The health risk from toxic waste which killed six people in Ivory Coast and made thousands ill after being dumped in Abidjan is easing as some of the chemicals evaporate, the Health Ministry said on Monday. Nearly 9,000 people have sought treatment for symptoms that include vomiting, nausea and breathing difficulties caused by noxious fumes from the poisonous fuel slops, which were deposited at open-air sites around the economic capital.

Children were among the victims who died from inhaling the fumes in the lagoon-side city. Public outcry over the dumped toxic black sludge, which was unloaded by a Panamanian-registered ship in Abidjan port last month, resulted in the resignation of the government in the war-divided West African country last week.

A team of scientists and civil protection officials from France flew in on Friday to analyse the substance and work out a plan to clean it up. They were joined by experts from the United Nations and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

"They said it is ... hydrogen sulphide which is causing the problem," Health Ministry spokesman Simeon NDa told Reuters. "Fortunately, they said a lot has evaporated into the air which means the risks are lower for the population." Hydrogen sulphide, which gives off the smell of rotten eggs, can be deadly in high concentrations but harmless in small quantities although its pungent odour can still be detected.

French diplomats said there were plans for the waste to be collected from the dump sites and stored in a water-tight tank or pit before being processed to eliminate its toxic content. Ivorian authorities are investigating the dumping of the foul-smelling sludge and have arrested several people, including representatives of the local waste disposal company which took charge of the substance after it was unloaded.

But many Abidjan residents complained of a lack of official information about the health risks. "Im angry with the authorities. We still don t know what is happening. How long will it be until the population is informed?," said telephone repairman Brou Kouakou. "We are scared for our lives. For a city like Abidjan, it is a catastrophe," he said.

Ivory Coast, split between a rebel-held north and a government-controlled south since a 2002-2003 civil war, is the worlds No. 1 cocoa producer but cocoa exporters have reported no impact on their operations from the pollution. Prime Minister Charles Konan Banny is trying to form a new government amid uncertainty over the countrys political future following an admission by UN officials that elections scheduled to be held by Oct. 31 cannot now take place in time.
(Por Peter Murphy, Planet Ark, 12/09/2006)