18 hospitalized in Tamil Nadu due to harmful fumes; plant closed

At least eighteen Vedampattu villagers were admitted to the hospital in the early hours of Sunday morning due to acute asphyxiation caused by breathing the poisonous smoke from a neighboring private medical waste processing facility. Collector C. Palani closed the plant and issued a notice of infractions later that day. According to official authorities, the facility burned hazardous wastes illegally at night.

According to sources, police, firefighters, and rescue workers arrived to the hamlet about midnight and assisted in getting those who were badly injured admitted to the government hospital in Mundiyambakkam. In protest, almost eight hundred Vedampattu electors who were eligible to vote cast their ballots in the 2017 Lok Sabha elections, calling on the district government to close the plant.

In a recent petition submitted in February, one S Mariamma (45) claimed that the district administration had done nothing to address their frequent concerns. “Livestock died after drinking water from a pond next to the factory; women have developed uterine issues,” the woman said.

The district government sent the plant management a show-cause notice after their demonstrations on election day, requesting an answer by April 23.

One villager, S Dhanavel (30), criticized the district government for its inactivity, asking, “Why did we have to endure such suffering for over five years now?”