Heavy Metal
10 February 2023Synopsis
**‘A powerful book’ Shashi Tharoor
‘A must-read’ Vandana Shiva
A terrifying investigative account of a global corporation’s role in perpetrating India’s greatest mercury poisoning catastrophe.**
In 2001, a Hindustan Unilever-owned thermometer factory in Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu, made national headlines when a massive dump of broken mercury thermometers was discovered at a local scrapyard. As the multinational corporation conducted one hasty internal assessment after another to save face, state authorities discovered that the company had violated all acceptable guidelines for toxic waste disposal measures, causing grievous harm to its workers’ health and the region’s fragile ecosystem.
As evidence of mercury poisoning among workers mounted, the local community – aided by environmental watchdog Greenpeace and various public-interest organizations – launched a battle against the multibillion-dollar conglomerate that would last fifteen years, culminating in an undisclosed settlement paid to 600 of its ex-employees. And despite the factory’s closure, scientific reports would reveal mercury levels to be 1,000 times higher than the safe limit, raising serious concerns about HUL’s toxic legacy in the hill station.
For years, Ameer Shahul, a former investigative reporter and Greenpeace campaigner, closely tracked the Kodaikanal mercury poisoning case. The result is Heavy Metal, a blistering account of a colossal industrial tragedy precipitated by corporate negligence and acts of omission and commission at the highest levels.
Details
10 February 2023
9789390742660Reviews
‘Telling the story of a shameful yet largely forgotten chapter of Indian environmental history, Heavy Metal is an in-depth account of how Hindustan Unilever’s disregard for human and natural welfare led to the poisoning of an ecosystem and of hundreds of people in Kodaikanal. Ameer Shahul uses the skills of his two careers with aplomb, combining the passion and knowhow of the environmental activist with the intensive research and clear writing of the investigative journalist to bring this tragic story to life. One can only hope that, along with illuminating the general reader, this powerful book helps avoid future disasters’
SHASHI THAROOR, author and Member of Parliament
‘Heavy Metal tells the story of the poisoning of the paradise that was Kodaikanal. It also exposes the global pattern of how the polluting industry from the rich North was shifted to the South – Unilever to Kodai, Union Carbide to Bhopal, for which the price is paid by nature and local communities through their continuing struggles for ecological justice. A must-read for all who care for the planet and its people’
VANDANA SHIVA, environmental activist and author
‘A gripping account of how the horrible dangers of mercury were systematically underestimated over decades. Corporate greed migrating from the US to India led to poisoning and untold devastation for people in one of India’s most fragile, nature-rich regions. Ameer Shahul has captured telling details of one of Asia’s biggest corporate crimes. It was committed by Unilever, an otherwise reputed company. This terrifying cautionary tale of corporate negligence is an essential read for everyone. Let it be a lesson for corporates never again to mess with people or the planet’
ERIK SOLHEIM, former Executive Director – UN Environment and former Minister of the Environment, Norway{::}**
