Dioxin poisoning victims win case against CPDC, MOEA

2015/12/09

Tainan District Court ruled Dec. 7 in favor of 312 residents who suffered dioxin poisoning caused by a chemical plant in Annan District, awarding them NT$168.17 million (US$5.11 million) in damages.

The class action suit, which was brought against plant operator Taipei City-based China Petrochemical Development Corp. and its regulator the Ministry of Economic Affairs, sought more than NT$350 million in damages, medical care expenses and mental distress.

According to the court, farmland and water surrounding the facility, known as Anshun plant, were contaminated by discharged dioxins and mercury. CPDC’s failure to address this issue resulted in individual contamination levels of 300 to 900 picogram/gram dioxin. The normal level is an average 20 pg/g.

Individual settlements are estimated at NT$365,000 to NT$4.9 million, depending on dioxin levels and health issues. The award does not affect arrangements for providing medical care to the affected by central and local government agencies until 2024.

The suit was first filed by around 230 claimants in 2008. This number eventually reached 347, with 38 dying before the case could be heard. A total of 35 had their claims dismissed on the grounds of failing to comply with relevant court procedures or testing negative for dioxin.

Lin Ji-jin, a claimant representing the group, said he is disappointed with the judgment and will discuss the next step with other members. In response to the ruling, CPDC said it will appeal to ensure the rights of company shareholders.

The Anshun plant produced pentachlorophenol, a common ingredient found in herbicides. It was run by Taiwan Alkaline Corp. until a takeover by CPDC in 1983.

A clean-up program was implemented by the company in 2009, with more than NT$1.6 billion spent to date. First-stage targets include reducing the size of the polluted area by 71 percent and dioxin levels by 82 percent before the end of 2016.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=239936&ctNode=2194&mp=9)