US - 3M Law Suit Targets Plant in South Alabama
Neighbors of 3M Co.'s plant in Decatur, Ala., are suing the company, claiming that two chemicals 3M produced there for decades contaminated
their soil and groundwater and lowered their property values. The lawsuit, one of two filed in Alabama against the Maplewood manufacturer over
its production of perfluorochemicals, came one day after DuPont Co. announced it will pay as much as $343 million to settle a class-action
lawsuit accusing that company's Teflon plant in West Virginia of contaminating nearby water supplies with one of the same synthetic compounds that
3M made. 3M doesn't make the chemicals in the United States anymore and says the lawsuits have no merit. But combined with the DuPont settlement,
the new Alabama lawsuit — filed Sept. 10 in Decatur — may signal the filing of similar suits related to the chemicals, possibly opening 3M
to what one environmental lawyer called "tremendous" litigation risks.
The plaintiffs' lawyers in the Alabama suit are seeking class-action status. The main chemicals in question are perfluorooctane sulfonate
and perfluorooctanoic acid, commonly called PFOS and PFOA, which 3M made for years at its plants in Cottage Grove and in Decatur. Both lawsuits
involve the Alabama facility, not the Minnesota plant. The chemicals, which do not break down in the environment, seem ubiquitous — found
in fish in the Great Lakes and in polar bears. Scientists still are trying to figure out how they got there. They also have been found in
human blood on four cont inents. In high doses the chemicals are considered acutely toxic to test animals, having killed or caused cancer, developmental
problems and liver problems. Studies of 3M workers at the Cottage Grove and Decatur plants link PFOA exposure to certain forms of cancer and
stroke.
The federal Environmental Protection Agency calls PFOS and PFOA "chemicals of concern" and is studying them for toxicity and for being possible
carcinogens. A draft risk assessment of PFOA is due in November. PFOS and PFOA are part of a family of perfluorochemicals characterized by
chains of carbon atoms bonded to fluorine atoms, yielding armorlike compounds. PFOS and PFOA both have a chain of eight carbon atoms. PFOS
once was a key ingredient in 3M's original Scotchgard, which 3M has since reformulated using a cousin chemical. PFOA is a backbone industrial
chemical used to make super-tough plastic and rubber that goes into a slew of products such as nonstick fry pans, silicon wafer carriers,
circuit breakers, spacecraft and flame-retardantfabrics. 3M sold PFOA to DuPont for use in making Teflon. 3M announced in 2000 that it was
stopping production of the two chemicals because of concerns about the environmental impacts.
The company still makes a small amount of PFOA in Europe for internal use. A 3M spokesman said neither of the Alabama lawsuits has any merit.
It's unclear how great a new litigation risk the chemicals are for 3M, which still is settling lawsuits over breast implants and dust masks.
An attorney for the Environmental Workin g Group, an organization in Washington, D.C., that has been investigating the chemicals, described
the litigation risk for water contamination in particular as "tremendous," pointing to the DuPont settlement. The new Alabama lawsuit accuses 3M
of negligence, gross negligence, liability and trespass in knowing about the problems with the compounds and not notifying nearby residents.
While the release of the compounds has residents fearing future illness, the plaintiffs aren't seeking damages related to disease, the suit says.
Three managers at the 3M Decatur plant are named as defendants.
The plaintiffs' class could range from several hundred to thousands, the filing says, as it includes all affected property owners in the area. Rhon Jones, a Montgomery, Ala., attorney representing the plaintiffs,
declined to comment. 3M said the allegations in both suits ignore and misstate extensive scientific research. "3M has acted responsibly
and openly in addressing these compounds," said company spokesman Rick Renner. "We discovered their widespread distribution in the
environment and brought it to the attention of government regulators and the public. We conducted extensive research on these compounds and
shared that research with regulators and the scientific community. We voluntarily phased out virtually all production of these compounds because
we didn't want to add to their presence in the environment. We have monitored our employees for decades and have found no adverse health
affects associated with these compounds." A separate lawsuit claiming adverse health effects of PFOS and PFOA was filed against 3M in Decatur
two years ago and is pending.
