Greenpeace Dioxin Action in Denmark now on!

[Neil Tangri <ntangri@essential.org>]

---------------------

COUNTDOWN TO UN TREATY ON THE ELIMINATION OF 
PERSISTENT POISONS

GREENPEACE BLOCKS HARBOUR OF BIGGEST DIOXIN 
SOURCE IN DENMARK 

Copenhagen/Amsterdam, August 25, 1999 - Early this morning 
Greenpeace activists from 16 countries have started to block the
Danish steel company DDS - the biggest dioxin emitter in Denmark
(located 60 km from Copenhagen). The activists and the ship MV
Greenpeace blocked the harbour of DDS in order to prevent new 
supplies of polluted scrap material from entering the plant. The 
action comes only twelve days before negotiations on a global treaty 
to eliminate persistent organic pollutants (POPs) resume in Geneva.  

"DDS must stop their dioxin emissions" says Greenpeace Nordic 
toxic campaigner Jacob Hartmann. Despite DDS being the largest 
emitter of dioxin, the steel smelter has taken no effective steps to
prevent emissions of the super poison dioxin. "Greenpeace 
demands that DDS presents a convincing action plan before the year on 
2000 how the company intends to prevent their dioxin emissions."  

Dioxin is among the 'dirty dozen' of Persistent Organic Pollutants
targeted for global action at the United Nations Environmental
Programme (UNEP) talks in Geneva 6-11 September. These 12 
hazardous substances all bioaccumulate in humans and wildlife and can 
travel long distances. Dioxin is arguably the one we know most about 
- and is most toxic to humans and the environment. Only recently 
Danish authorities released alarming figures on the levels of dioxins 
in the breast milk of Danish women, indicating the widespread dioxin
pollution. Yet nothing has been done to stop dioxin emissions from
DDS.  

Dioxin emissions are an unwanted by-product when scrap metal from
discarded cars containing PVC and other chlorinated substances are
used in the production of new steel plates and merchant bars (some
25% of the scrap metal used at DDS originates from discarded cars).
According to a new PVC strategy presented by the Danish government in
June 1999, PVC must be prevented from being incinerated in Danish
municipal waste facilities. Greenpeace demands that PVC also be kept
away from the large furnaces at DDS.  

"It's obvious that using non-contaminated scrap metal at DDS is 
the only way of preventing the high dioxin emissions from the plant"
says Hartmann. "DDS appears to believe that they can solve their
dioxin problems by extending the height of the stack. Greenpeace
believes that pollution must be stopped at the source." Greenpeace has
tried in vain to enter into a dialogue with the company, but two
letters from Greenpeace to DDS have so far been ignored.  

"It's outrageous that the largest dioxin emitter in Denmark merely
brushes off the problem - especially when considering the European
dioxin scandals this Summer" says Wytze van der Naald from the
Greenpeace International toxics campaign. "The fact that the Danish
Environmental Protection Agency has known about the high dioxin
emissions from DDS for several years without addressing the problem is
quite astonishing."  

The MV Greenpeace arrived in Denmark from an expedition to 
Svalbard in the Arctic during which Greenpeace and Swedish 
scientists took samples to ascertain to which extent hazardous 
persistent organic pollulants spread to this otherwise pristine area
of the planet.  

Additional information:

Jacob Hartmann, Greenpeace Nordic/Copenhagen, tel. (+45) 2810 
9020 or (+45) 2810 9021  

Wytze van der Naald, Greenpeace International, tel. (+31) 6 2129 6916

Holger Roenitz, Greenpeace International press desk, tel. (+31) 20
5249 545

Dan Hindsgaul, Press Officer, Greenpeace Nordic/Copenhagen
Mobile: (+45) 28 10 90 21, Office: 33 93 86 60 
Jack Weinberg
Greenpeace
417 S. Dearborn, Suite 420
Chicago, IL 60605
phone 1-312-554-1030
fax   1-312-554-1224
jack.weinberg@dialb.greenpeace.org


--

Neil TANGRI