigura.com/trafigura_news/news/13022007.aspx

These two articles are on toxic waste dumping but are from different view points.

Trafigura has paid a hefty $197 million to the Ivory Coast government to secure the release of the three of its executives that were detained since September 2006. The money will be funded for building a disposal plant, a hospital and an independent investigation on the case.

It is ironic, however, that they are funding an independent environmental investigation on themselves which seems to defeat any attempts at impartiality. In addition, the second article by the company itself, conveniently ‘fails’ to mention the money that has been spent to release the 3 ‘innocent men’. This may be to portray itself as an honest and respectful company by not stating the figure. Trafigura would seem that it had not ‘bought’ its executives out.

The second article written from the point of view of Trafigura, is obviously more biased towards themselves. The first article is more impartial but has a tinge of sarcasm.

While an U.N. report states that the waste dumped contained chemicals lethal in high concentrations, Trafigura emphasizes that it did not unload toxic waste. It said that they the waste it offloaded was routine material derived from washing oil tanks, including caustic soda and petrochemical residues. Yet Tommy, the company that Trafigura had hired to dispose its waste, was seen dumping 528 tons of waste in the public that caused 10 people to have died and others developing allergies. Despite so, Trafigura insists that it had not carried the deadly hydrogen sulfide that caused the deaths.

While the first article paints the view that Trafigura was most likely the culprit and is blatantly denying it, I think we should understand that we have assumed that the waste Tommy was seen dumping into public was the waste that was carried by Trafigura. Besides, the repeated denial by Trafigura could be because it was wronged. Being wronged and accused of something major like this incident would be a bad feeling to anyone and thus they have repeatedly declared their innocence and implored the authorities to help prove their innocence. Furthermore, the alleged killing substance—hydrogen sulfide was claimed to be not in the waste that they carried. It is highly likely that Trafigura did not carry toxic waste dumping and we could have jumped to conclusions.

I feel that the evidence that have against Trafigura is still not compelling enough. Perhaps because I have been wronged before and understand the feeling of being wrongly accused. In some ways, I may be allowing my personal experiences and biases ‘colour’ my understanding of the Trafigura incident.