Heavy Metal: How a Global Corporation Poisoned Kodaikanal

Heavy Metal: How a Global Corporation Poisoned Kodaikanal is a non-fiction book by Indian author Ameer Shahul, published by Pan Macmillan in February 2023.

The book is about the environmental issues faced by the local population in the Indian hill station of Kodaikanal after Mercury poisoning from a thermometer-making factory and is widely known as Kodaikanal mercury poisoning. It narrates the unfolding of the accident and the consequences over a period of time, and the litigations and confrontation with the polluter pursued by the local community with the help of local, national and global environmentalists over a period of time.

The book was launched in India by Erik Solheim, the former executive director of United Nations Environment Programme and former Norway Environment Minister in Chennai on March 25, 2023.

The book was longlisted for the prestigious Tata Literature Live! Literary Awards 2023 under the Best Non-Fiction First Book category.

Background
In March 2001, the discovery of a large quantity of mercury waste from a local scrapyard in Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu, led to an expose. The Hindustan Unilever (HUL) thermometer plant, shipped from New York to the hill station in 1983, had been letting out mercury vapours into the atmosphere and disposing of mercury-laden waste to local scrap dealers. The local community, aided by Greenpeace, forced Unilever to shut down this India factory and clean up the site. Many workers of the factory complained of illnesses in the following years, and by some accounts, 28 people died, after alleged exposure to the toxic heavy metal, mercury at the workplace.

Demanding better clean-up standards and reparations, the locals took the company to the Madras High Court, the National Green Tribunal and ultimately to the Supreme Court of India – a long legal battle which ended with a sealed out-of-court settlement in 2016 and a ruling from the Supreme Court of India in 2019. In Heavy Metal: How a Global Corporation Poisoned Kodaikanal, the author chronicles this incident and its aftermath in detail. Drawing from his own experience as a Greenpeace campaigner for the cause, he presents a portrait of the struggle, survival and resilience of the community.

Reception
In its review, the Hindu Business Line suggested that the Kodai case can be 'a good pointer to be on our guard and save the environment'. The book is a compelling read and Shahul must be commended for documenting an eminently forgettable environmental blot that had a tragic impact on people’s health.

The Indian Express described the book as a ‘crisp cinematic account of corporate greed and the struggle for justice in India.’ Describing the book as an ‘essential read', Open (Indian magazine) said ‘that it took Unilever more than 15 years to compensate affected workers is a reminder of the humongous costs of such mistakes’.

Deccan Herald described the book as 'a blunt and bold account of a tragedy', while Malayala Manorama termed it as 'the gripping take on an industrial tragedy, and of green resistance'.

The Financial Express (India) called it 'a case study on corporate and regulatory failures'. The New Indian Express described it as 'an exceptional book that offers a comprehensive and compelling account of not just the disaster, but also its aftermath'.

Hindustan Times said “This terrifying cautionary tale of corporate negligence is essential reading”. In its review, the paper said Heavy Metal, which recounts the struggle for environmental justice in India, also shows how elusive it is despite decades of social activism. “With activism having been throttled in recent times, corporate negligence of environmental regulations may remain lax. By telling the story of this disaster in a compelling way, Shahul clearly hopes to make readers vigilant about capturing future corporate manipulations of the system when it comes to environmental obligations,” it said.