GREENPEACE NOMINATES SPOLANA BOARD PRESIDENT PAVEL SVARC FOR "DIRTY MAN/WOMAN OF THE YEAR"Prague, 13 March 2003 - Greenpeace today nominated Ing. Pavel Svarc, president of the board of the Czech chemical factory Spolana Neratovice and General Director of the oil and chemical consortium Unipetrol for the title "Dirty Man / Woman of the Year" - a traditional contest for the largest environmental sinner in the Czech Republic. Reason for the nomination are the repeated emissions of large amounts of chemical substances from the Spolana site into the environment, especially during the floods from last year. Ing. Pavel Svarc carries full responsibility for this because of his position. The police at presen investigates whether he committed criminal offenses around these cases (1). "Last year, a series of accidents happened at Spolana that endangered the health and life of employees and neighbouring citizens. The company became a symbol for irresponsible industry behaviour concerning the environment and public health. Spolana's case was even discussed during the Earth Summit on Environment and Development in Johannesburg," announced Dr. Miroslav Suta, Greenpeace toxic expert in the Czech Republic, and he added: "Svarc was during the floods responsible for crisis control around Spolana, and therefore directly responsible for its secretive information policy and downplaying the seriousness of the situation towards the public." (2, 3) During last year, Spolana Neratovice first was crippled by an explosion in the PVC production and then by the high waters, which flooded virtually the whole factory site. The Elbe River also flooded areas that had been polluted over the last decennia with mercury and dioxins. Spolana admitted that thousands of tons of chemicals washed into the Elbe, including carcinogens from the PVC production like vinyl-chloride-monomer (VCM) and di-chlorethane (4, 5). Pavel Svarc was chosen last year by the Association of Chemical Industries in the Czech Republic as its president, even though Spolana was forced to give up the "responsible management in chemistry" accreditation and its Responsible Care logo handed out by the Association. "The members of the Association demonstrated with their choice of president that it doesn't take the initiative Responsible Care seriously itself," commented Jan Haverkamp, Greenpeace Campaign Director in the Czech Republic (6). Greenpeace
runs from spring 2001 a campaign to force Spolana to prevent emissions
of dioxins and mercury from polluted areas and installations, and have
the complete site safely decontaminated. Further information: Dr. Miroslav Suta, (Czech, English) Greenpeace toxic expert, mobile: +420.603 443 140, tel.: +420.224 319 667, +420.233 332 289, e-mail: miroslav.suta@cz.greenpeace.org Ir. Jan Haverkamp (English, German, Dutch, Czech), Greenpeace Campaign Director in the Czech Republic, mobile: +420.603 569 243, e-mail:jan.haverkamp@cz.greenpeace.org Mgr. Tomas Tetiva , (Czech, English) Greenpeace media assistant, mobile: +420.603 414 739, e-mail: tomas.tetiva@cz.greenpeace.org Internet: http://www.greenpeace.cz/agentorange/index_en.htm
NOTES FOR THE EDITOR: (1) Greenpeace offers help to the police with investigations at Spolana, Press Release Greenpeace on 22 August 2002: http://www.greenpeace.cz/release/02/020822.htm (Czech English available on request) (2) Culprits of corporate crimes boast with "responsible care"; Greenpeace demands global principals for corporate responsibility, Press Release Greenpeace 27 August 2002, http://www.greenpeace.cz/release/02/020827en.htm (3) Pavel Svarc admitted to the press agency AFP that people around Spolana were informed about a chlorine blow-out with a two hour delay, something which according to him only means ?a minor technical and communication problem?. He also mentioned, that Spolana controlled the situation during the floods and added that except for a few yellow cauliflowers nothing had happened. Source: Sedma generace, 10/2002, http://www.sedmagenerace.cz/10_02/10suta.html (Czech) (4) Press Release Spolana Neratovice 29 August 2002 (5) Czech chemical company Spolana hides toxic chemicals pollution, Greenpeace Press Release 4 September 2002, http://www.greenpeace.cz/release/02/020904en.htm (6) Responsible Care is a programme of the chemical industry to improve its negative public image after the chemical catastrophe in Bhopal. In 1984 an accident at Union Carbide's Bhopal facilities (nowadays part of Dow Chemicals) killed several thousands of people and tens of thousands of people still suffer from it today. More information on: http://www.greenpeace.org/campaigns/intro?campaign_id=3991 |
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