VOA标准英语2009年-Report Links Toxic Waste to Deaths in Ivor

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
17 September 2009

A report submitted to the U.N. Human Rights Council links the toxic¹ waste dumped by a Dutch-owned vessel² in the Ivory Coast three years ago to deaths and illnesses.  On August 19, 2006, the Probo Koala, a ship owned by the Dutch oil trading company Trafigura and flying the Panamanian flag docked in the capital Abidjan and discharged its tanks containing the waste.

 
A man points to an open drain where toxic waste was dumped, in an industrial zone of Abidjan
The waste was dumped in 17 or 18 sites around Abidjan.   According to official government estimates, 15 people died and more than 100,000 were hospitalized from the affects of the waste.  Civil society organizations claim the number of dead and sick is much higher. 

Civil and criminal proceedings³ related to this incident are ongoing⁴ in both Britain and the Netherlands.  For that reason, Special U.N. Investigator⁵ on the adverse⁶ affects of toxic waste, Okechukwu Ibeanu, says the verdict is still out on whether the wastes caused the deaths and illnesses.

"There is still some contention⁷ among scientists as to the actual causality," he said.  "That, I realize.  But there is a prima facie evidence to believe that there is a connection.  There could not have been a coincidence that hundreds of thousands of people would become sick in the immediate⁸ aftermath of the dumping around Abidjan." 

The report submitted to the U.N. Human Rights Council says the long-term human health and environmental consequences of the incident have not yet been fully⁹ determined¹⁰. 

It notes the impact of excessive exposure to each chemical component¹¹ of the waste is likely to be known, but the consequences of the cocktail¹² of these chemicals on humans is still unknown.

During his mission to Abidjan, Investigator Ibeanua says he and his team visited some of the waste sites.  He says Ivorian officials corroborated¹³ the mission's findings that the cleanup of the sites were not as thorough as they should be to make them fully safe.

"During my mission, I was able to meet people who claimed that they were still ill and they showed hospital reports and they showed symptoms that were in a way still consistent with the ones observed during the incident," he added.  "And, these are people who continue to live in the vicinity of the sites." 

The report recommends the sites be made safe and long-term effects on the population should be monitored.  It urges the Dutch company Trafigura to be more open to criticism and more willing to resolve the outstanding issues.

The U.N. expert says victims should be compensated¹⁴ and steps should be taken to prevent the recurrence¹⁵ of such incidents in the future.

Trafigura has already paid $225 million in damages to the victims of the toxic poisoning in Ivory Coast in an out-of-court deal with the Ivory Coast government which exempts¹⁶ it from legal proceedings in that country.

1 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

2 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

3 proceedings   

n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼

4 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

5 investigator   

n.研究者，调查者，审查者

参考例句：

• He was a special investigator for the FBI.他是联邦调查局的特别调查员。
• The investigator was able to deduce the crime and find the criminal.调查者能够推出犯罪过程并锁定罪犯。

6 adverse   

adj.不利的；有害的；敌对的，不友好的

参考例句：

• He is adverse to going abroad.他反对出国。
• The improper use of medicine could lead to severe adverse reactions.用药不当会产生严重的不良反应。

7 contention   

n.争论，争辩，论战；论点，主张

参考例句：

• The pay increase is the key point of contention. 加薪是争论的焦点。
• The real bone of contention,as you know,is money.你知道，争论的真正焦点是钱的问题。

8 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

9 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

10 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

11 component   

n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的

参考例句：

• Each component is carefully checked before assembly.每个零件在装配前都经过仔细检查。
• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。

12 cocktail   

n.鸡尾酒；餐前开胃小吃；混合物

参考例句：

• We invited some foreign friends for a cocktail party.我们邀请了一些外国朋友参加鸡尾酒会。
• At a cocktail party in Hollywood,I was introduced to Charlie Chaplin.在好莱坞的一次鸡尾酒会上，人家把我介绍给查理·卓别林。

13 corroborated   

v.证实，支持（某种说法、信仰、理论等）( corroborate的过去式 )

参考例句：

• The evidence was corroborated by two independent witnesses. 此证据由两名独立证人提供。
• Experiments have corroborated her predictions. 实验证实了她的预言。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 compensated   

补偿，报酬( compensate的过去式和过去分词 )； 给（某人）赔偿（或赔款）

参考例句：

• The marvelous acting compensated for the play's weak script. 本剧的精彩表演弥补了剧本的不足。
• I compensated his loss with money. 我赔偿他经济损失。

15 recurrence   

n.复发，反复，重现

参考例句：

• More care in the future will prevent recurrence of the mistake.将来的小心可防止错误的重现。
• He was aware of the possibility of a recurrence of his illness.他知道他的病有可能复发。

16 exempts   

使免除[豁免]( exempt的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• This privilege, however, exempts only predecisional documents. 然而，此特权只免除那些文件在作出决定之前的披露责任。
• Function effectiveness: After then special-purpose, exempts the flushing formula. 功能效用：便后专用，免冲洗配方。