HINDUSTHAN LEVER LTD

Presented ByTeam 1 Abhisekh Rai Apurv Sinha Nicky ShaliniAshwin Jayaram Divya Dinesh Rumana Hasan

HLL’s Folly: Mercury Spill In Kodaikanal

INTRODUCTION

On March 2001, the multinational Hindustan Lever Ltd ( HLL) was caught red-handed by the residents of Kodaikanal, when they found a dumpsite with toxic mercury-laced waste from the company’s thermometer factory located in the heart of the town

7.4 ton of crushed mercury containing glass was spilled in a busy scrap yard located near a school

Such an exposure marked the beginning of an ongoing saga of dishonesty, by Unilever’s Indian subsidiary, Hindustan Lever Ltd.

It was estimated that 32,000 people were affected, living in Kodaikanal

It let to the death of ten workers while it was functioning, and Greenpeace , a global NGO committed to environmental protection, claimed that the deaths were due to mercury poisoning

Symptoms reported by ex workers were fatigue, headaches, nausea, blurred vision, respiratory disorders, central nervous system problems such as loss of memory and the like.

HISTORY OF HLL FACTORY

The factory was originally located in New York but was shut down for environmental reasons

US-based Chesebrough Pond’s relocated its aging mercury thermometer factory from Watertown, New York to Kodaikanal in 1983

The factory was acquired by Unilever

It bought Chesebrough Pond’s owner of HLL, which is Unilever’s 51 percent owned Indian subsidiary.

It was said to be the largest thermometer plant in

the world

Unilever, the Anglo-Dutch FMCG giant, imported all

the glass and mercury for the thermometers from

the US and exported all the finished thermometers

to the US based Faichney Medical Co. which in turn

exported them to markets in the US,UK, Canada ,

Australia, Germany and Spain.

Investigations proved that the factory buried

glass scrap on the site after appropriate

regulatory approvals.

The slopes where the wastes are dumped are

part of the Pambar Shola watershed, which is

a stream which runs through the forests

below the back wall of the factory.

Damage to Workers and Environment

It was reported that 600- 800 workers were exposed to

mercury

Management Negligence played a key role

20 workers have died to poisoning in the factory

People in the vicinity of the Factory suffered from Skin

diseases, Headaches, Stomach pain etc

Poisonous vapour carrying mercury travelled across the town

After many denials & cover-ups the company agreed that it

shipped out 5.3 tonnes of mercury waste to scrap yard

HLL’s response to the complaints was transparent and the

persons responsible for breach were indentified & penalized

A new manager, R. John was appointed to defend the Factory

administration

Manufacturing operations were suspended on March 2001 &

glass scrap yard was shifted to a more secure place

HLL’s Response to Complaints

An environmental audit was commissioned by HLL

It appointed Well-known URS Dames & Moore of Aus to

conduct a detailed environmental audit

The result showed that 300 kg of mercury was disposed to the

Pambar Sholas Forest and another 700 kg of waste through

air

Another notable International expert Dr P.N Vishwanath

found no evidence to risks caused due to mercury

HLL EXIT FROM THERMOMETER PRODUCTION

Hindustan Lever Ltd also decided to exit from the thermometer business in January 2001 because it was not core company

The company’s core business is the manufacture and marketing of soap , detergents , skin care products , deodorants , food and beverages etc

The TNPCB ordered the factory to close down and clean up the toxic mess the company had created

The company sent back at least 300 tones of the toxic material

to the United States in 2006

The NGOs left no stones unturned to mobilize public opinion and to pressure TNPCB and the TN government to compel HLL to make amends for its acts of commission and omission in unlawful disposal of the hazardous toxic waste and in the exposure of workers to potentially dangerous work environment

The NGOs were also responsible to form the TN alliance against mercury (TAAM), which tried to identify and contain contaminated soil

The NGOs were also behind the former workers approaching the supreme court of India in 2005, demanding compensation from HLL for loss of their jobs and health hazards the suffered

The most laudable part of NGOs role is the novel and dramatic manner in which the kept they mercury waste spill issue alive throughout, by using a variegated set of measures available to them.

Role of ngo’S in making hll redress public grievances

High levels of mercury seen to as far as 20 kms

Reports of atmospheric mercury outside HLL factory site

Amounts of mercury found along the hills surrounding

Kodaikanal lake

Mercury may be transferred into the wider eco-system

HLL – denied the allegations

Where does the truth lie ?

Admitted to 5.3 tonnes of mercury containing glass wastes

lying at the Munjikal scrap yard came from HLL factory

HLL promised to track, retrieve and clear such other waste

NGOs demanded justice from HLL for the damage

Initiate legal action against HLL

Take serious action against the factory inspectors

Initiate long term studies to monitor the impact of mercury

on the eco-system

Order HLL to make enquiry into the impact of mercury on the

health of people and remedies

Compensate the families of dead workers

Permanently destroy the mercury found in HLL’s waste

Ultimate demand to Government

HLL Plant had adversely effected the entire Kodaikanal environment.

There are evidence that can prove that mercury emitted from the plant had far larger impact than revealed by the expert commissioned by HLL.

HLL yet to have submit the complete clean-up protocols to TNPCB.

