The City of Lausanne is determined to take legal action against the company responsible for polluting Lake Geneva with 1,2,4-triazole — a substance that was discharged for more than ten years into the Rhône River from Syngenta’s chemical site in Monthey.
On Tuesday, Lausanne announced that it had appointed a prominent environmental lawyer to represent its interests against Syngenta. The company, based in Monthey, has acknowledged its responsibility for the contamination of Lake Geneva with 1,2,4-triazole and has taken measures to stop the discharges. However, it will take many years for the substance to completely disappear from the lake.
This compound, used as a raw material in the chemical industry—particularly in the production of pharmaceuticals and various pesticides—is now found at seven times the regulatory limit in the drinking water drawn from the lake.
No Health Risk
Although the legal threshold has been exceeded, the water remains safe to drink, according to a recent study by the Swiss Centre for Applied Human Toxicology.
See the report from the 7:30 p.m. news:
Other Distributors Join the Initiative
While waiting for the substance to disappear, water distributors will have to find ways to meet the federal standard of 0.1 microgram per liter, a goal that will require very costly measures. According to Lausanne city councillor Pierre-Antoine Hildbrand, taxpayers should not be the ones footing the bill.
The City of Lausanne has therefore been granted party status in the case, allowing it to bring a critical perspective to the proceedings — which could eventually lead to a formal complaint. A majority of other drinking water distributors have also joined the initiative.
Source: rts
