Chemical plants and refineries near the Houston Ship Channel are seen next to the Manchester neighborhood in the industrial east end of Houston, Texas, U.S., August 9, 2018. REUTERS/Loren Elliott SEARCH "POLLUTION HOUSTON" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

A bust of Bulgaria's communist leader Georgi Dimitrov is seen inside a decommissioned building at Neochim chemical factory in Dimitrovgrad, Bulgaria, June 20, 2019. The town, named after Dimitrov, was constructed almost from scratch in the late 1940s by so called "brigadier movement", when thousands of Bulgarians from all around the country embraced the idea of building a "City of dreams" where youths would live and work in brand new industries. Picture taken June 20, 2019. REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov

A poster advertising the 13th congress of the Bulgarian Communist Party is seen inside a decommissioned building at Neochim chemical factory in Dimitrovgrad, Bulgaria, June 20, 2019. The town, named after BulgariaÕs communist leader Georgi Dimitrov, was constructed almost from scratch in the late 1940s by so called "brigadier movementÓ, when thousands of Bulgarians from all around the country embraced the idea of building a "City of dreams" where youths would live and work in brand new industries. Picture taken June 20, 2019. REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov

A general view shows Neochim chemical factory and the town of Dimitrovgrad, Bulgaria, November 27, 2019. The town, named after Bulgaria's communist leader Georgi Dimitrov, was constructed almost from scratch in the late 1940s by so called "brigadier movement", when thousands of Bulgarians from all around the country embraced the idea of building a "City of dreams" where youths would live and work in brand new industries. Picture taken November 27, 2019. REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov

German Mining, Chemical and Energy Industrial Union (IG-BCE) union members protest ahead a session of the Coal Commission, consisting of politicians, researchers and lobbyists which will present a report, for a shut down date for Germany's last coal-fired power plant in Berlin, Germany, January 25, 2019. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

German Mining, Chemical and Energy Industrial Union (IG-BCE) union members protest ahead a session of the Coal Commission, consisting of politicians, researchers and lobbyists which will present a report, for a shut down date for Germany's last coal-fired power plant in Berlin, Germany, January 25, 2019. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

German Mining, Chemical and Energy Industrial Union (IG-BCE) union members protest ahead a session of the Coal Commission, consisting of politicians, researchers and lobbyists which will present a report, for a shut down date for Germany's last coal-fired power plant in Berlin, Germany, January 25, 2019. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

German Mining, Chemical and Energy Industrial Union (IG-BCE) union members protest ahead a session of the Coal Commission, consisting of politicians, researchers and lobbyists which will present a report, for a shut down date for Germany's last coal-fired power plant in Berlin, Germany, January 25, 2019. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

German Mining, Chemical and Energy Industrial Union (IG-BCE) union members protest ahead a session of the Coal Commission, consisting of politicians, researchers and lobbyists which will present a report, for a shut down date for Germany's last coal-fired power plant in Berlin, Germany, January 25, 2019. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

A worker repairs a facility of a chemical factory at the Keihin Industrial Zone in Kawasaki, Japan September 12, 2018. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

Workers repair a facility of a chemical factory at the Keihin Industrial Zone in Kawasaki, Japan September 12, 2018. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

The logo of fertiliser maker Notore Chemical Industries Plc is pictured in Abuja, Nigeria August 2, 2018. REUTERS/Afolabi Sotunde

Russia's Deputy Industry and Trade Minister Georgy Kalamanov takes part in a special session of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in the Hague, Netherlands June 26, 2018. REUTERS/Yves Herman

Alexander Vasilievich Shulgin, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the OPCW and Russia's Deputy Industry and Trade Minister Georgy Kalamanov address a special session of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in the Hague, Netherlands June 26, 2018. REUTERS/Yves Herman

Alexander Vasilievich Shulgin, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the OPCW and Russia's Deputy Industry and Trade Minister Georgy Kalamanov address a special session of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in the Hague, Netherlands June 26, 2018. REUTERS/Yves Herman

Environmental activist Wu Lihong describes water and soil pollution caused by contaminants from chemical manufacturing industry, in his locality outside one of the factories that he says breaks environmental protection rules, in Yixing city, Jiangsu province, China November 14, 2017. Picture taken November 14, 2017. REUTERS/Christian Shepherd

Environmental activist Wu Lihong describes water and soil pollution caused by contaminants from chemical manufacturing industry, in his locality outside one of the factories that he says breaks environmental protection rules, in Yixing city, Zhejiang province, China November 14, 2017. Picture taken November 14, 2017. REUTERS/Christian Shepherd

