World Science Forum: Preventing future Bhopals

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A quarter century after the disaster at Bhopal, toxic chemicals continue to threaten lives in the developing world. Chemical spills poison Chinese rivers. Toxic waste sickens people in West Africa. What can be done to safeguard the public in developing countries? What role can consumers and investors in the developed world play? In the World Science Forum we talk to Henrik Selin. He’s a professor of international relations at Boston University. Download MP3

• World Science Forum: Preventing Future Bhopals
• Listen to Rhitu Chatterjee’s story “Bhopal disaster: 25 years later”
• Listen to Rhitu Chatterjee’s story Bhopal: An Unlikely Legacy
• The World’s: Science
• Subscribe to The World’s Science Podcast

Ivory Coast toxic waste dispute

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An international legal dispute that’s been dragging on for three years may be about to be settled. It involves a multinational trading company named Trafigura which has been accused of illegally dumping toxic waste in Ivory Coast. Several people are thought to have died from exposure to the sludge, but Trafigura denies the waste was dangerous. Now, the BBC has uncovered evidence revealing that the company did know the waste was hazardous. We talk with Liz MacKean of the BBC’s Newsnight program.

• BBC Newsnight coverage
• Trafigura statement
• Trafigura website