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Hema Chemicals, Vadodara, Gujara, India

 Site Description
 Human Exposure & Health Impact
 Site Progress


Site Description 

Location & Size of Site
Hema Chemicals, a chromium sulfate manufacturing unit in Gorwa industrial site of Vadodara (a city about 115 km south of Ahmedabad) was functional from 1965-2001. During its years of operation the company disposed 77,000 tons (estimated by the Gujarat Pollution Control Board) of toxic chromium waste in areas neighboring the factory. The laborers working in the factory, unaware of its potential health risks, took the chromium-rich sludge to fill up low-lying ditches in the neighborhood. They also mixed it with cement to construct their houses and spread it around the boundaries of surrounding fields.

The abandoned plant site itself comprises about 15,000 square feet and is highly contaminated with chromate salts. Yellow discoloration is obvious throughout the site and on building structures. This site clearly is in need of remediation.

Illegal dumping at this site has spurred the largest Public Interest Litigation in Indian history as the GPCB has sued the owner of this facility for 17 crore rupees (approx. US $ 4 million). The case is under appeal in the Supreme Court at this moment.

Contaminant Type, Source & Quantity
Hexavalent chromium and chromium salts

Number of Potentially Affected People
Approx. 1,000-1,500

Health Impact of Pollutant
Findings of a study conducted by the National Institute of Occupational Health of Ahmedabad entitled `Report on Biological and Environmental Monitoring and Health Surveillance of Chromium (Cr) on the exposed workers in Chemical Industry' also indicated serious health impacts to people living in the surroundings such as nasal septum perforation, dermatitis, gangrene etc. No study on the population directly affected has been conducted as yet.

A 2001 study by the National Institute of Occupational Health of Ahmedabad, Health Surveillance of Workers Exposed to Chromium in a Chemical Industry revealed blood chromium levels in exposed Hema employees to be more than twice that of the control population.

Site Progress 
May 2005: Site visited by Blacksmith Institute. Remediation is sorely needed for the factory site and probably the dump locations. Blacksmith Institute will fund the study of chromium blood levels in population living in the vicinity of the dumps as no such study has been conducted to date.