Trafigura YouTube video: we injuncted Guardian because Minton Report was "a work in progress"

It’s worth noting that this chap’s use of English is quite unusual. He does not consider this weeks gagging order on the Guardian an attempt to limit free speech. His independent experts seem to include those whom he has paid for (which is at variance with my definition). He continually bangs on about being mis-represented whilst simultaneously acting to withhold any evidence he can.

As far as I understand the NFI (Netherland Forensic Institute) report is the result of a chemical analysis done on the slops in Amsterdam the results of which led to the quoted disposal cost going from some relatively small number (think it works out at about £3k) to some substantially larger number (like £150k). (I’m assuming a 1:1 euro to £ conversion factor there). I believe this document will be used in a case in Amsterdam next year. As far as I know it’s not out in the wild but the BBC at least got sight of it at some point. I believe it was passed to the lawyers opposing Trafigura in Ivory Coast but Trafigura successfully argued it shouldn’t have been passed to them.

The Minton report is what you get if you ask the question “Speaking theoretically, if a friend was to have an oil tanker containing materials used in this process, what would be the potential effect of disposing of it somewhat carelessly?”

This is all a bit of a smoke screen really, Trafigura’s operatives handed over a large quantity (150m^3) of material which definitely contained pretty concentrated caustic soda and mercaptans (which I can confirm from personal experience really smell v. bad indeed) to a chap in a 3rd world country who claimed he had facilities to dispose of them, and he didn’t – he just dumped them in municipal waste tips around the local city. A large number (~100,000) of people were overcome (as in sought medical help) by the really bad smell, some of them died but it would be close to impossible to prove causality because in sample size of 100,000 some of them would probably die anyway.

I believe the argument over the Minton report is that it mentions hydrogen sulphide (which is potentially lethal), this could be formed in reactions with mercaptans but not under the conditions of the original slops. Then again you don’t know what your 3rd world disposals man might of tried to “treat” the waste and you don’t have much idea of what was in your municipal waste tip before you dumped your caustic smelly mess into it.

(By the way I did A-level chemistry a v. long time ago, and I did a bit of chemistry at university but I wouldn’t claim to be an export organic/industrial chemist – which is what you really need here and you probably want some sampling data from the tips in the Ivory Coast).