For immediate release: April 14, 2005

Shocking levels of dioxin contamination found near proposed EU-funded
waste site in Bulgaria

Sofia, Bulgaria -- A study of free-range chicken eggs produced in the
village of Kovachevo in the Stara Zagora region of Bulgaria has
revealed evidence of alarming levels of dioxins and polychlorinated
biphenyl (PCB) contamination, pointing to the crucial need for
Bulgaria to fulfill its commitment to reduce human exposure to
harmful persistent organic pollutants (POPs). [1]

However, the Bulgarian Ministry of Environment and Water continues to
promote the construction of a facility which will be a future POPs
emitter two kilometres from Kovachevo and which will include a 15 000
tons per year incinerator as well as asbestos and hazardous waste
landfills. The National Hazardous Waste Centre (NHWC) project is
seeking substantial funding from the European Investment Bank (EIB)
and European Union ISPA funds.

The study showed one of the highest levels of dioxins ever measured
in chicken eggs. Dioxins in eggs from Kovachevo exceeded the European
Union limit by a factor of more than 20. The level of PCBs found in
the eggs was more than double the proposed EU limit.

According to official estimations from the national Environmental
Agency, more than 40 percent of the dioxin air emissions in 2002
derived from three thermal power plants, like the Maritsa East II
thermal power plant, situated in the Stara Zagora region. Other
sources for the pollutants include obsolete pesticide storage in the
village and a brick factory 15 kilometres from Kovachevo.

"It's obvious that POPs have already gotten into the food chain and
for Kovachevo the results are terrifying," said Ivaylo Hlebarov from
Za Zemiata, a Sofia-based member group of CEE Bankwatch Network.
"People in the area already suffer from different types of cancer and
respiratory diseases and they eat contaminated food every day. If the
toxic substances are now at extremely high levels, what about after
the construction of the NHWC? The Environment ministry has ignored
the concerns of NGOs and locally affected people who have argued
against the NHWC for five years. Instead of helping the local
population to deal with such high contamination the European
Commission and European Investment Bank are still planning to finance
our government's plan for an incinerator project which will only
perpetuate the region's health and environmental problems."

During an official meeting in June 2004 between NGOs, the Environment
ministry and the EU delegation to Bulgaria, ministry representatives
said that they do not have any background measures of toxic
substances, but will measure the incinerator emissions twice a year
once it is operational.

"This is absurd. The Environment ministry is set to give the go-ahead
to another POPs emitter without having any real measures for breast
milk, eggs or air and despite ignoring its own data on air emissions.
They actually refused to come up with reliable measures and later
stated that there would be no risk to the villagers and the
environment. We've now tested the eggs for dioxins and the results
are frightening. Building a huge incinerator next to Kovachevo to
cater for the dumping of toxic materials from all over Bulgaria is
planning straight out of the asylum," concluded Ivaylo Hlebarov.

The egg sampling, conducted by the International POPs Elimination
Network (IPEN) [2], Za Zemiata (For the Earth) and Arnika
Association, comes ahead of next month's first Conference of the
Parties to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.
This historic Convention marks the first global, legally binding
instrument which aims to protect human health and the environment by
controlling the production, use and disposal of toxic chemicals. The
Bulgarian Parliament ratified the Convention in September 2004.

For more information, contact:

Ivaylo Hlebarov
Za Zemiata
Tel: + 359 2 951 53 18, +359 898 252 303
hlebarov@bankwatch.org

Notes for editors:

1. This study is one of 18 being conducted in countries around the
globe to highlight the need for Parties to the Stockholm Convention
to carefully inventory sources of POPs and include the use of
substitution or modified materials in any plan for their elimination
or reduction.

POPs are toxic substances that are produced and released into the
environment largely as a result of human activity. They do not break
down easily so persist in the environment for many years and can
travel great distances through the air and water currents. Some POPs
are produced for use as pesticides, some for use as industrial
chemicals, and others as unwanted byproducts of combustion or
chemical processes that take place in the presence of chlorine
compounds. Parties to the Stockholm Convention agreed to reduce and
eliminate 12 of the world's most harmful and persistent pollutants,
including four POPs that are produced unintentionally: dioxins,
furans, hexachlorobenzene and PCBs.

Chicken eggs were chosen for the study because they are a common food
item, their fat content makes them appropriate for monitoring
chemicals such as POPs that dissolve in fat, and eggs are a powerful
symbol of new life. The study focused on free-range hens because they
can easily access and eat soil animals and therefore their eggs are
good tools for biomonitoring of environmental contamination.

2. The International POPs Elimination Network (IPEN) is a global
public interest NGO network with more than 350 Participating
Organizations in 65 countries and in all regions. IPEN was formed in
1998 during the first POPs Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee
meeting (INC1). IPEN-Participating organizations in many countries
and in all regions collaborated to advance the common goal of
creating a strong and effective global POPs treaty. IPEN now works
with NGOs at regional, national, district and community levels in
support of POPs elimination efforts as a step toward a future world
where toxic chemicals no longer cause harm to human health or to the
environment.

Read more background information about the National Hazardous Waste
Centre at Za Zemiata's website:

http://www.zazemiata.org/bw/radnevo/index_en.php

And at the Bankwatch website:
http://www.bankwatch.org/issues/eib/nhwc/mnhwc.html