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People's Dioxin Action Summit a Big Success! (PDF document, 416K) See Also
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350 Activists Attend Summit from 25 countries and across the U.S. 400 Protest in Front of I.E.S. Incinerators Demanding Zero Dioxin, Health, and Environmental Justice! San Francisco, CA -- Responding to a recent U.S. EPA report confirming that dioxin is a known human carcinogen and is present in dangerous concentrations in our food, 350 community, environmental justice, labor and health activists from around the world attended the People's Dioxin Action Summit, August 10-13, 2000 at the University of California, Berkeley campus. Grassroots activists from 25 countries and people from across the United States attended and planned action strategies to stop industry from emitting dioxin into our environment. Activists heard from leading government and non-governmental scientific experts on the latest studies on dioxin, one of the most toxic substances known. Attendees participated in workshops, strategy and plenary sessions to develop action plans to stop industrial dioxin pollution while protecting jobs and the health of the community. Many participants live in communities heavily impacted by dioxin pollution from industries. The international People's Dioxin Action Summit was held in the Bay Area due to the major battles against dioxin pollution being waged in this region that have attracted national attention. The People's Dioxin Action Summit was kicked off Thursday, August 10, 2000 at 12:30 p.m. at the Chevron Richmond Refinery gates where dozens of community members spoke out about the toxic threat from Chevron. African-American and Laotian residents living near Chevron who breathe the polluted air and eat contaminated fish from the Bay demanded zero dioxin emissions and environmental justice. Greenaction, Communities for a Better Environment, the Center on Health, Environment and Justice and others also spoke out in support of the communities fighting for zero dioxin. On the afternoon of August 11th, 400 people demonstrated at the front gates of the Integrated Environmental Systems medical waste incinerators in Oakland. We are demanding I.E.S. shut the incinerators and replace them with safer non-incineration technologies that will protect the jobs at the plant while better protecting the health and environment of the community. This was the largest protest ever at I.E.S., and the largest environmental justice protest in the history of northern California. The lively protest featured a speakout by neighbors of the incinerator and community environmental justice leaders from across the U.S. and the world. Youth for Environmental Sanity performed street theatre about the incinerator battle. The I.E.S. incinerators are the only commercial medical waste incinerators in California, and emit dioxin, mercury and other toxic chemicals and metals into the air. The day prior to the action, I.E.S. sent letters to Greenaction, PUEBLO, Alameda County Supervisors and hundreds of concerned individuals disputing our claim that they have a poor track record and claiming they are tightly regulated. Greenaction continues to point out that I.E.S. continues to have compliance problems: for example they continue having problems such as broken monitors and bypasses of the pollution control equipment. Unfortunately, I.E.S. is not tightly regulated. As of August 15, 2000, I.E.S. has not been fined even one penny in over one year despite dozens of violations of their permit. Even if I.E.S. complied with their permit at all times - which they do not - dioxin and mercury would still be emitted, posing a threat to the public health. Our coalition is also encouraging hospitals to implement pollution prevention measures to eliminate the use of polyvinyl chloride plastic products which produce dioxin when they are manufactured and when they are burned in incinerators. A highlight of the People's Dioxin Action Summit was the performance Saturday night by youth from the East Bay Institute for Urban Arts. Their play "Toxicity: The Aftermath" featured strong acting, singing and a jazz ensemble in this futuristic environmental justice story. |