Mercury is still prevalent in the atmosphere through the discarded factory scraps.

The Environment is badly effected. Hindustan Lever’s behavior violates the environmental principles

of the UN Global Compact.

CONCLUSION

Question 1 - Trace the history of the establishment of Kodaikanal thermometer factory and how it came into the adverse view of the NGO’s, the public and the TNPCB?

Answer - History of the factory is as follows:- Originally a New York based company whish was shutdown there

due to environmental reasons. It was then relocated from Watertown, New York to Kodaikanal,

Tamil Nadu in 1983. The factory was acquired by Unilever, after it bought Chesebourgh Pond’s owner of HLL, which is Unilever’s owned Indian subsidiary.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Reasons to come into the adverse view of the NGOs, the

public and the TNPCB are:-

Mercury is a toxic metal which can cause tremendous health

problems to people living nearby and even far away.

More than 400 residents of Kodaikanal caught HLL red-

handed dumping toxic mercury-laced waste .

Question 2 - How did Hindustan Lever Ltd. Respond to the initial

complaints of various stakeholders that the company had adopted a

callous attitude towards the disposal of Hazardous mercury-laden

waste? What type of strategy did the company adopt when it realized

that the entire fault lay in the carelessness of the factory’s

administration?

Answer - Response of HLL regarding Initial Complaints :-

HLL sought to dismiss the Complaints.

Company responded that they were characterized by denials, cover-ups

and lack of transparency.

Records of any mercury waste leaving the factory were kept

meticulously.

Strategies adopted by the company after realizing the fault:-

HLL duly informed TNPCB of the details of the mercury

disposals.

The persons involved in the event were identified and

penalized, the penalty depend on the severity of the offence

committed.

A new factory manager, R. John George who knew the local

language, Tamil was appointed.

Question 3 - What was the role of NGOs in bringing to light HLL’s dumping of mercury waste in various parts of Kodaikanal locality? To what extent were they able to get justice to the affected workers and the general public?

Answer - NGOs played an important role in avoiding the serious incident that could have taken place if proper action would not have been taken before by the NGOs:-

NGOs played active role in turning all the stones to mobilize the public opinion and to pressurize TNPCB and Tamil Nadu’s government to force HLL to stop the hazardous activities.

NGOs galvanized worker, concerned citizens, and environmental activists to force the factory to suspend their operations.

NGOs are also responsible to form the Tamil Nadu Alliance

Mercury(TAAM).

Help in the investigation regarding the atmospheric examinations.

NGOs also helped former workers approaching the Supreme Court

of India in 2005

The NGOs with their continuous demand and incessant ensured

the livelihoods of workers that are put to risk by HLL.

As a result the damages caused to the workers, the community

and ecology of the Kodaikanal town was compensated adequately.

The NGOs kept the issue alive throughout.

Question 4 - Explain in your own words the HLL Kodaikanal

mercury spill controversy. What is the present status of

the controversy?

Answer -The HLL situated in Kodaikanal was caught red

handed by the residents of that place when it was found a

dumpsite with toxic mercury-laced waste from the

company’s thermometer factory of HLL.

It was found near a school the 7.4 ton stock pile of

crushed mercury containing glass in torn sacks, spilling

onto the ground

Even after 5 years of being caught the HLL has not submitted

the complete clean up protocols to the TNPCB

It is also noted that the mercury is still prevalent in the

atmosphere because the discarded factory scraps and

contaminated vegetation re-emit absorbed mercury

Question 5 - What kind of roles have NGOs such as Greenpeace India, played in bringing to the open the issue of HLL’s spill of toxic mercury waste in and around Kodaikanal hills? Did it have the desired impact in your view?

Answer: the roles played by the NGO’s are: Mobilized public opinions to pressurize the

government for compelling hll to make amendments for its acts of commission and omission in the unlawful disposal of the toxic waste

It galvanized workers, concerned citizens and environmental activist to force the factory to suspend its operations in march 2001

It also formed the TN alliance against mercury which tried to find out contaminated soils.

According to us, the NGO had played a very vital role

in this issue because of it the HLL saw the reason and

took some corrective measures.

It helped the former workers to approach the

Supreme Court of India in 2005, demanding

compensation for the loss of job and health from HLL

Question 6 - How would you reconcile diametrically opposite views held by hll –assigned scientists and those appointed by the government and NGOs about the quantity and the toxic nature of the spilled mercury waste and its impact on the failure ecology of Kodaikanal hills? Was there any meeting point at all between these two viewpoints?

Answer - The scientist appointed by hll admitted that the discharge of

mercury to the Pambar Shola forest was approximately 300 kg HLL appointed consultants who said that about 700 kg of mercury

waste were released through air-bone emissions An expert of eco-toxicology of mercury appointed by hll could not

find any evidence to risks caused by mercury either to human or to environment

The scientists appointed by the government and NGOs however

found the concentrations of mercury up to 1.32 µg/ m^3 which

was about thousand times higher than in the areas that were not

contaminated.

So by the above mentioned findings it become very clear that the

viewpoints of both the scientist one appointed by hll and other by

the government was totally opposite to each other and did not had

any meeting points.

Thank You