Amnesty International submitted on Monday its input to the UN Special Rapporteur on Toxics and Human Rights regarding the effects of toxic exposure and access to justice. The report emphasized on the right to access to justice and effective remedies in the context of environmental degradation.

Amnesty International’s report considers four cases of human rights abuses in India, the US, Nigeria and the Philippines. In all cases, this rights organization condemned the inadequate access to justice and the ineffective remedies for victims. Besides this, the input notices the dire environmental impact in all four countries.

The case in the city of Bhopal, India, concerns a 1984 leakage of the deadly gas methyl isocyanate (MIC) into the atmosphere. It is estimated that exposure to the gas killed more than 22,000 people and permanently injured millions. The Indian government negotiated a settlement amounting to less than 15 percent of the initial amount sought. Moreover, many individuals did not receive a remedy.

The second case concerns the more than 600 petrochemical facilities surrounding the Houston Ship Channel waterway in the US. This is the main cause of pollution along the channel. Residents in the area are neglected of their right to health and right to access to information.

Oil contamination of the environment in Nigeria and nickel mining in the Philippines have also affected the environment, livelihood and health of residents.

Amnesty International submitted this input as a response to the call of the UN Special Rapporteur on toxics and human rights, Dr. Marcos A. Orellana, as part of his mandate. Some of the human rights abuses exposed in the report are enshrined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). Specifically the right to remedies in Article 2 ICCPR and the right to health in Article 12 ICESCR.

Violations of human rights caused by exposure to toxic materials have recently been exposed in other countries. In March 2025, rights groups exposed children suffering from lead poisoning caused by mining activities in Zambia. The protection of the environment and prioritizing adequate access to justice for the victims of toxics will lie at the center of Orellana’s report for September 2025.