French Factory Closed amid Deadly Epidemic

03/01/2004| IslamWeb

An outbreak of the deadly Legionnaire's Disease has prompted the closure of a petrochemicals factory in northern France. Tests have shown Noroxo, part of the world's biggest oil company Exxon Mobil,was the primary source of contamination. Noroxo directors have said they don't agree with the administrators' decision to suspend production at the factory. They have urged further efforts to uncover how the contamination arose. The factory was closed in December for a major clean-up after high levels of legionella bacteria that cause the disease were detected. Six people have died and more than 50 others have been affected by the disease near the town of Lens, where Health Minister Jean-Francois Mattei has been visiting patients. The mayor of Lens has accused the government of reacting too slowly to the epidemic and has urged Paris to make more money available to tackle it. **PHOTO CAPTION*** Doctor Ramin Roboubi, chief of the Pneumology service at the Henin-Beaumont poly-clinic, looks at the x-ray of a patient suffering from Legionnaires' disease. (AFP/Philippe Huguen)