HOME | IMC UK | Editorial Guidelines | Mission Statement | About Us | Contact | Help | Support Us

Liverpool Indymedia

Sonae’s Legacy of Pollution and ill Health

Catalyst Media | 04.01.2007 18:29 | Analysis | Ecology | Repression | Liverpool

Catalyst Media - who publish 'Nerve' magazine in Liverpool - have received warnings from their server that Kirkby-based polluters Sonae want our whole site to be taken down because of two articles which highlight their crimes against the environment. Here is one of the subversive articles for your consideration.



“My 13 year old son left his bedroom window open one night, which he has never done before. 6 o’clock that morning he was taken to hospital with chest pains, difficulty breathing, he hit the floor as his legs gave in as he couldn’t stand up any longer. The hospital had to call in a cardiac nurse to check my son’s heart but were baffled because my son couldn’t breathe, he was pale, which is very unusual as my son is a very healthy boy.” 1

Other people living nearby have also suffered unexplained illness, from coughs and colds to eczema and asthma. Others have complained of chest pains, and unborn children have been aborted because of abnormalities. In one road of around 50 houses, 6 have oxygen delivered.

Poor health has been a feature of life in Kirkby since the estate was built in the 1950s and ‘60s. Deaths from lung cancer in Northwood are three times the national average and one in ten babies are born with low birthweight.2 Knowsley has the highest number of school children who qualify for free school meals in England, 47.8% compared with 5.6% in Windsor and Maidenhead.3

The clear link between poverty and poor health is recognised by academics and health professionals. Politicians, instead of removing the root cause - the way society is structured - attempt to alleviate poverty with “solutions” that just move the problem from one area to another.

People were moved to Kirkby during the mass slum clearance of Liverpool and the health problems associated with social deprivation were present from the beginning. Most people moved were under 30 years old and in 1961, out of a population of 53,000, 48% were under fifteen! 4 There was, and still is, high unemployment. Prices for food were high - because of the lack of shops - and there were no social amenities.

Kirkby Industrial Estate had been the site of a Royal Ordnance Factory in the Second World War. Then huge amounts of public funds, and a ready pool of labour attracted US multi-national companies - Kraft, Birdseye, Massey Ferguson, Otis Elevator, AC Delco - employing thousands on one of the biggest estates in Europe.

Nearly all of the big companies have gone, leaving an estate of mostly small firms, with poor safety records, which spew out a cocktail of chemicals, plus a few call centres, known as the new sweat shops.

It was in this environment of high unemployment that Knowsley Council invited Sonae with £5 million of public funds. Sonae advertise themselves as the world’s largest chipboard manufacturer with the world’s most modern factory at Kirkby, but it is reported to have been refused permission to build in other countries.

Health and Safety inside the plant is abysmal. Health and Safety Executive (HSE) files show a list of accidents, with an inspector reporting after one visit that: “the situation is serious, with continuing complaints about safety standards.” 5 In March 2000 a senior ex-employee of Sonae UK made claims that there was no first aid facility, a serious drugs problem and that ‘punishment’ beatings were carried out against consultants who disagreed with the company.

There were also warnings of the dangers of explosion and fire, and since this there have been a number on the site. The latest of these, in September 2001, took 70 firefighters and two aerial units over three hours to control the blaze following an explosion. It was by luck rather than good management that the Maintenance team working in the building had left the area some 30 minutes before. Sonae failed to report this major incident to the HSE or the Department of Public Health!

This lack of care of the company for its workers does not inspire confidence in those living near. As far as they are concerned Sonae’s wish to, as they put it, “fulfil a valued and respected role within the community,” 6 is just rhetoric. They feel that once again, they are being used as guinea pigs to satisfy the rush for profits of yet another multi-national located in Kirkby, who will leave once the money runs out.

