The Charleston Gazette - Chemical plant safety

Two suits target Bayer Institute plant

kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 23:45:00 -0400

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Two Institute-area residents on Wednesday sued Bayer CropScience, alleging repeated leaks and other accidents at the companys sprawling chemical plant made them sick and put them at risk of future illnesses. Sue Davis and Donn...

OSHA investigating DuPont illnesses

kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 17:12:46 -0400

Federal workplace safety officials have launched an investigation of the illnesses of three workers last week at the DuPont Co. chemical plant in Belle. "We are currently investigating," said Leni Uddyback-Fortson, a spokeswoman for the U....

CSB renews call for local chemical safety program

kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 18:28:54 -0400

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The U.S. Chemical Safety Board on Tuesday approved the final version of its report on three January 2010 accidents that left one DuPont Co. Belle plant worker dead and created major questions about the companys safety practices. B...

DuPont rejected safety options for Belle plant, records show

kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.) — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 23:45:00 -0400

Read the reportCHARLESTON, W.Va. -- It was May 1988, and DuPont Co. engineers and managers were debating how to best build a facility where their companys Belle plant could turn the poi...

CSB: DuPont needs to re-examine safety practices

kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.) — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 10:00:01 -0400

Read the report and updated coverage.Phosgene plant could have left plant, crossed river, CSB says ...

Phosgene leak could have crossed river, CSB says

kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.) — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 18:08:08 -0400

CSB: Dupont needs to re-examine safety practicesCHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Dangerous levels of the poisonous chemical phosgene may have escaped the DuPont Co. Belle plant and dr...

Little progress seen on chemical safety plan

kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.) — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 23:45:00 -0400

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- As the U.S. Chemical Safety Board prepares to release another report expected to criticize plant operations in the Kanawha Valley, local health department officials are concerned about the lack of progress on the boards recomme...

Chemical Safety Board to issue DuPont report next week

kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.) — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 23:45:00 -0400

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- After months of delays, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board plans next week to release its report on safety problems -- including a January...

Chemical board continues to delay DuPont report

kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.) — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 13:00:00 -0400

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- U.S. Chemical Safety Board officials continue to delay the release of a report on a series of DuPont Belle Plant issues, including the January 2010 phosgene leak that killed a longtime DuPont worker. Board members have twice v...

Two DuPont workers exposed to sulfuric acid

kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.) — Tue, 31 May 2011 13:31:13 -0400

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Two workers at the DuPont Co. plant in Belle were transported to a local hospital Tuesday after sulfuric acid sprayed from a hose during the demolition of the facilitys sulfuric acid production unit, o...

Most claims dropped from Bayer suit

kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.) — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 23:45:00 -0400

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Most of the residents who sued to stop Bayer CropScience from restarting the methyl isocyanate unit at its Institute plant have voluntarily dismissed other potential claims against the company. But one Institute man filed an amended co...

Decades-old threat from toxic gas drifts away

webmaster@ap.org ( The Associated Press) — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 21:50:29 -0400

INSTITUTE, W.Va. -- For the first time in 26 years, Barbara Oden can let go of the image that has haunted her -- poisonous gas leaking from a Union Carbide tank and killing thousands of people in Bhopal, India, in the worlds deadliest indus...

Judge: Remaining claims vs. Bayer are insufficient

kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.) — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 17:36:56 -0400

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A federal judge expressed skepticism on Monday about the remaining claims in a lawsuit filed against the Bayer CropScience plant in Institute by 16 Kanawha Valley residents. U.S. District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin said documents f...

Residents want expert disqualified from Bayer case

kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.) — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 23:45:00 -0400

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A court-appointed expert in the lawsuit over the Bayer CropScience methyl isocyanate unit should be disqualified because his report is based largely on a study prepared by an expert witness hired by Bayers lawyers, an attorney...

Bayer gives up fight to restart Institute MIC unit

kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.) — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 11:35:48 -0400

Read more here. CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Bayer CropScience said Friday it will not resume production of methyl isocyanate at its Institute plant, ending a quarter-century fight that ...

