Introduction

Abstract

On 13 May 2009, BBC2’s Newsnight reported that a multinational corporation registered in London, Trafigura, had dumped large quantities of foul-smelling toxic waste around Abidjan, Ivory Coast and in nearby rural areas in August 2006. Thousands of people were taken ill, some died and pregnant women lost their babies. In one village, the fish farm which provided a major source of food and trade was poisoned and closed down, and every single inhabitant of the village was taken ill. The toxic waste was analysed by Dutch government scientists (Holland was the first country where the multinational attempted to dump the waste), and found to be highly poisonous, likely to cause long-, as well as short-term effects on health.