Even before the plant went in to full production local people complained about the effects of the emissions on health. Simonswood Parish Council, a body that represents local farmers, collected stories of farmers being unable to work the fields when the wind was blowing in their direction, horses at a nearby stables being fitted with masks, and one 12 year old in Simonswood village suffering from headaches and severe bouts of vomiting.
Conditions experienced in Northwood confirmed this deterioration in health. A questionnaire circulated by Knowsley Against Toxic Sonae (KATS), the group set up to express the health concerns of local people, documents this deterioration.

Formaldehyde released in the steam from the factory has been identified as the main culprit. Formaldehyde has an unpleasant smell and causes streaming eyes, runny nose, sore throat and a worsening of respiratory conditions such as asthma. It also causes cancer. Along with the noxious smell a white dust was noticed, which lies on cars, streets and washing hung out to dry.

An early investigation into the plant by Dr Vyvyan Howard from Liverpool University found Dioxin in the ash at the factory.7 This is not surprising when the company burns wood likely to be contaminated, like old railway sleepers and pallets.

The Director of Public Health for Knowsley has gone on record as regretting that no Health Impact Assessment was done to assess the risks for people in the area before the factory was given permission to locate in Kirkby. But Knowsley Council insist that the plant meets all the safety standards. That safety standards are lower in this country than elsewhere is not their fault. But Knowsley Council use Sonae’s own monitoring figures to see if they meet the standards and give them ten days notice before collecting them!

At certain times, particularly at night, at weekends, and on public holidays, the effects are worse. They seem to coincide with the steam turning blue and also, strangely enough, in between the testing of toxic levels. Residents are convinced that as the company are in control of processes, they can cynically time releases for when there will be least local reaction. If they are not in control then why are they allowed to operate at all?

Liverpool Academy, where the cream of Liverpool FC are groomed for a life in the ‘Beautiful Game’ is next door to Sonae. LFC have refused to get involved in the controversy of the plant, preferring to remain impartial. One local observer says that the players only train on days when the plant is not producing its noxious fumes, implying that LFC have come to an accommodation with Sonae.

A working group which includes the local MP, councillors, residents and representatives from Sonae has been set up to investigate complaints. KATS is excluded from this because Sonae object to being called toxic. They threatened to sue the group for this and because the group circulated the results of their questionnaire. Meanwhile the toxic emissions continue. The health of people living in Kirkby seems to be of low priority. That there has been any movement at all to address this issue is down to the local residents. The fact that they have had to struggle to do this is an indictment of the local council. That Sonae UK is allowed to pollute is down to the system that sets health standards in line with what companies can afford rather than what is healthy.

1: From “Knowsley Against Toxic Sonae (KATS) Report of the Result of a Health Questionnaire Carried out in Northwood, Kirkby.”
2: Merseyside Pathways
3: Liverpool Echo 7 November 2001
4: Kirkby and Knowsley, “The Archive Photographs Series”, compiled by Michael Griffiths.
5: From “An Overview of the Hazards Associated with the Sonae UK Ltd Site.” July 2001, Prepared for the Merseyside Hazards and Environmental Centre.
6: Liverpool Echo 9 March 2001
7: Liverpool Echo 30 November 2000

This article first appeared in TVS magazine November 2001.
See also: ‘The Community Action Website’  http://www.lmu.livjm.ac.uk/inmylife/Channels/Community/146.htm

Catalyst Media
- Homepage: http://www.catalystmedia.org.uk

Comments

Hide the following comment

I Disagree

30.05.2008 20:27

What a load of fabricated crap!

