The Hindu Business Line : WTC scrap not toxic, says study

THE investigations carried out by SGS India Pvt Ltd on the samples of steel scrap from the World Trade Center (WTC) wreckage show no toxic contamination.

According to a copy of the report, made available to Business Line by scrap importer Sabari Exim Pvt Ltd, the separate analysis was carried out for samples from the heavy melting scrap and shredded scrap dumps. Mercury was below detectable limits, and there was no trace of dioxins, furans, polychloro biphenyl and asbestos.

The private investigation by SGS was commissioned by the importer after the environmental group, Greenpeace India, and a few trade unions and human rights organisations had cautioned about the use of steel scrap from the WTC site.

According to the SGS report, samples had been drawn from the importer's yard in Chennai. They are from the consignment unloaded from m.v. Borzna.

The buyer for the consignment has been identified as PEC Ltd, New Delhi, and the consignment was sold on the high sea basis to Sabari Exim. The supplier has been identified as Naporanon Iron and Metal Co, Newark, also known as Metal Management Inc of the US.

The material inspected includes 25,780 tonnes of heavy melting scrap and 4,995 tonnes of shredded scrap.

The detection limit for the various toxic substances, as stated by SGS, is 0.15 parts per million for mercury, and one ppm for dioxins, furans and polychloro biphenyls.

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