drums
Paul Kirk
Rural communities in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands may be slowly poisoning themselves by using metal drums stolen from a highly controversial chemical factory.
Thor Chemicals, the plant in Cato Ridge, KwaZulu-Natal, that was the subject of a judicial commission of inquiry after two of its workers died from mercury poisoning, has admitted that a number of drums have been stolen from its premises.
Thor MD Barry Longden says these drums were almost certainly stolen from the plant with the intention of selling them to the surrounding communities.
Thor Chemicals used to recycle mercury waste products to produce catalysts for the chemical industry.
Since the government withdrew Thor’s permit to recycle the waste, thousands of barrels of mercury waste products have been stored at the plant in a number of large pre-fabricated warehouses.
Longden said one employee and a policeman recently died during a shoot- out on the factory property, after the officer surprised the employee stealing drums in the middle of the night. The policeman shouted a warning to the drum thief, who replied by firing a handgun. Shots were exchanged and both died.
Longden said that when Umgeni Water (the local water supplier) tested nearby rivers it traced some mercury waste to upstream of Thor. “They [Umgeni] also found very high concentrations of mercury at some spots in the river where people can access the bank easily. I suspect these are spots where stolen Thor drums were washed out prior to being sold,” Longden said.
In the rural areas drums sell for around R70 each and are used to store water and maize. In some areas they are also used to cook in and brew beer.
John Love, maintenance manager at the plant, said Thor had surrounded itself with electric fencing in an effort to cut down on the theft.