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Oslo Historic Claim Filed
Against PCB Producers

Connectotel.com
2-3-3

City of Oslo demands 7 million Euro from Bayer AG, Solutia and Kaneka in compensation for harbour clean-up
 
The City of Oslo, Department of Environment, has initiated a claim of 7 million Euros against three multinational chemical companies responsible for severe contamination with Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) in the Oslo fjord. - A historic claim. This is an important step towards establishing the principle of extended producers' responsibility, says Tom Erik Okland (1) of Friends of the Earth Norway. Friends of the Earth Norway has advocated the principle for several years.
 
 
About half of the PCBs in Oslo harbour have been traced back to German chemical giant Bayer AG. The rest originates from two other producers, Belgium based Solutia (chemical division of multinational Monsanto) and the Japanese Kaneka Corporation. In a letter to Bayer AG, the City of Oslo has asked for compensation of 3.5 million Euros to cover part of the clean-up of heavily contaminated sediments in Oslo harbour. Similar claims have been addressed to the two other companies. Bayer AG has responded to the City of Oslo that they will look into the claim. Kaneka has denied any responsibility. Solutia has not yet responded. Wide parts of the Norwegian coast are heavily contaminated with PCBs. This is well documented by the Norwegian Pollution Control Authorities and Friends of the Earth. In several areas the use of seafood is restricted or forbidden. The massive clean-up operations necessary are estimated to cost a total of 3.5 billion Euros. Oslo City is backed up by Friends of the Earth Norway, Norway's largest environmental organisation, and environmental lawyers and experts. Tom Erik Okland, of Friends of the Earth Norway commented: - A Norwegian lawsuit will be considered if the PCB-producers do not voluntarily participate in the cost-sharing scheme. Our investigation has firmly established that the main sources of PCBs in Oslo harbour have been ship painting and sandblasting at the shipyards. The named PCB-producers supplied PCBs for ship paint, but failed to inform the shipyards about the environmental hazards involved. Such information could have prevented most of the PCB-pollution along the coast. Comments, background material, and copies of the letters from Oslo City: - Per-Erik Schulze, Tel: +47 22 40 24 00 , +47 95 17 94 22 - Kare Olerud, Tel: +47 22 40 24 00, +47 950 73 320
 
Notes: (1) Tom Erik Okland, tel: +47 97 56 17 36, will be available in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands this week for the media
 
Coalition against BAYER-dangers www.CBGnetwork.org CBGnetwork@aol.com Fax: (+49) 211 333 940 Tel: (+49) 211 333 911 please send an e-mail for receiving the English newsletter Keycode BAYER free of charge. We fully depend on donations and payed subscriptions. Please send checks to: CBG, Postfach 15 04 18, 40081 Duesseldorf, Germany or to bank account Nr. 378383439 at Postbank Essen, Germany (BLZ 36010043)
 
The Coalition against BAYER-dangers has been monitoring the BAYER Corporation for more than 20 years. Anyone who has information on possibly illicit activities of BAYER - please let us know.
 
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