Communities near petrochemical plants pay the price for plastic convenience
Yvette Arellano had a nosebleed twice during the 10-day-long Global Plastic Treaty negotiations in Geneva in August this year. “This is frequent. Apart from eczema and hormonal imbalance. I can’t have children unless I put massive resources into it,” said Arellano, a Mexican-American who stays in Texas’ Houston city in the United States of America. “In fact, it was over my skin condition that I would have a conversation with my neighbours and get to know they were suffering too,” she said.
Thousands of miles away, on the western coast of India, a casual survey in mid-2024 found that in Lakhigam village near Dahej in Gujarat’s Bharuch district respiratory illness, skin and hearing issues were common and at least 50 cases of cancer were found in a population of 5000. “This is thanks to the open-air conveyor belt that transports coal. The village remains coated in soot, and because of the noise and foul smell, it is impossible to sleep without shutting doors,” said Kamlesh Madhiwala, an advocate and president of the Samast Bharuch Jilla Machimar Samaj, an association fighting for fishers’ rights.