Shipbreaking in the developing world: problems and prospects.

The global shipping industry relies upon the developing world to dispose of retired deep-sea vessels through the process of shipbreaking. In doing so the industry avoids the burdens of complying with developed world standards for the management of hazardous waste. Occupational and environmental health (OEH) risks associated with dismantling of beached ships, primarily in India and Bangladesh, are significant. Worldwide concerns about these risks, which arose in the late 1990s, and activism by domestic organizations appear to be gathering momentum for global and domestic OEH reforms. This article addresses recent developments in characterizing these risks and in proposals to control them.