Heavy Metal: How a Global Corporation Poisoned Kodaikanal Hardcover

By Ameer Shahul (Author)

Write a Review

List Price: Rs.799

Our Price: Rs.799

Rs.799

In Stock

Ships in 2 - 3 Days

Free Shipping in India for orders above Rs. 500
For orders below Rs. 500, shipping charge of Rs. 50.
This product ships in India

Description

‘A powerful book’ Shashi Tharoor ‘A must-read’ Vandana Shiva A terrifying investigative account of a global corporation’s role in perpetrating India’s greatest mercury poisoning catastrophe. In 2001, a Hindustan Unilever-owned thermometer factory in Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu, made national headlines when a massive dump of broken mercury thermometers was discovered at a local scrapyard. As the multinational corporation conducted one hasty internal assessment after another to save face, state authorities discovered that the company had violated all acceptable guidelines for toxic waste disposal measures, causing grievous harm to its workers’ health and the region’s fragile ecosystem. As evidence of mercury poisoning among workers mounted, the local community – aided by environmental watchdog Greenpeace and various public-interest organizations – launched a battle against the multibillion-dollar conglomerate that would last fifteen years, culminating in an undisclosed settlement paid to 600 of its ex-employees. And despite the factory’s closure, scientific reports would reveal mercury levels to be 1,000 times higher than the safe limit, raising serious concerns about HUL’s toxic legacy in the hill station. For years, Ameer Shahul, a former investigative reporter and Greenpeace campaigner, closely tracked the Kodaikanal mercury poisoning case. The result is Heavy Metal, a blistering account of a colossal industrial tragedy precipitated by corporate negligence and acts of omission and commission at the highest levels.

About the Author
Ameer Shahul was an investigative journalist with Reuters, Agence France-Presse (AFP) and PTI. He has travelled widely to report on issues ranging from war to workforce. He is an Indian public policy and advocacy expert working in the area of technology and green policies with a focus on emerging technologies. Inspired by a campaign by the local community in Kodaikanal, he took a hiatus from his journalistic career in 2002 and joined Greenpeace to support the community on the damage inflicted on the biodiverse ecosystem by a global corporation through its reckless acts of omission and commission. A voracious reader and writer, he writes on issues of environment, technology and public policy. ‘A powerful book’ Shashi Tharoor ‘A must-read’ Vandana Shiva A terrifying investigative account of a global corporation’s role in perpetrating India’s greatest mercury poisoning catastrophe. In 2001, a Hindustan Unilever-owned thermometer factory in Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu, made national headlines when a massive dump of broken mercury thermometers was discovered at a local scrapyard. As the multinational corporation conducted one hasty internal assessment after another to save face, state authorities discovered that the company had violated all acceptable guidelines for toxic waste disposal measures, causing grievous harm to its workers’ health and the region’s fragile ecosystem. As evidence of mercury poisoning among workers mounted, the local community – aided by environmental watchdog Greenpeace and various public-interest organizations – launched a battle against the multibillion-dollar conglomerate that would last fifteen years, culminating in an undisclosed settlement paid to 600 of its ex-employees. And despite the factory’s closure, scientific reports would reveal mercury levels to be 1,000 times higher than the safe limit, raising serious concerns about HUL’s toxic legacy in the hill station. For years, Ameer Shahul, a former investigative reporter and Greenpeace campaigner, closely tracked the Kodaikanal mercury poisoning case. The result is Heavy Metal, a blistering account of a colossal industrial tragedy precipitated by corporate negligence and acts of omission and commission at the highest levels.About the AuthorAmeer Shahul was an investigative journalist with Reuters, Agence France-Presse (AFP) and PTI. He has travelled widely to report on issues ranging from war to workforce. He is an Indian public policy and advocacy expert working in the area of technology and green policies with a focus on emerging technologies. Inspired by a campaign by the local community in Kodaikanal, he took a hiatus from his journalistic career in 2002 and joined Greenpeace to support the community on the damage inflicted on the biodiverse ecosystem by a global corporation through its reckless acts of omission and commission. A voracious reader and writer, he writes on issues of environment, technology and public policy.