Alan Folds


Kollektives

Birmingham
Cambridge
Liverpool
London
Oxford
Sheffield
South Coast
Wales
World

Other UK IMCs
Bristol/South West
London
Northern Indymedia
Scotland

Topics

Afghanistan
Analysis
Animal Liberation
Anti-Nuclear
Anti-militarism
Anti-racism
Bio-technology
Climate Chaos
Culture
Ecology
Education
Energy Crisis
Fracking
Free Spaces
Gender
Globalisation
Health
History
Indymedia
Iraq
Migration
Ocean Defence
Other Press
Palestine
Policing
Public sector cuts
Repression
Social Struggles
Technology
Terror War
Workers' Movements
Zapatista

[navigation.actions2016]

[navigation.actions2015]

[navigation.actions2014]

NATO 2014

Actions 2013

G8 2013

Actions 2012

Workfare

Actions 2011

2011 Census Resistance
August Riots
Dale Farm
J30 Strike
Occupy Everywhere

Actions 2010

Flotilla to Gaza
Mayday 2010
Tar Sands

Actions 2009

COP15 Climate Summit 2009
G20 London Summit
Guantánamo
Indymedia Server Seizure
University Occupations for Gaza

Actions 2008

2008 Days Of Action For Autonomous Spaces
Campaign against Carmel-Agrexco
Climate Camp 2008
G8 Japan 2008
SHAC
Smash EDO
Stop Sequani Animal Testing
Stop the BNP's Red White and Blue festival

Actions 2007

Climate Camp 2007
DSEi 2007
G8 Germany 2007
Mayday 2007
No Border Camp 2007

Actions 2006

April 2006 No Borders Days of Action
Art and Activism Caravan 2006
Climate Camp 2006
Faslane
French CPE uprising 2006
G8 Russia 2006
Lebanon War 2006
March 18 Anti War Protest
Mayday 2006
Oaxaca Uprising
Refugee Week 2006
Rossport Solidarity
SOCPA
Transnational Day of Action Against Migration Controls
WSF 2006

Actions 2005

DSEi 2005
G8 2005
WTO Hong Kong 2005

Actions 2004

European Social Forum
FBI Server Seizure
May Day 2004
Venezuela

Actions 2003

Bush 2003
DSEi 2003
Evian G8
May Day 2003
No War F15
Saloniki Prisoner Support
Thessaloniki EU
WSIS 2003

IMCs


www.indymedia.org

Projects
print
radio
satellite tv
video

Africa

Europe
antwerpen
armenia
athens
austria
barcelona
belarus
belgium
belgrade
brussels
bulgaria
calabria
croatia
cyprus
emilia-romagna
estrecho / madiaq
galiza
germany
grenoble
hungary
ireland
istanbul
italy
la plana
liege
liguria
lille
linksunten
lombardia
madrid
malta
marseille
nantes
napoli
netherlands
northern england
nottingham imc
paris/île-de-france
patras
piemonte
poland
portugal
roma
romania
russia
sardegna
scotland
sverige
switzerland
torun
toscana
ukraine
united kingdom
valencia

Latin America
argentina
bolivia
chiapas
chile
chile sur
cmi brasil
cmi sucre
colombia
ecuador
mexico
peru
puerto rico
qollasuyu
rosario
santiago
tijuana
uruguay
valparaiso
venezuela

Oceania
aotearoa
brisbane
burma
darwin
jakarta
manila
melbourne
perth
qc
sydney

South Asia
india


United States
arizona
arkansas
asheville
atlanta
Austin
binghamton
boston
buffalo
chicago
cleveland
colorado
columbus
dc
hawaii
houston
hudson mohawk
kansas city
la
madison
maine
miami
michigan
milwaukee
minneapolis/st. paul
new hampshire
new jersey
new mexico
new orleans
north carolina
north texas
nyc
oklahoma
philadelphia
pittsburgh
portland
richmond
rochester
rogue valley
saint louis
san diego
san francisco
san francisco bay area
santa barbara
santa cruz, ca
sarasota
seattle
tampa bay
united states
urbana-champaign
vermont
western mass
worcester

West Asia
Armenia
Beirut
Israel
Palestine

Topics
biotech

Process
fbi/legal updates
mailing lists
process & imc docs
tech

Publish Your News


Temporary Scroogle search

-->