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Article

11 Sep 2010

Author:
Sarah Hiddleston, Frontline [India]

Poisoned Ground : Hindustan Unilever is avoiding its responsibilities to its workers exposed to mercury in the thermometer factory it owned in Kodaikanal [India]

It was glass from the factory at the top of the town's forest-lined ridge, which produced nearly 10 million thermometers a year for export…It was so dangerous that the soil beneath it was going too…The glass was edged with a poison – mercury … Vijaylakshmi… one of more than 550 men and women who claim that their work at Hindustan Unilever's Kodaikanal factory caused irreparable damage to their health… colleagues have died young… their causes of death reveal complications resulting from mercury exposure: lung problems, heart problems, and kidney failure…“These symptoms are classic symptoms of occupational mercury poisoning,” Dr Linda Jones of Massey University commented…In Hindustan Unilever's study company doctors found 78 workers had symptoms of nervous system disorder, 29 had cardiovascular problems, 16 gastrointestinal problems and seven genito-urinary problems…But …Hindustan Unilever denies that any of the health problems of the workers or their families was the result of mercury exposure in the factory.