Chemical industry group warns judge on Bayer lawsuit

webmaster@ap.org ( The Associated Press) — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 18:14:33 -0400

Judge asks MIC parties to list douments they want sealed CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A national lobbying group for the chemical industry wants a federal judge in West Virginia to tread ligh...

Judge asks MIC parties to list documents they want sealed

kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.) — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 18:44:01 -0400

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A federal judge wants Bayer CropScience and Kanawha Valley residents who are suing the company to identify what documents in the case should be concealed from the public and the news media. U.S. District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin ...

Court expert in Bayer case has opposed tougher chemical rules

kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.) — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 23:45:00 -0500

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A chemical engineer appointed to advise U.S. District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin about the safety of Bayer CropSciences controversial methyl isocyanate unit has consistently opposed new rules that would push companies to reduce the ...

MIC study meeting set for March 21

kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 23:45:00 -0500

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- March 21 is shaping up to be a pretty busy day for Kanawha Valley residents who are concerned about the use of the deadly chemical methyl isocyanate at the Bayer CropScience plant in Institute. Already, Chief U.S. District Judge Jos...

OSHA inspecting W.Va. Bayer plant again

kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 20:24:48 -0500

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Federal investigators have begun a new inspection of the Bayer CropScience plant in Institute and will take a closer look at the facilitys newly redesigned methyl isocyanate production unit. Its not clear, though, if results of the U....

CSB study details potential MIC leak impacts

kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.) — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 18:13:11 -0500

Read the report. CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Thousa...

Judge extends Bayer MIC restraining order

kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.) — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 16:17:50 -0500

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A federal judge has extended a temporary restraining order, blocking Bayer CropScience from restarting production of methyl isocyanate at its Institute plant. Chief U.S. District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin extended the order and dela...

Bayer lawyers tell judge MIC unit is safe

kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.) — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 17:39:01 -0500

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Lawyers for Bayer CropScience are trying to convince a federal judge the companys Institute plant is safe, even as a federal agency that investigated the facility continues to call for more inspections before Bayers controversial me...

Judge turns down Bayer blanket secrecy request

kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.) — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 19:20:25 -0500

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A federal judge on Tuesday turned down Bayer CropSciences request for what a lawyer for Kanawha Valley residents called a "blanket assertion of confidentiality" for documents concerning the proposed restart of the methyl isoc...

Bayer says MIC unit training, procedures not complete

kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.) — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 19:41:25 -0500

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Bayer CropScience said Monday it continues to work on standard operating procedures and employee training for the reconfigured methyl isocyanate production unit it hoped to restart later this week before a federal judge blocked the...

Goodwin clarifies Bayer MIC order

kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.) — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 23:45:00 -0500

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A federal judge on Sunday clarified that last weeks temporary restraining order blocks Bayer CropScience from producing or manufacturing deadly methyl isocyanate (MIC), but does not prohibit certain other activities at the Institute pl...

Goodwin grants order blocking MIC unit start-up

kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.) — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 15:31:32 -0500

Read the judges order. CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A federal judge on Thursday ordered Bayer CropScience not to resume production of the deadly pesticide ingredient me...

Kanawha residents want Bayers studies of MIC unit

kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.) — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 12:59:59 -0500

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Kanawha Valley residents want Bayer CropScience to turn over any company studies that examined the risks and potential consequences of a major release of the deadly chemical methyl isocyanate from its Institute plant. A ...

Bayer says fears not enough to prevent MIC re-start

kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.) — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 11:24:14 -0500

Read the legal briefs. CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Lawyers for Bayer CropScience are urging a federal judge to turn down a request to temporarily block the...

Residents sue to delay start-up of Bayers MIC unit

kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.) — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 17:18:09 -0500

Read the lawsuit here. CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- More then a dozen Kanawha Valley residents filed suit Tuesday afternoon to try to stop Bayer CropScience from restarting the methyl ...

Report: Fatal Bayer blast should never have happened

kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.) — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 10:00:00 -0500

More information, the report and a CSB video here. Read more CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The U.S. Chemical Safety Board has scheduled a public meeting for Jan. 20 to release its final report on the August 2008 explosion and...

