Eleven-year-old Ziad Sharif, who lived in the southern town of Gabes, died of hepatitis this past May, only two weeks after his five year-old sister died of the same disease. Marwa and Ziad lived beside a chemical plant in Salam Beach Oasis, which their father, Nabil Sharif, says is to blame for their deaths.

“My children died of hepatitis as a result of the pollution we breathe in our homes every day,” said Sharif.

Eleven-year-old Ziad Sharif, who lived in the southern town of Gabes, died of hepatitis this past May, only two weeks after his five year-old sister died of the same disease. Marwa and Ziad lived beside a chemical plant in Salam Beach Oasis, which their father, Nabil Sharif, says is to blame for their deaths.

“My children died of hepatitis as a result of the pollution we breathe in our homes every day,” said Sharif.

This direct accusation is the first of its kind in the area. Prior to the revolution, residents were afraid to openly discuss the devastating health problems experienced by the population of Gabes, which locals refer to as ‘the shore of death.’

Gabès has the highest rate of cancer in Tunisia and lung cancer is found in one out of every 10 households in a neighborhood near the factory. Pollution has also negatively impacted the area’s agriculture, fishing and tourism.

According to environmental experts, poisonous emissions extend over 35 kilometers, covering most of the state of Gabes.

“I am intending to sue the chemical complex which caused my children’s death, but I have not obtained the needed medical file. The hospital officials have refused to provide me with it. It contains important details about the true reasons behind their death,” Sharif said.

The Tunisian Chemical Complex refused to comment on whether or not its plants’ pollution is behind the death of the two children.

“The death of Marwa and Ziad has nothing to do with the pollution caused by Gabes’ chemical complex,” stressed Anwar Hafi, Head of the health care department in Gabes. “The reason is that hepatitis is a highly infectious disease that a whole family can contract if the needed precautionary measures are not taken.”

In 1993, however, a health and vocational safety committee in Gabes, in cooperation with the Workers Union performed various tests on 1200 residents and discovered high percentages of flourite in their bodies, which is a known human carcinogen.

The problem with phosphate

The chemical complex, whose production almost fully goes to export, produces 30,000 tons of trisodium phosphate. Trisodium phosphate is mainly used to produce the detergents used in manual and automatic washing and, to a lesser degree, in water treatment and pottery.

This substance is produced through a chemical method which was developed at the complex itself in the late 1970’s. It can produce quite large quantities, depending on basic raw materials including phosphoric acid, which is mainly used to produce phosphate fertilizers, extracted from the Tunisian phosphate in the chemical complex plants.

Due to the high demand and limited production capacity, the Chemistry Company for Packaging—a 100% subsidiary to the Chemical Company— increased its production of the substance to reach an annual 200,000 tons; filling and packaging sodium carbonate for the North African market.

Spokesperson of the Ministry of Environment Sadek Amery stressed that there are attempts to move phosphogypsum (the chemical complex’ wastes) to a swamp far away from the residential areas, instead of disposing it in Gabes Gulf.

“The related authorities have conducted three studies in this regard aiming to preserve the environment and protect the citizens’ health,” he added.  

“The French Development Agency and the German Bank expressed their wish to implement a project to clean and rehabilitate the Gabes Gulf at an estimated cost of 400 million dinars (US $245 million),” he explained.

‘I want to live’

The residents of Gabes have held ongoing protests, ranging from cutting off roads to peaceful marches, the most recent of which marked World Environment Day on May 5.  Environmental and legal societies and organizations held a gathering under the motto ‘I want to live.’ The campaign featured many educational activities such as drama, singing and photography shows with participation of children of all ages.

“The march’s aim was to raise awareness of the environmental dangers, which threaten Gabes by showing a number of photographs demonstrating the area’s environmental reality,” said Fadel Trabolsi, a member of the society’s coordination committee.

“I will not stop until I take the right of my children and the state’ people from this ghoul which lives among us,” he added.