Ivory Coast ResidentsTo Sue for Toxic Waste Dumping

More than 22,000 residents of Ivory Coast are suing a Dutch-based oil trader in U.K. courts for the illegal dumping of a load of toxic waste in 2006 that reportedly killed 16 people and sickened thousands of others. The case became an international scandal after a shipload of petrochemical waste being transported by oil trader Trafigura was unloaded and dumped near residential areas around Abidjan. Thousands of people sought treatment in hospitals complaining of health problems after being exposed to the fumes. Trafigura, one of the world’s biggest commodities traders, earlier reached a $198 million settlement with the Ivorian government to compensate victims, but many residents said they had not been paid and are suing the company in U.K. courts. One of their attorneys said at least 22,000 people, and perhaps as many as 30,000, will be seeking monetary compensation. Trafigura said its experts will prove the toxic waste was not responsible for the illnesses.