Swiss chemical company Lonza has been accused of violating the federal water protection act and of negligence for its role in contaminating drinking water.
According to the public prosecutor’s office of canton Valais, LonzaExternal link allowed a carcinogenic solvent to pollute the water of Visp for years but failed to do anything about it.
In an indictment filed with the district court in Visp, the prosecution says Lonza repeatedly let dangerous substances flow into and near the water. It states that Lonza’s chemical factory in Visp contaminated drinking water with dioxane between 2011 and 2012 and again between 2014 and 2017.
The 1.4-dioxane solvent is used to make products like paint, varnish, detergent, cosmetics, insecticides and herbicides. High levels – and possibly low ones, too – cause cancer in humans and pets.
The contamination was unearthed during groundwater monitoring in 2014. Lonza is the only company in the area that uses large quantities of the solvent, points out the public prosecutor.
Lonza insists that it has neither violated the Federal Act on the Protection of WatersExternal link nor endangered the population and the environment. It points out that when the pollution was discovered in 2014, there were no specific limits on the chemical levels in drinking water, groundwater or industrial wastewater.
The public prosecutor also criticises canton Valais for simply reacting to known cases of pollution rather than trying to prevent them. When queried by the Swiss News Agency, local authorities said that drinking water was never affected and that the two private wells contaminated with dioxane had been closed temporarily.
More
More
Storms contaminate Zurich water and hinder air traffic
This content was published on
Swiss cities and towns are cleaning up after heavy rain and hail flooded streets and houses on Wednesday night.
Should raw milk sales be banned or should consumers decide?
Swiss food regulations do not allow raw milk to be sold for direct consumption. However, a loophole allows 400 raw milk vending machines to do just that.
Russian prosecutor seeks jail for French researcher tied to Swiss NGO
This content was published on
A Russian prosecutor asked a court to jail Laurent Vinatier, a French researcher working for a Swiss NGO, alleging he broke Russia’s “foreign agent” laws.
Greenwashing is on the decline but not in Switzerland
This content was published on
For the first time in six years, the number of greenwashing cases has fallen worldwide. But the challenges remain, as a new study shows.
This content was published on
The people's initiative for a future without animal experiments in Switzerland has passed the 100,000 mark in certified signatures.
This content was published on
Swiss flavour and fragrance firm Givaudan is strengthening its presence in Southeast Asia with the construction of a new plant in Indonesia.
Swiss siblings nominated for international film music award
This content was published on
With their double nomination at the World Soundtrack Awards, the Swiss-Australian Baldenweg sibling trio are making history for Switzerland.
Switzerland calls on Israel to halt attacks on Unifil in Lebanon
This content was published on
Switzerland has called on the Israeli army to immediately cease all attacks on the UN observer mission Unifil in Lebanon.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Clean-up finally underway at mercury pollution site
This content was published on
Workers have started excavating mercury-contaminated soil from gardens and private land in the small Swiss town of Raron.
This content was published on
Soil analysis has shown that a minimum of 71 plots in a residential area need to be completely cleaned up, while another 104 show mercury levels pointing only to a light level of pollution. The results have come from around 4000 soil samples. Of the 469 residential properties where the soil was analysed, 294 were…
This content was published on
Switzerland has an international reputation for cleanliness and pristine landscape, but a team of scientists from the University of Geneva and Britain has revealed that the lake is as susceptible to plastic waste problems as the ocean. The team analysed 3,000 objects, such as toys, pens, cotton swabs, food packaging and fragments of foam and…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.