Beach banes

THE Mediterranean coastline has become a dumping ground for cement,
asbestos and chemical companies in
northern Lebanon, which release cancer-
causing toxins into it. According to the
environmental group Greenpeace, tests
carried out at the Lebanese cities of
Chekka and Selaata showed that emissions from five cement factories in the
area were polluting the air and the seas.
The tests were carried but by the Earth
Research Centre at Exeter University, Britain at the request of the Association
for the Protection of the Environment
in the Kura region. The association has
called for the installation of filters and
equipment to treat effluents at all
cement, asbestos and chemical factories.
Tests conducted at Chekaa found several toxic chemicals used in insecticides
which are banned by the European
Union. The samples contained HCH, a
chemical that can cause cancer, heart
problems, diarrhoea and convulsions. A
coke sample from a company revealed
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons,
called PAHS in the air which can also lead
to cancer.