2007年VOA标准英语-Ivorian Victims say Toxic Waste Settlement Not

By Phuong Tran
Dakar
14 February 2007

In Ivory Coast, lawyers for the victims of last August's toxic¹ waste dumping incident say the millions of dollars a Dutch company offered the government Tuesday is not enough, and they will move forward with their lawsuit² against the company, Trafigura. Phuong Tran has more from VOA's West Africa Bureau in Dakar.

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One of toxic waste dumping sites on the outskirts of Abidjan (11 Oct, 2006)

Victims say the nearly $200 million the Dutch-based oil trader offered as a settlement is not adequate.

Trafigura sent poisonous sludge to Abidjan last August that was then dumped into more than 15 open-air sites and killed at least 10 people. Thousands more became ill after exposure to fumes⁴ from the waste.

Rachelle Gogoua lives less than 500 meters from one of the contaminated landfills.

She says the victims do not think the money is enough and the government should have asked for more. Gogoua adds the money will have to last for generations because the extent of damages is still not known.

Martin Day, a lawyer with the London-based firm of Leigh, Day & Company, says Trafigura's offer is a good gesture, but does not change his plans to continue with a victims' lawsuit being brought against the company in London, where the Dutch company has an office.

"As far as our clients are concerned, it does not really change the picture," he said. "It is hoped from some suggestions that some of the money might end up going their [the victims'] way. It would basically be an interim⁵ payment on their ultimate claims. "

More than 1,000 have joined the lawsuit, and Day hopes to sign up thousands more before July. At that point, he says Trafigura can either negotiate a settlement or go to court.

Day says his firm has also been approached by the Ivorian Chamber⁶ of Commerce, which he will represent in a second case against Trafigura.

"It is clear a number of businesses have been very badly affected," he said. "There are maybe 100 to 200 businesses [that] have lost quite a serious amount of money as a result of what has gone on."

In a written statement, Trafigura says it offered its settlement as a concerned global citizen, not as a party guilty of hazardous⁷ waste dumping.

Trafigura has maintained its innocence⁸ in the dumping, saying it legally handed the waste to a local disposal company, and received clearance⁹ to leave the port.

A Trafigura spokesman Roald Goethe, said the toxic poisoning was "an accident." The text of the settlement says the deal puts an end to different litigation efforts.

Trafigura says its settlement money will help fund an environmental investigation¹⁰, construct a new hospital and disposal plant. The money will be used largely to reimburse¹¹ funds the state has used to remove the waste and decontaminating the sites.

United Nations Environment Program estimates the government has already spent $15 million in clean up.

Also as part of the settlement, the Ivorian government is considering releasing Trafigura company representatives held since September of last year as part of a government investigation.

1 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

2 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

3 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

4 fumes   

n.(强烈而刺激的)气味，气体

参考例句：

• The health of our children is being endangered by exhaust fumes. 我们孩子们的健康正受到排放出的废气的损害。
• Exhaust fumes are bad for your health. 废气对健康有害。

5 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

6 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

7 hazardous   

adj.(有)危险的，冒险的；碰运气的

参考例句：

• These conditions are very hazardous for shipping.这些情况对航海非常不利。
• Everybody said that it was a hazardous investment.大家都说那是一次危险的投资。

8 innocence   

n.无罪；天真；无害

参考例句：

• There was a touching air of innocence about the boy.这个男孩有一种令人感动的天真神情。
• The accused man proved his innocence of the crime.被告人经证实无罪。

9 clearance   

n.净空；许可(证)；清算；清除，清理

参考例句：

• There was a clearance of only ten centimetres between the two walls.两堵墙之间只有十厘米的空隙。
• The ship sailed as soon as it got clearance. 那艘船一办好离港手续立刻启航了。

10 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

11 reimburse   

v.补偿，付还

参考例句：

• We'll reimburse you for your travelling expenses.我们将付还你旅费。
• The funds are supposed to reimburse policyholders in the event of insurer failure.这项基金将在保险公司不能偿付的情况下对投保人进行赔付。