An indigenous group from the Peruvian Amazon has filed a class-action lawsuit against the oil company Occidental Petroleum. The suit cites Occidental for a series of health and environmental problems from waste left over the past 30 years in the tropical rainforests of Peru. A recent report from Amazon Watch and Earth Rights International accuses Occidental of dumping nine million barrels of untreated toxic waste directly into rivers and streams used by the Achuar people, resulting in widespread lead and cadmium poisoning.
Andres Sandi, president of the Federation of Native Communities of Rio Corrientes: “The steps we are taking are to demand from the government that we don’t want anymore petroleum companies. We will continue to position ourselves very strongly, and we continue this fight against the state and against the petroleum companies.”