29-11-2004 Bhopal: |
Shehesta Kureishi, 35, who moved to the area 12 years ago, also has pain from her lower back to her groin. Her seven-year-old son Ateeb complains of pain in his joints. Both have been drinking contaminated water. |
Write to Mr Andrew Liveris, CEO of Dow Chemical. You can base your letters on the sample below.
Please send appeals to:*
Andrew N. Liveris
President and Chief Executive Officer
Dow Chemical Company
2030 Dow Center
Midland, MI 48674
United States of America
Fax: (+1) 989 6389468
E-mail: anliveris@dow.com
* If you write by e-mail, please send us a copy of your letter at cc.appeals@amnesty.org.
Dear Mr Liveris, I am very concerned about the devastating consequences to the health of the communities of Bhopal, India, posed by Union Carbide's disused pesticide factory. For more than 30 years the Bhopal plant has been a source of environmental pollution. After the disaster in 1984, which killed thousands of people, Union Carbide abandoned the factory without decontaminating the site and left behind large amounts of toxic waste. Stockpiles of contaminants continue to pollute the water and soil, on which entire communities rely, affecting the health of those living in the area. According to numerous reports, contaminants have been found in vegetables grown near the plant and in breast milk samples taken from women in Bhopal. Water has been found to be unfit for consumption but, in the absence of any other source, most local people continue to drink it. The company has never done anything meaningful to clean up the site. I therefore urge you:
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