Marshall, Wetzel County Residents Sue Columbian Chemical
A group of Marshall and Wetzel county residents has sued the Columbian Chemical Co. plant in Proctor, alleging its emissions are hazardous to their health and property.
The complaint, which Columbian Chemical contends is without merit, was filed in Marshall County Circuit Court by nearly 100 of the plant’s neighbors who claim carbon black and carbon disulfide emissions put them at higher risk for a range of health problems that include respiratory illnesses, vascular diseases, neurological disorders and cancer.
“It’s a dangerous, hazardous substance,” said attorney Jamie Bordas, a partner at Bordas and Bordas, the firm representing the plaintiffs. “The problem is it is getting all over houses, cars and other home items, and it’s getting on them. They’re breathing it in and it’s very dangerous.”
Carbon black is an industry term used to describe a powdery commercial form of carbon. According to the complaint, it’s used as a reinforcing agent and for its pigment in the manufacturing of various products. The black, sticky dust is difflcult to wipe off of skin or objects, the complaint noted.
Columbian Chemical, however, said the engineered material improves the strength, durability and overall performance of a wide range of products.
Mike Blair, health and safety coordinator at the Proctor plant, said the material has a multitude of everyday uses that most Americans take for granted.
“It’s used in everyday products, like plastic trash bags, laptops, televisions, cell phones, paints, ink cartridges,” Blair said. “It makes safe tires possible – we can put 30,000 miles on tires safely because of carbon black. Without it, we’d be replacing them about every 10,000 miles. Carbon black is a very useful, everyday product (that we) deliver to customers who rely on us.”
A release issued by Columbian Chemicals in response to the suit noted the Marshall County plant “is a safe operation with a number of redundant systems in place to reduce emissions and protect the environment.”
“We have been operating since 1972 and we are committed to continuous process improvement,” the company said in its release. “Safety is our No. 1 goal. We take the well-being of our employees and our community seriously.
Our industry is heavily regulated and we operate in compliance with those regulations every day.”
Blair said Columbian Chemical “believes the allegations in the lawsuit are without merit and plan to defend ourselves vigorously” He added that further comment is not possible because of the pending litigation.
Bordas, meanwhile, said carbon disulfide is produced by 268 facilities in Ohio, West Virginia and Maryland, “but the plant in Proctor accounts for 73 percent of the carbon disulfide put out in the coordinator, Columbian Chemical Co. three states so it is, by far, one of the most significant sources of pollutants in the U.S.”
“The experts that we’ve hired, and they’re some of the best in the country, disagree with the company’s assertion that what they’re doing is appropriate,” Bordas said.
While the residents are seeking reimbursement for property damages and medical bills, as well as pain and suffering, Bordas insisted they aren’t trying to put the plant out of business.
“We want the plant to stay,” Bordas said. “That’s the one thing that’s important for people to understand. But, we want them be a good neighbor to citizens in this community.
“If a plant is going to operate in a community, it has an obligation to the citizens living there to conduct business in a way that is not going to cause harm to (them). It’s not appropriate for them to risk the health of individuals living in the surrounding area.”
Columbian Chemical Co., based in Marietta, Ga., is a subsidiary of Phelps Dodge Corp., one of the world’s leading producers of copper.
Columbia owns and operates 12 carbon black manufacturing plants in Brazil, Canada, England, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Korea, and Spain, as well as the United States.
Copyright State Journal Corporation Jun 03, 2005