Lab Tests Confirm Full Chevron Cleanup in Ecuador

FICTION:
“Chevron abandoned roughly 1,000 open-air waste pits…filled with life-threatening toxins such as chromium VI…”

FACT:
These pits were not filled with “life-threatening toxins” as alleged. Chevron has analyzed 306 soil samples for hexavalent chromium and 96% of them did not contain any chromium VI.  The highest concentration found in any soils sample was 0.13 mg/kg which is more than a thousand times lower than typical cleanup levels in the U.S. Furthermore, Texaco Petroleum did not use Chromium VI (as an “anticorrosive when perforating wells”) as is alleged.  Rather, Texaco Petroleum used a dispersant in some drilling muds called “Spersene” which contained 4-5% chrome lignosulfonate or chromium III. Chromium III is considered an essential nutrient and it is not a carcinogen.