The seamier side of global toxics trade has received much needed scrutiny in the light of a particularly egregious episode of environmental contamination. In August 2006, various neighborhoods of Abidjan (capital of the Ivory Coast) were turned into ad hoc toxic dump sites. This Summer of Muck happening was made possible through hazardous waste off-loaded from the tanker Probo Koala, which had sailed a circuitous route to Africa from North America via Europe. Having arrived at Abidjan, Probo Koala's liquid was pumped out into trucks and then simply spread around town, dumping it in ditches and on roadsides.
The precise chemical nature of the waste has remained unclear (murky perhaps is a more apt descriptor). Estimates of directly attributable deaths have ranged from 8 to 15 persons, with more than 100,000 seeking medical care for various symptoms, especially abdominal distress. It is probably safe to assume that in Abidjan, it takes a fair amount of stomach cramping to send one to the doctor.
The ship's owner is a global oil- and metals-trading entity named Trafigura. It has consistently denied any culpability and is careful to always refer to the material dumped as "slops," as if Trafigura views the waste it disposed of as being no more hazardous than dirty dishwater (www.trafigura.com). Belying that stance, Trafigura vigorously fought the release of any potentially incriminating data related to the contents of the discharged waste. When an internal company-generated report on the subject leaked, Trafigura obtained a court order not only to prevent its publication, but to prevent any mention of the gag order itself.
In October 2008, a court in the Ivory Coast sentenced two men to lengthy prison terms for their role in the affair. Those convicted, however, were only locals on the ground, not international corporate officials. In exchange for exemption from higher-level prosecution, Trafigura reportedly turned over 157.6 million euros to the government of the Ivory Coast and later agreed to pay compensation at $1,500 a head to 30,000 or so most harmed. Just this week, the New York Times reported that even this modest compensation may never reach the injured because a well-connected, self-appointed victims' "representative" (by the name of Claude Gohourou) is laying claim to funds, demanding that a large finder's fee be paid to him.
