In a letter...environmental groups...denounced a proposal by the European Commission on ship recycling to legalize the export of hazardous end-of-life ships to developing countries..."This proposal will render European governments powerless in preventing exports of asbestos and PCB laden ships from being sent to developing countries and putting vulnerable workers at risk" [says Roberto Ferrigno of the NGO Shipbreaking Platform]...About 70% of all ships [that are broken down, undergo the process in] developing countries such as Bangladesh, India and Pakistan...where unscrupulous companies exploit minimal enforcement of environmental and safety rules to maximize profits...[resulting in a number of accidental deaths of workers]...[Furthermore,] toxic waste [exported from the EU to South Asia] sickens the workers and ravages the coastal ecosystems.