Shinobu Sakamoto was just 15 when she left her home in the southern Japanese fishing village of Minamata to go to Stockholm and tell the world of the horrors of mercury poisoning. Forty-five years on, she is travelling again, this time to Geneva, to attend from Sunday a gathering of signatories to the first global pact to rein in mercury pollution. Sakamoto is one of a shrinking group of survivors from a 1950s industrial disaster in which tens of thousands of people were poisoned after waste water from a chemical plant seeped into the Minamata bay. The waste contained a toxic organic compound, methylmercury, which can cause severe damage to the brain and nervous system, leading to a condition called Minamata disease. It gives its name to the U.N.-backed treaty that took effect last month. Symptoms worsen with age, leaving some victims grappling with the question of who will care for them after the death of siblings and parents, while others face legal disputes. "If I don't say something, no one will know about Minamata disease," said Sakamoto, who is one of the few born with the disease who is still able to talk. "There are still so many problems, and I want people to know." REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "MINAMATA VICTIMS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY. Matching text: JAPAN-MINAMATA/VICTIMS

Steam rises from a chemical plant in an industrial zone in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada May 13, 2017. Picture taken May 13, 2017. REUTERS/Chris Helgren

Smoke rises from chemical industries in the city of Cubatao, Brazil June 8, 2017. REUTERS/Paulo Whitaker

A general view of a chemical industry in the city of Cubatao, Brazil June 8, 2017. REUTERS/Paulo Whitaker

A general view of chemical industries in the city of Cubatao, Brazil June 8, 2017. REUTERS/Paulo Whitaker

A general view of chemical industries in the city of Cubatao, Brazil June 8, 2017. REUTERS/Paulo Whitaker

Smoke rises from chemical industries in the city of Cubatao, Brazil June 8, 2017. REUTERS/Paulo Whitaker

Smoke rises from chemical industries in the city of Cubatao, Brazil June 8, 2017. REUTERS/Paulo Whitaker

Smoke rises from chemical industries in the city of Cubatao, Brazil June 8, 2017. REUTERS/Paulo Whitaker

Belgian chemicals group Solvay displays a prototype aircraft wing skin made using alternative resin-infusion production methods without a traditional autoclave at the JEC World exhibition at Villepinte, outside Paris, France, March 16, 2017. The prototype demonstrates technology similar to methods used to build the wings for Russia’s new MS-21 passenger jet, for which Solvay provides materials. Industry officials say this kind of technology is being assessed by Western planemakers for some of their own future models. Picture taken March 16, 2017. REUTERS/Christian Hartmann

Steam and smoke rise from a factory in the Guantao Chemical Industry Park in the early morning near the villages of East Luzhuang and Nansitou, Hebei province, February 22, 2017. Picture taken February 22, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

A villager and a boy ride on an electric tricycle past the Guantao Chemical Industry Park outside the village of East Luzhuang, Hebei province, February 23, 2017. Picture taken February 23, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

A plant inside the Guantao Chemical Industry Park is seen behind farmland near the village of East Luzhuang, Hebei province, February 22, 2017. Picture taken February 22, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

Morning mist rises from the canal that runs through the Guantao Chemical Industry Park near the village of East Luzhuang, Hebei province, February 22, 2017. The sign reads: "Speed up production upgrading. Create an environmentaly friendly industrial park." Picture taken February 22, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

A worker plunges bananas into a chemical bath at a packing line at a banana plantation operated by a Chinese company in the province of Bokeo, Laos April 24, 2017. REUTERS/Jorge Silva SEARCH "SILVA BANANA" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager holds a news conference after Dow Chemical gained conditional EU antitrust approval on Monday for their $130 billion merger by agreeing to significant asset sales, one of a trio of mega mergers that will redraw the agrochemicals industry, in Brussels, Belgium March 27, 2017. REUTERS/Yves Herman

European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager holds a news conference after Dow Chemical gained conditional EU antitrust approval on Monday for their $130 billion merger by agreeing to significant asset sales, one of a trio of mega mergers that will redraw the agrochemicals industry, in Brussels, Belgium March 27, 2017. REUTERS/Yves Herman

European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager holds a news conference after Dow Chemical gained conditional EU antitrust approval on Monday for their $130 billion merger by agreeing to significant asset sales, one of a trio of mega mergers that will redraw the agrochemicals industry, in Brussels, Belgium March 27, 2017. REUTERS/Yves Herman

European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager holds a news conference after Dow Chemical gained conditional EU antitrust approval on Monday for their $130 billion merger by agreeing to significant asset sales, one of a trio of mega mergers that will redraw the agrochemicals industry, in Brussels, Belgium March 27, 2017. REUTERS/Yves Herman

European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager holds a news conference after Dow Chemical gained conditional EU antitrust approval on Monday for their $130 billion merger by agreeing to significant asset sales, one of a trio of mega mergers that will redraw the agrochemicals industry, in Brussels, Belgium March 27, 2017. REUTERS/Yves Herman

European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager holds a news conference after Dow Chemical gained conditional EU antitrust approval on Monday for their $130 billion merger by agreeing to significant asset sales, one of a trio of mega mergers that will redraw the agrochemicals industry, in Brussels, Belgium March 27, 2017. REUTERS/Yves Herman

