Environmentalists have been protesting outside the United States embassy in Delhi against the shipping of toxic waste from the US to the port of Alang in the state of Gujarat.

Activists from the environmental group Greenpeace say ships containing asbestos and lead-based paints are broken up at the port, where safety standards are poor.

The demonstrators jeered at a skit in which an activist had draped himself in the US flag and was being fondled by other activists representing the Indian government.

Others waved placards saying: "Stop Waste Trade" or "Merchants of Poison and Death Quit India."

Nityanand Jayaraman, a spokesman for Greenpeace, alleged that many workers at the port were dying from exposure to toxic substances.

He said the US was sending ships abroad that could not be turned into scrap at home because of strict environmental laws.

"It is reported that three to four workers die every week due to mishaps or occupation-related ailments", Jayaraman said.

Representatives of Greenpeace International accused the United States of exporting ships carrying asbestos and other dangerous wastes to India, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

The protesters handed over a memorandum outlining their concerns embassy officials, who said it would be forwarded to the authorities in Washington.
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