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110 N.J. plants at risk
Report says toxic chemical release could be 'catastrophic'
BY STACIE BABULA
BLOOMBERG NEWS
New Jersey, the most densely populated U.S. state, has 110 industrial plants that pose ''catastrophic" safety and health risks for the public in the event of an accidental or intentional toxic chemical release, a report by a coalition of labor and environmental groups found.
An incident at the Kuehne Chemical Co. plant in northern New Jersey would potentially threaten an area of 12 million people that extends into Manhattan, Brooklyn and Staten Island0, according to the New Jersey Work Environment Council.
In southern New Jersey, a release of chlorine from a DuPont Co. plant could endanger any of 2 million people in a 25-mile area that reaches into downtown Philadelphia, the report said.
''In this post 9/11 world, we must recognize the need to safeguard ourselves against those who might attempt to use these facilities as weapons," said Rick Engler, director of the Trenton-based council, whose 70 members include the United Steelworkers, state Sierra Club chapter and New Jersey Public Interest Research Group.
''This has become a real security issue that demands immediate attention," Engler said.
The Work Environment Council recommends mandatory, not voluntary, industry safety guidelines; a comprehensive assessment of safety vulnerabilities at all facilities that have the potential to release toxic chemicals; and adequate staffing with enough trained workers to safely run a facility.
The council urged Gov. Jon S. Corzine to do more to improve chemical safety. ''While New Jersey has taken some useful first steps, additional mandatory safety and security standards are urgently needed," the report said.
Brendan Gilfillan, a spokesman for Corzine, didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.
Before becoming governor, then-U.S. Sen. Corzine sponsored bills to toughen federal chemical security laws.
Under then-Gov. Richard Codey's administration, the state ordered its 140 chemical plants to institute new security measures to protect against potential terrorist attacks.
The Chemistry Council of New Jersey, which represents about 100 manufacturers in the state, said then the measure wasn't necessary because the industry already had been working to improve safety, spending more than $100 million on security measures since Sept. 11, 2001.
Don Nicolai, president of Kuehne, said most of the information in the council's report is old. Since 1999, Kuehne has spent at least $15 million on security, physical plant improvements and technology to reduce the risk of an unintentional or intentional accident or spill, he said. Local and state police tour the plant every few hours, he said.
New Jersey's high population density -- 1,134.4 million residents per square mile -- puts a large number of people at risk from a potential terrorist attack or an explosion, the council said. A total of 15 facilities in the state -- in Essex, Gloucester, Hudson, Middlesex, Salem and Union counties -- could harm any of 100,000 residents or more if there were a chemical release, the report said.
Chlorine, the most hazardous material at the facilities, can burn the eyes and skin and cause throat irritation, chest pain and death, the report said.
The Kuehne plant in South Kearny takes chlorine supplied by other companies and makes bleach, which is used by water and wastewater treatment plants to remove bacteria and pathogens from water, Nicolai said.
DuPont spokesman Cliff Webb didn't immediately return a telephone message for comment.
No new federal laws have been enacted since the Sept. 11 attacks to create national safety standards for chemical plants, the council's report said.
The report discloses the names and locations of New Jersey facilities using or storing ''extraordinarily" hazardous chemicals and ranks them according to the population living with the area where a major toxic release could cause harm.
The council said it did so because such data may help improve the safety of such workplaces.
Industry officials said distributing the information publicly might help potential wrongdoers.
''It was probably inadvisable to disclose all this information from all these plants," Nicolai said.
110 N.J. plants at risk
Report says toxic chemical release could be 'catastrophic'
BY STACIE BABULA
BLOOMBERG NEWS
New Jersey, the most densely populated U.S. state, has 110 industrial plants that pose ''catastrophic" safety and health risks for the public in the event of an accidental or intentional toxic chemical release, a report by a coalition of labor and environmental groups found.
An incident at the Kuehne Chemical Co. plant in northern New Jersey would potentially threaten an area of 12 million people that extends into Manhattan, Brooklyn and Staten Island0, according to the New Jersey Work Environment Council.
In southern New Jersey, a release of chlorine from a DuPont Co. plant could endanger any of 2 million people in a 25-mile area that reaches into downtown Philadelphia, the report said.
''In this post 9/11 world, we must recognize the need to safeguard ourselves against those who might attempt to use these facilities as weapons," said Rick Engler, director of the Trenton-based council, whose 70 members include the United Steelworkers, state Sierra Club chapter and New Jersey Public Interest Research Group.
''This has become a real security issue that demands immediate attention," Engler said.
The Work Environment Council recommends mandatory, not voluntary, industry safety guidelines; a comprehensive assessment of safety vulnerabilities at all facilities that have the potential to release toxic chemicals; and adequate staffing with enough trained workers to safely run a facility.
The council urged Gov. Jon S. Corzine to do more to improve chemical safety. ''While New Jersey has taken some useful first steps, additional mandatory safety and security standards are urgently needed," the report said.
Brendan Gilfillan, a spokesman for Corzine, didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.
Before becoming governor, then-U.S. Sen. Corzine sponsored bills to toughen federal chemical security laws.
Under then-Gov. Richard Codey's administration, the state ordered its 140 chemical plants to institute new security measures to protect against potential terrorist attacks.
The Chemistry Council of New Jersey, which represents about 100 manufacturers in the state, said then the measure wasn't necessary because the industry already had been working to improve safety, spending more than $100 million on security measures since Sept. 11, 2001.
Don Nicolai, president of Kuehne, said most of the information in the council's report is old. Since 1999, Kuehne has spent at least $15 million on security, physical plant improvements and technology to reduce the risk of an unintentional or intentional accident or spill, he said. Local and state police tour the plant every few hours, he said.
New Jersey's high population density -- 1,134.4 million residents per square mile -- puts a large number of people at risk from a potential terrorist attack or an explosion, the council said. A total of 15 facilities in the state -- in Essex, Gloucester, Hudson, Middlesex, Salem and Union counties -- could harm any of 100,000 residents or more if there were a chemical release, the report said.
Chlorine, the most hazardous material at the facilities, can burn the eyes and skin and cause throat irritation, chest pain and death, the report said.
The Kuehne plant in South Kearny takes chlorine supplied by other companies and makes bleach, which is used by water and wastewater treatment plants to remove bacteria and pathogens from water, Nicolai said.
DuPont spokesman Cliff Webb didn't immediately return a telephone message for comment.
No new federal laws have been enacted since the Sept. 11 attacks to create national safety standards for chemical plants, the council's report said.
The report discloses the names and locations of New Jersey facilities using or storing ''extraordinarily" hazardous chemicals and ranks them according to the population living with the area where a major toxic release could cause harm.
The council said it did so because such data may help improve the safety of such workplaces.
Industry officials said distributing the information publicly might help potential wrongdoers.
''It was probably inadvisable to disclose all this information from all these plants," Nicolai said.
posted by Jones Lang LaSalle NJ News Blog at 3:09 PM
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