That lawsuit names three former and current 3M plant workers and their three children as plaintiffs, accusing 3M of lying to employees about
whether working with perfluorochemicals was safe. According to the complaint, one of the plaintiffs, who worked at the 3M plant for 25 years, has
very high levels of PFOS, PFOA and other perfluorochemicals in his blood and has developed a disabling central nervous system disorder. The three
children have blood contaminated with PFOS and PFOA because their mothers worked at the plant, but the complaint doesn't say the contamination
made the children sick. Leon Ashford, an attorney in Birmingham, Ala., who is representing the plaintiffs, wouldn't discuss the case. Minnesota
health officials are finalizing a study of the public health impacts of PFOS and PFOA contamination at 3M's Cottage Grove plant. A report
draft concludes there isn't enough data on how the public is exposed to the chemicals to determine whether the plant is a public health hazard.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency calls PFOA "an emerging contaminant." "We're trying to stay ahead of it," said
Walker Smith, a spokesman for the agency. The Pollution Control Agency is monitoring several wells near a closed Washington County landfill
for PFOA. So far, the levels are below the 7-parts-per-billion threshold the state Health Department set as acceptable for drinking water. DuPont
is now the lone U.S. manufacturer of PFOA. No one in the United States makes PFOS, according to 3M's Renner.
US - Houston, New caney, Pipeline Explosion
A man watches while flames billow from the ruptured pipeline
At least 250 people who were evacuated before dawn from their homes after a pipeline exploded have been given the all-clear to return home. No injuries were reported
and officials were still trying to determine what caused the explosion just before 5 a.m. in New Caney, about 30 miles northeast of Houston. Officials have extinguished the fire.
Residents reported hearing a small explosion followed by a larger one along the 6-inch diameter propylene pipeline. Propylene is a volatile gas used in the production of many resins,
plastics and gasoline. There had been utility line construction in the area, and equipment was spotted at the site of the explosion, but officials weren't sure if that was related
to the incident. "There was no significant damage to any houses. We got good compliance with the evacuation," said Montgomery County Fire Marshal Jimmy Williams this morning.
"We're just simply securing the scene and allowing it to burn out." Officials estimated that it would take four to six hours for the blaze to burn out. Dark smoke could be seen for miles.
A 6-mile stretch of pipeline was taken out of service, helping reduce the flames, Williams said. Investigators said they would check the condition of a nearby propane pipeline once the fire
burned out. About 50 of the individuals who were told to leave their homes went to a shelter set up at a local school by the American Red Cross. "They didn't have much time at all to
evacuate," said Marci Wilberly, a spokeswoman for the Red Cross. "When they first came in, everyone was very frightened. Everybody is just now kind of waiting around until they can get back home."
US - Two firefighters killed in New Knoxville
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Australia, Perth, BP Investigates Massive Oil Spill
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Australia - Huge Fuel Spill Sparks Major Creek Cleanup
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Japan - Hebei - Power Plant Blast kills at least 13 people
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India - Rocket explodes at Scrap Yard Killing 10
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US - Chemical reaction Started Fire
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Chemical Fire Shuts Pennsylvania Turnpike East of Harrisburg
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Three Passengers Escape With Minor Injuries After Two Planes Collide in Ohio
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Fire Sweeps Landmark Caracas Office Tower
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Indian refinery blast injures 16
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Blaze forces pickle plant closure
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Iraq sulphur fire breaks records
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Fire shuts down Petrojam
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Firefighters OK after toxic-fume exposure
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Daquing Oil Refinery Fire Explosion Kills 2
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Nigerian tribe gives Shell an ultimatum
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Fiery Crash At Gas Station Caught On Tape
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Two Killed in Fire at Northeastern China Oil Refinery
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Spilled fuel blamed for starting fatal fire
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Heavy rain Floods Island
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