European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager holds a news conference after Dow Chemical gained conditional EU antitrust approval on Monday for their $130 billion merger by agreeing to significant asset sales, one of a trio of mega mergers that will redraw the agrochemicals industry, in Brussels, Belgium March 27, 2017. REUTERS/Yves Herman

A scientist manages a 3D bioprinter prototype which for the first time is able to replicate human skin that can be used for transplants and testing in the cosmetic, chemical and pharmaceutical industries, at Carlos III University in Getafe, Spain, February 2, 2017. Picture taken February 2, 2017. REUTERS/Sergio Perez

A 3D bioprinter prototype which for the first time is able to replicate human skin that can be used for transplants and testing in the cosmetic, chemical and pharmaceutical industries, works at Carlos III University in Getafe, Spain, February 2, 2017. Picture taken February 2, 2017. REUTERS/Sergio Perez

A scientist manages a 3D bioprinter prototype which for the first time is able to replicate human skin that can be used for transplants and testing in the cosmetic, chemical and pharmaceutical industries, at Carlos III University in Getafe, Spain, February 2, 2017. Picture taken February 2, 2017. REUTERS/Sergio Perez

A scientist manages a 3D bioprinter prototype which for the first time is able to replicate human skin that can be used for transplants and testing in the cosmetic, chemical and pharmaceutical industries, at Carlos III University in Getafe, Spain, February 2, 2017. Picture taken February 2, 2017. REUTERS/Sergio Perez

An employee works on a thread plaiting, made of the alloy of platinum, palladium and rhodium and used in the chemical industry as a catalyst, at the Krastsvetmet non-ferrous metals plant, one of the world's largest producers in the precious metals industry, in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, Russia, March 9, 2017. Picture taken March 9, 2017. REUTERS/Ilya Naymushin

An employee works on a thread plaiting, made of the alloy of platinum, palladium and rhodium and used in the chemical industry as a catalyst, at the Krastsvetmet non-ferrous metals plant, one of the world's largest producers in the precious metals industry, in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, Russia, March 9, 2017. Picture taken March 9, 2017. REUTERS/Ilya Naymushin

Employees operate a machine while knitting a thread plaiting, made of the alloy of platinum, palladium and rhodium and used in the chemical industry as a catalyst, at the Krastsvetmet non-ferrous metals plant, one of the world's largest producers in the precious metals industry, in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, Russia, March 9, 2017. Picture taken March 9, 2017. REUTERS/Ilya Naymushin

Fire and smoke rise from the factory of chemicals giant BASF in Ludwigshafen, Germany where several people had been injured following an explosion, October 17, 2016. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski

The entrance to the Wacker Chemie AG facility is seen in the south-east Bavarian town of Burghausen April 1, 2014. REUTERS/Michaela Rehle/File Photo

A general view of the Wacker Chemie AG in the south-east Bavarian town of Burghausen April 1, 2014. REUTERS/Michaela Rehle/File Photo

A woman consoles a relative (2nd L) of a victim, who was injured in an explosion at a chemical factory in an industrial area, at a hospital in Dombivali on the outskirts of Mumbai, India May 26, 2016. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui

A man sits next to his daughter, who was injured in an explosion at a chemical factory in an industrial area, at a hospital in Dombivali on the outskirts of Mumbai, India May 26, 2016. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui

Rescue personnel work at the site of an explosion at a chemical factory in an industrial area in Dombivali on the outskirts of Mumbai, India May 26, 2016. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui

Rescue personnel work at the site of an explosion at a chemical factory in an industrial area in Dombivali on the outskirts of Mumbai, India May 26, 2016. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui

Firefighters try to extinguish a fire at the site of an explosion at a chemical factory in an industrial area in Dombivali on the outskirts of Mumbai, India May 26, 2016. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui

Rescue personnel work at the site of an explosion at a chemical factory in an industrial area in Dombivali, on the outskirts of Mumbai, India May 26, 2016. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

A general view of chemical industries in the city of Cubatao, Brazil, April 4, 2016. Picture taken April 4, 2016. To match Insight BRAZIL-USIMINAS/ REUTERS/Paulo Whitaker

A general view of chemical industries in the city of Cubatao, Brazil, April 4, 2016. Picture taken April 4, 2016. To match Insight BRAZIL-USIMINAS/ REUTERS/Paulo Whitaker

An FBI Bomb Technician logo is seen on a Special Agent's jacket at an explosives training and demonstration held by agents with the Newark New Jersey FBI Field office designed to educate bomb technicians, first responders, and the chemical industry on the potential uses of common industrial and household chemicals in the manufacturing of improvised explosives, at a Police training facility in Edison New Jersey, April 5, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Segar

An FBI Bomb Technician Special Agent walks away after placing a small improvised explosive in a field at an explosives training and demonstration held by agents with the Newark New Jersey FBI Field office designed to educate bomb technicians, first responders, and the chemical industry on the potential uses of common industrial and household chemicals in the manufacturing of improvised explosives, at a Police training facility in Edison, New Jersey, April 5, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Segar