Pesticide maker punished for dumping hazardous waste   Nicotex Thanh Thai Joint Stock Company, which was recently found dumping untreated hazardous chemicals in the central province of Thanh Hoa's Cam Van Commune, received a fine of over US$20,000.- Photo 24h THANH HOA (VNS)– Nicotex Thanh Thai Joint Stock Company, which was recently found dumping untreated hazardous chemicals in the central province of Thanh Hoa's Cam Van Commune, received a fine of over VND421 million (US$20,000). The province People's Committee Vice Chairman Nguyen Duc Quyen said on Wednesday that the committee had decided to punish the pesticide manufacturer for violating environmental protection regulations, causing a bad smell and polluting the surrounding environment. The committee asked the company to sign contracts with waste treatment companies to deal with the hazardous waste. The case came to light in mid-August after local residents in Cam Van complained to local authorities that the company was dumping untreated chemicals. After conducting an investigation, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment's Viet Nam Environment Administration uncovered several areas where the company had buried expired chemicals and pesticides. So far, the investigators have been unable to establish the extent and duration of the damage. In co-operation with the province's People's Committee, the administration isolated polluted areas and is working to prevent the pollution from spreading to surrounding areas. Additionally, local residents of Cam Van and Cam Tam Communes in Cam Thuy District and Yen Lam Commune in Yen Dinh District were provided with two-day free medical check-ups beginning on September 11. The procedures, conducted by a team of doctors from different provincial hospitals, aimed to see if the chemicals had affected the health of local residents. The team also took samples of water and food sources in the area for testing and recommended that local people not use water sources suspected to be contaminated. -VNS