Return to Stone Lions Environmental Corporation Home Page.According to the New York Times January 4, 1999 edition, the Formosa Plastics Corporation of Taiwan dumped nearly 3000 tons of toxic industrial waste in a Cambodian field in early December of 1998. Tests determined that the waste material was contaminated with high levels of Mercury as well as a possible hazardous mixture of other metals. Formosa Plastics Corporation indicated the waste was shipped to Cambodia due to the threat of public protests in Taiwan. After Cambodia's threat to sue, it was agreed that the waste would be shipped back to Taiwan.
The villagers in Cambodia thought it was their lucky day when the waste arrived. The blocks were wrapped in much needed plastic bags which were tied with string, also a commodity. Those who came in contact with the waste claimed symptoms such as thirst, difficulty breathing, loss of appetite, diarrhea, fever, rash, and weight loss. So far, the worker that cleaned the transporting ship has died, and five others were hospitalized.
The affected villagers heard of the toxic waste from a few reporters that were there to cover the story, not the Cambodian government. The people from the surrounding areas were evacuated from their homes and await the government's clearance to return home.