Plastics industry treats Indigenous lands as ‘sacrifice zones’ – Canada’s National Observer
April 25th 2024
Days after the Aamjiwnaang First Nation issued an emergency alert due to high benzene levels in the air, members from the front-line community are in Ottawa to push world governments to give Indigenous nations a seat at the table as negotiations for a global plastics treaty unfold.
Benzene is a molecule used in chemical manufacturing to produce certain types of plastics that is highly toxic and a known carcinogen. Speaking at a press conference Wednesday morning on the sidelines of the plastics treaty negotiations, spokespeople from the Aamjiwnaang First Nation, the Society of First Nations, and Keepers of the Water said Indigenous nations, like Aamjiwnaang First Nation located in Ontario’s Chemical Valley, are the victims of environmental racism.
“Just last week, elevated benzene levels in the air from the Ineos Styrolution facility caused several members of our community to fall ill. This is not acceptable, nor is it an isolated event,” said Aamjiwnaang First Nation elected councillor CJ Smith-White in a statement. “Our people, the original people here, the Anishinaabe, have been exposed to environmental racism for more than 100 years.
“Our community and our lands have become a sacrifice zone for the benefit of industry.”
