Notable case, Abidjan (Akouédo e altri punti di scarico), Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
Abidjan, Probo Koala waste dumping
On the night of 19 August 2006 more than 500 tonnes of caustic, sulphur-bearing residues unloaded from the Probo Koala, a ship chartered by Trafigura, were left by tanker trucks at 18 or more points around Abidjan. It is the best-known case of hazardous waste exported to an African country.
At a glance
- Status
- Under assessment
- Activity
- 2006–2006
- People affected
- 100,000 (2006)2
- Media
- soil, air, surface water
- Kind of site
- illegal dumping, chemical works, accident
- Area. At least 18 known dumping points scattered across the city; according to Wikipedia a complete picture of where all the waste went is still missing.
- People affected. People who sought medical care after the dumping (nearly 100,000 according to Wikipedia).
Contaminants
Organic compounds
Mixtures and waste
Status
Under assessment
Present status not established: the sources that could be opened say nothing on who removed the waste, when and how much. In February 2007 Trafigura paid the Ivorian government the equivalent of 198 million dollars for the clean-up. UNEP's environmental audit of the sites was not read (page unreachable).
Story
The waste came from caustic washing, done on board, of a cargo of coker naphtha bought from Mexico's Cadereyta refinery. It contained sodium hydroxide, thiols (mercaptans), sodium sulphide and hydrosulphide, disulphides and naphtha residues, and could give off hydrogen sulphide. Between 2 and 5 July 2006 the ship tried to unload it in Amsterdam; when the port contractor raised the price from 27 to 1,000 euros per cubic metre, the cargo was pumped back on board.
In Abidjan disposal was given to Compagnie Tommy, a local firm with a newly issued licence. The trucks were meant to take the waste to the Akouédo landfill; when landfill workers fell ill and the site closed early, the drivers emptied the rest at various points in the city.
In the following days nearly 100,000 people sought medical care, up to almost 8,000 a day. The transitional government resigned. Trafigura paid 198 million dollars to the Ivorian state in 2007 and, in 2009, 30 million pounds to about 31,000 claimants in a civil case in London; in 2010 it was fined one million euros in the Netherlands.
Timeline
- 20062–5 July: attempted unloading in Amsterdam. 19 August: the waste is dumped in Abidjan.
- 2007February: Trafigura pays 198 million dollars to the Ivorian government.
- 2009September: civil settlement in London, 30 million pounds for about 31,000 claimants.
- 2010July: Trafigura fined one million euros in the Netherlands.
Health
The Ivorian authorities counted 17 deaths. Nearly 100,000 people sought medical care; between 26,000 and 40,000 cases were attributed to exposure to the waste, with some dozens hospitalised (figures as given by Wikipedia).
From the literature
Species that acted on one of this site's contaminants in at least one study. The list is automatic and takes no account of this site's soil, concentrations or climate.
Plants
- Festuca arundinaceaTall fescuePetroleum hydrocarbonsEvidence: field
- Lolium perennePerennial ryegrassPetroleum hydrocarbonsEvidence: field
- Medicago sativaAlfalfa, lucernePetroleum hydrocarbonsEvidence: field
- Paulownia tomentosaPrincess tree, empress treePetroleum hydrocarbonsEvidence: field
Fungi
- Pleurotus pulmonariusPhoenix oyster, Indian oysterPetroleum hydrocarbonsEvidence: laboratory
- Scedosporium apiospermumPetroleum hydrocarbonsEvidence: laboratory
Nearby
Sources
- 2006 Ivory Coast toxic waste dump, Wikipedia, 2026
Draft compiled from public sources, not yet reviewed.