Phillip Nkosi, Sizwe samaYende and Justin Arenstein
Multinational Swiss mining house Xstrata has been accused of poisoning almost half its workforce in the small Mpumalanga town of Steelpoort, through massive over-exposure to vanadium.
Independent medical investigators have confirmed that 120 of the company’s 350 miners in Steelpoort have been dismissed on medical grounds since January 1995, after they developed severe chemical bronchitis, bronchial hyperactivity, irritant-induced asthma and sensorial peripheral neuropathy. An additional 40 workers have been diagnosed with occupational asthma, while at least one, Simon Taba, died as a result of the poisoning.
Their union, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), claims that Xstrata and its local subsidiary, Vanadium Technologies (Vantech), have systematically denied the union proper access to annual medical reports and a medical risk assessment.
The NUM’s attorney, Richard Spoor, said the only research publicly available is a damning academic study published in The American Journal of Industrial Medicine in 1999, which confirmed that some workers were exposed to 50 times the maximum limit of vanadium pentoxide, sulphur dioxide and ammonia.
The researchers, including experts from Columbus Stainless, the University of Pretoria and Pretoria Academic hospital, concluded that the unusually high levels of occupational asthma among workers were caused by exposure to the chemicals.
Vantech general manager Chris Smith refused to take media calls on the complaints for three weeks, while Xstrata’s Swiss head office simply refused to comment.
Xstrata South Africa’s managing director, Wynand Meyjes, would say only that a full-scale occupational health investigation was being conducted and that any speculation on the issue was premature.
“Vanadium is a rather unique product and there is not much research on its affects on workers. Xstrata is, however, a world leader in the industry,” said Meyjes.
He refused to say whether Xstrata implemented the same safety standards at its Steelpoort plant as at vanadium plants in Scandinavian or other European countries.
“That’s a very difficult question, and all I can say is that we implement the safety measures required by the South African government. Comparing these standards to Scandinavia is a loaded question,” he said.
Meyjes declined to release medical reports from Steelpoort and was unable to say when the investigation into conditions at the plant would be finalised.
Spoor criticised the delays and secrecy, insisting that: “Workers who have been dismissed are disabled for life. Mines are the major employer in Steelpoort, but although these people were perfectly healthy when they joined Vantech, they cannot pass any of the medical entrance exams for the other mines anymore.
“So, they lose their jobs with minimum and, in some cases, absolutely no compensation, and then they cannot get new jobs and cannot support their families.”
Some of the more chronic cases have to be treated with expensive medication but, Spoor said, the unemployed families are forced to pay for all the treatment themselves.
“Simon died in that place. They poisoned him. I was forced to watch as the love of my life simply faded away in front of me. The doctors say his lungs just shrivelled up,” said Taba’s widow, Rebecca.
“And on top of this grief, I am starving. We got no compensation, not even one cent. I am desperate. Can you give me even R10?”
Medical researchers stressed that the unusually high incidence of occupational asthma could not be blamed on outside causes, or even smoking, because all the victims lived relatively healthy lives.
Company statistics shown to researchers in October 1995 indicated that 33% of 1 033 reported complaints at the mine’s clinic related to respiratory ailments.
Some of the miners started having difficulty breathing within six months of starting work at Vantech, while miners were also often forced to discard their protective gear and breathing masks because of the extreme heat in the mine.
One employee, the American journal report notes, developed breathing problems after only working three eight-hour shifts.
Vantech implemented safety measures required by law, but “despite these measures, our results showed over-exposure in some production workers”, said the report.
Workers who exhibited occupational asthma were also transferred away from the high-risk areas and indicated “abatement” of their symptoms. Spoor stressed that although the symptoms in some victims had declined, they were still disabled and would never be able to work anywhere near vanadium again.
“Workers were also transferred or simply dismissed on medical grounds, but what about their replacements? Are they also getting sick before being replaced by fresh fodder?” asked Spoor.
The NUM is trying to convince the Department of Mineral and Energy Affairs to establish an open public inquiry into the complaints. African Eye News Service