Beach banes
THE Mediterranean coastline has become a dumping ground for cement, asbestos and chemical companies in northern Lebanon, which release cancer- causing toxins into it. According to the environmental group Greenpeace, tests carried out at the Lebanese cities of Chekka and Selaata showed that emissions from five cement factories in the area were polluting the air and the seas. The tests were carried but by the Earth Research Centre at Exeter University, Britain at the request of the Association for the Protection of the Environment in the Kura region. The association has called for the installation of filters and equipment to treat effluents at all cement, asbestos and chemical factories. Tests conducted at Chekaa found several toxic chemicals used in insecticides which are banned by the European Union. The samples contained HCH, a chemical that can cause cancer, heart problems, diarrhoea and convulsions. A coke sample from a company revealed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, called PAHS in the air which can also lead to cancer.