Allegations that ‘Lago Agrio oil field’ operations polluted rainforests and rivers, resulting in serious damages to environment and health of locals.
Incident Tag: Injuries & Diseases
Jury Awards BP Workers $100 Million in Toxic Substance Case
143 workers claim injury over release of toxic substance at refinery – ~$100 million in punitive damages, later reduced to less than $500,000.
Secret papers ‘show how Shell targeted Nigeria oil protests’
Confidential internal documents reveal that Shell provided logistical support to Nigerian police and military, aided security sweeps, and enlisted the assistance of Nigeria’s brutal military government to deal with protesters fueling death and violence.
NIGERIA: PETROLEUM, POLLUTION AND POVERTY IN THE NIGER DELTA – SUMMARY
Few, if any, adequate protective measures have been taken by Shell resulting to environmental pollution, and in several cases devastating consequences for human rights says Amnesty; not properly maintained pipelines; release of waste in the environment; failure to remediate and clean-up oil contaminated land and water; devastating consequences for human rights.
Visible from space, deadly on Earth: the gas flares of Nigeria
Shell establishes new gas flare facility generating up to 50 million tons of CO2 and quantities of far more damaging methane, polluting the atmosphere and soil with toxins, and seeding the clouds with acid rain.
BP America Refinery Explosion
Series of explosions at BP Texas City refinery – 15 workers killed, 180 injured; reports identified numerous technical and organisational failings at the refinery and within corporate BP; criminal and civil charges – $373m.
Firms ordered to pay almost £10m over Buncefield blast
Massive explosion at oil depot measuring 2.4 on the Richter scale injures 43 people, destroys homes and businesses and with yet unknown environmental damage that could last for decades. Firms involved fined almost 10£ million.
Colombian takes BP to court in UK over alleged complicity in kidnap and torture
Alleged involvement of BP in kidnapping, murder and torture of suspected pipeline activists.
Latin American banana labourers file pesticide exposure claims
Former Latin American banana laborers in companies such as Chiquita and Dole face sterilization and other health side-effects caused by exposure to pesticide DBCP produced by Shell and Dow.
Environmental Assessment of Ogoniland report
Two-year UN environmental study finds massive environmental disaster in Nigeria related to oil industry dating back 50 years; extensive pollution of soil and groundwater contaminating community wells; severe damage to vegetation; wetlands and creeks are coated with floating oil destroying the fish habitat; and air polluted with benzene detected in all air samples. ‘Community members at Ogale are drinking water from wells that is contaminated with benzene, a known carcinogen, at levels over 900 times above the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline.’