Feds: Boost Kanawhas chemical safety plan

kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.) — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 20:56:08 -0500

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Federal investigators are expected to recommend next month that Kanawha County adopt new chemical plant safety regulations modeled after the strongest local program in the nation. U.S. Chemical Safety Board officials propose a plan si...

Bayer to pay $460,000 in DEP deals

kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.) — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 17:27:01 -0400

Read the settlements online at Sustained Outrage: a Gazette Watchdog blog.CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Bayer CropScience has agreed to pay nearly $460,000 to resolve a variety of chemical storag...

Bayer pesticide phased out for unacceptable risks

kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.) — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 23:45:00 -0400

Read more CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A pesticide that is a major product of Bayer CropSciences Institute plant will be phased out because it "may pose unacceptable dietary risks, especiall...

CSB chairman to Valley: We are on the job

kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 18:50:29 -0400

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The new chairman of the U.S. Chemical Safety Board promised Tuesday that his agency hasnt forgotten about its final report on the August 2008 explosion and fire that killed two workers at the Bayer CropScience plant in Institute. In a ...

OSHA cites, fines DuPont for fatal phosgene leak

kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 17:57:35 -0400

Read the OSHA citations CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Federal inspectors on Monday cited DuPont Co. with multiple workplace safety violations related to the January leak of pho...

Chemical board chairman to visit valley, talk about Bayer

kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 19:29:41 -0400

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The new chairman of the federal Chemical Safety Board is coming to the Kanawha Valley next week to address concerns that his agency is stalling the release of final report on the August 2008 explosion and fire at Bayer CropSciences Ins...

Carper concerned CSB stalling Bayer blast report

kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.) — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 19:34:21 -0400

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper is complaining that the federal Chemical Safety Board is stalling the release of its final report on the August 2008 explosion and fire that killed two workers at Bayer Crop...

Before fatal leak, DuPont scrambled to fix phosgene problems

kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.) — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 17:03:16 -0400

Read the reportCHARLESTON, W.Va. -- In the hours before a fatal Jan. 23 phosgene leak at the DuPont Co. plant in Belle, company officials were scrambling to...

DuPont wont release company report on fatal phosgene leak

kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.) — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 21:14:19 -0400

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- DuPont Co. officials said Thursday that a corroded, aging hose leaked phosgene gas in a January incident that killed a worker at the companys chemical plant in Belle. Plant manager Bill Menke issued a short news release that said ...

Chemical board seeks input on MIC study plan

kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.) — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 23:45:00 -0400

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The U.S. Chemical Safety Board wants to know what the public thinks about its plan for a National Academy of Sciences study of the use of deadly methyl isocyanate at Bayer CropSciences Institute plant. Board officials are acceptin...

DuPont Statement on Recent Incidents

kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.) — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 23:45:00 -0500

Here is the text of DuPonts statement to the media today about its Belle plant:
The DuPont Belle site has responded to a series of three process incidents which occurred at the site on Friday and Saturday, 1/22 and 1/23. "DuPont is commit...

Bayer knew MIC monitors were broken before blast

kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.) — Sun, 10 May 2009 00:15:00 -0400

Read more about the Bayer explosionINSTITUTE, W.Va. -- Bayer CropScience managers knew methyl isocyanate monitors were broken last August when they restarted a pe...

Federal prosecutors to look into Bayer explosion

kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 13:00:00 -0400

Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper called Wednesday for a federal criminal investigation of Bayer CropSciences actions related to the August 2008 explosion that killed two plant workers.In a letter, Carper urged U.S. Attorney Charles T. Miller...

Nitro to ask Bayer to repay police overtime in plant fire

(Greg Garner) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 01:00:00 -0400

NITRO, W.Va. - Nitro City Council announced Tuesday night it will attempt to recoup the expenses the city incurred in responding to last weeks chemical plant blast. At approximately 10:30 p.m. last Thursday, there was an explosion at the Bayer Crop...

Shelter-in-place order for much of western Kanawha County

(Staff reports) — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 01:33:12 -0400

Residents in much of western Kanawha County were under a shelter-in-place order on Thursday night and this morning after the explosion at the Bayer Crop Science plant in Institute.Those orders remained in force as of 1:30 a.m. today. Shelter-in-pla...