When a thermometer factory in New York closed because of increasing U.S. regulation of mercury, the operation was moved lock, stock and barrel to India, where enforcement of environmental laws is lax. Now a subsidiary of Unilever – the company behind everyday brands like Vaseline, Dove Soap and Lipton Tea – which operated the factory in India, is trying to walk away from a deadly legacy.

• More information on the campaign to clean up the mercury waste in Kodaikanal.
• More information on Bhopal.

Photo from Flickr user purza7, shared under Creative Commons license.