Firestone Liberia Accused of Polluting

Accusations of pollution originating in facilities owned by Firestone have been raised by people living along the banks of a river in Liberia. It is alleged that Firestone is releasing pollutants from its facilities in the town of Harbel into the Farmington River. Residents in the riverside town of Owensgrove blame a milky-white discharge from the Firestone plant for the high levels of sickness in the area, and these current accusations are by no means the first time the issue has been raised.

The head of Owensgrove’s health clinic, Larry Debbeh, told regional media that from the town of 6,000 people, more than 250 people are treated every month for respiratory diseases plus many more develop skin conditions after bathing in the river. However, Firestone claims the water both upstream and downstream from their facilities is regularly tested, and they say to date no sign of harmful chemicals resulting from their operations have been found. “We know for a fact that there are pollutants in that river beyond what our wastewater stream is,” said Tina Gaines, a US spokeswoman for Firestone. The tyremaker, who last year installed a freshwater pump in Owensgrove, states that the milky-white discharge is rubber latex mixed with ammonia.