(Webuye, Kenya)  For the first time in Kenya, independent air samples taken in Webuye town reveal that people living near Pan African Paper Mills are breathing highly toxic air. Local residents recently joined forces with international law and environmental monitor groups to test air and water in Webuye near Pan Paper.  The results show that the levels of hydrogen sulfide, methyl mercaptan and dimethyls sulfide in the air in Webuye town are thousands of times above international health-based standards. In addition, water samples taken at Pan African Paper Mills’ point of discharge into the Nzoia River show that the mill has been discharging dangerous pollution into the river.

Eluid Kakai of Center for Economic Development and Education Program (CEDEP) says: “Pan African Paper Mills may be a source of employment for some of the Webuye people, but a good neighbour does not throw rubbish in other people’s compounds.  Those who are not employed by the company suffer loss of income from poor crops, sick livestock and health problems. Our intention is not to close Pan Paper Mills but to clean it up.”

Recent air samples were taken by Center for Economic Development and Education Program (CEDEP) and the Resource Conflict Institute (RECONCILE), trained by Global Community Monitor (GCM) of San Francisco, California and sent to a certified laboratory in Simi Valley, California, U.S.A.  Scientists at the Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide in Eugene, Oregon, interpreted the air and water quality test results.

The hydrogen sulfide in one of the samples was more than 140 times the World Health Organization’s (WHO) daily guidelines value of 150 micrograms per cubic metre and more than 3,000 times the WHO hourly guideline value of 7 micrograms per cubic metre. Hydrogen sulfide, also known as hydrosulfuric acid, is a colorless gas that smells like rotten eggs.  Studies published in the American Journal of Public Health establish that a community exposed to hydrogen sulfide levels far below the levels in Webuye suffer excessively from irritation of the eyes and nose, cough, breathlessness, nausea, headaches and mental illness, including depression.  Hydrosulfuric acid is also highly corrosive and the reason for the rusted roofs in Webuye town.

The second sample taken by CEDEP and RECONCILE is listed below, concentrations and levels are reported in micrograms per cubic meter (ug/m3) and compared to the World Health Organization (WHO) health based standards.

Chemical                 Concentration    WHO Standard            Times over standard
Hydrogen sulfide    22,000 ug/m3    Daily    150 ug/m3           140
                                                              Hourly      7 ug/m3        3,000


The amounts of Methyl Mercaptan found in both air samples were 12-17 times above the Offensive Odor Control Law of Japan. Demethyl sulfide found in both air samples was 3 to 5 times the maximum permissible limit in Korea. These chemicals are responsible for the characteristic offensive odor commonly experienced around Webuye.

“The shocking air sample results taken downwind of the Pan African Paper facility are higher and more health threatening than any other sample taken using the bucket in 20 countries around the world,” stated Denny Larson of the Global Community Monitor.  “Webuye has the infamous distinction of being one of the most polluted places on the planet.”

Pan African Paper Mills in Western Kenya is one of a few pulp and paper facilities in the entire world that uses a highly polluting process requiring thousands of metric tons of sodium sulfide to dissolve wood chips and other cellulose-bearing fibers.  Due to this process, Pan African Paper Mills is the only industry in Webuye which is capable of producing substantial quantities of hydrogen sulfide and other reduced sulphur compounds.

Two air samples were collected on the morning of September 22, 2007, using GCM’s bucket technology, approved by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.  The first sample was collected at a location adjacent to the Pan African Paper Mill. The second sample was collected near the mill’s wastewater pond. 

Residents also took water samples on October 11, 2007, that were tested by a local laboratory. The sample taken at the Pan African Paper Mills’ point of discharge showed that Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) in the effluent was far above the limits allowed under the Environmental Management and Coordination (Water Quality) Regulations 2006.

The effluent discharged into the Nzoia River contained 4.5 and 6.2 times more BOD and COD respectively than the legal limits. Excessive BOD and COD can result in death of fish and other oxygen-sensitive aquatic species.  In humans, excessive BOD and COD can lead to increased incidence of gastro-intestinal diseases, including diarrhea, caused by exposure to pathogenic bacteria in water. The BOD of the collected samples was 125 milligram per liter (mg/l) while the COD was 312 mg/l.  The legal limit under the regulation is 30 mg/l and 50 mg/l respectively.

Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) is a standardized means of estimating the degree of contamination from industrial wastes. Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) refers to the amount of oxygen, expressed in parts per million, consumed under specific conditions in the oxidation of the organic and oxidizable inorganic matter contained in industrial waste water. Both BOD and COD are measured as a rapid indicator of organic pollutants in water.

Laboratory tests also revealed that the effluent colour of Pan African Paper Mills’ discharge did not meet environmental water quality standards.  The measurement of 30 Hazen units was twice the permissible limit.