Hell for leather.

This article discusses the environmental and public health impacts of leather tanning on the Hazaribagh neighborhood of Dhaka, Bangladesh. The authors recount their investigations, which found heavy metals including lead, chrome syntans, mercury, and cadmium flowing through open sewers in Hazaribagh and ultimately draining into the Buriganga river. The effects of these chemicals on Bangladeshis living downstream along the Buriganga are discussed. The roles of chemical companies including Clariant International Ltd. and BASF SE in the distribution of toxic materials are described. The place of this tannery pollution in the global market for leather products is also explored.