Mission Report_Investigation into Suspected Mercury Contamination at Sihanoukville

Abstract

On 28 November 1998, a ship arrived in Sihanoukville with 2,779 tons of waste from Taiwan. The waste was old byproducts from battery production. Some 200 workers were involved in the transportation and unloading the cargo that was dumped about 5 km outside Sihanoukville. Ten among them were reportedly admitted to the provincial hospital with symptoms of poisoning and one person has died. The main symptoms were vomitting, diarrhea and dyspnoea.