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17 million gallons of crude oil spilled back into the environment
in to the Amazon Basin.
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Texaco
has not denied that it dumped millions of gallons of toxic
waste water on a daily basis. Its only defenses seem to be
that the waste pits complied with Ecuadoran laws in effect
at the time, and were in conformity with industry standards.
Both of these defenses run contrary to the weight of the
evidence, which might explain why Texaco is battling
fiercely to keep the case out of court.
Instead of pumping the
substances back into emptied wells, the Texaco subsidiary bumped them in
local rivers, directly into landfills or spread them on the local
dirt roads.
Impact on Residents
While the waste disposal process might have allowed Texaco
to save money, it wrecked the rainforest environment and
pushed three indigenous tribes — the Cofan, the Secoya,
and the Siona — to the brink of extinction. The
contamination also flowed down river, affecting the health
and livelihood of thousands of residents who live along the
Napo River in Peru (these residents have filed a separate
lawsuit against Texaco in federal court in New York).
As a
result of Texaco's dumping, an estimated 50,000 persons from
both countries are exposed to a dramatically increased risk
of disease, including cancer; the wetlands are contaminated
with oil; the growth of livestock is stunted; vegetation is
withering; and children playing outside, many of whom suffer
rashes from exposure to the oil, are regularly smeared with
grease and have no way to clean themselves except with
gasoline-soaked rags.
Many families must spend hours each
day searching for drinkable water, or hunting for animals,
leading many to abandon their traditional lands. Rivers that
for centuries provided sustenance to indigenous tribes have
been rendered useless as sources of nourishment.
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The Indians alleged that they
and their families suffered various injuries, including poisoning
and development of:
precancerous
growths.
many pools of oil left behind,
small animals fall in to the
pools and die.
wells, streams contaminated
almost all the species of fish do
not exist
have to wash their clothes in
contaminated rivers
it's their only water
water is full of strong chemicals - that create fumes
can't drink water from the rivers
skin disease
infected boils in feet & fungus
cows die,
bulls die, fish die
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©Lou
Dematteis
One
of the estimated 300 toxic waste pits built by Texaco in the
Ecuadoran Amazon. The stream of water leading into the pit
contains life-threatending levels of carcinogens such as
Benzene, Toluene, and Polyciclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons.
These pits are unlined, allowing their contents to
contaminate the area's water supply and disrupt the fragile
ecosystem.
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©Lou
Dematteis
Dumping
toxic waste water into a creek. Each gallon of marketable
crude oil produces a gallon of toxic waste water. In the
United States and elsewhere, Texaco reinjected the toxic
waste water thousands of feet into the ground, where it
could not threaten the environment. In Ecuador, Texaco
dumped the toxic waste water into unlined pits it gouged out
of the topsoil next to each of its wells.
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