DuPont in Pennsville / Carneys Point / Salem County in News again

[RayGun]

Former DuPont worker wins suit
Thursday, February 14, 2008
By Randall Clark of Today's Sunbeam
rclark@sjnewsco.com
SALEM A former technician at the DuPont Chambers Works was awarded a million-dollar settlement by a civil court jury here this week after winning a whistleblower lawsuit against the company.

Following a four-week trial in state Superior Court in Salem, 52-year-old Jack Seddon, of Millville, won a $1.224 million settlement Monday from DuPont.

Seddon had accused DuPont of systematically retaliating against him after he raised objections to potential public safety hazards at the Chambers Works in Deepwater. The six-person jury awarded him $724,000 in compensatory damages and $500,000 in punitive damages.

"The punitive damages the jury found essentially means they thought that upper management was involved in the act, in an evil-minded way," said Seddon's attorney, Neil Mullin. "Mr. Seddon was a whistleblower in the most classical sense."

A separate suit, filed by a another former Chambers Works employee, didn't make it to trial.

An age discrimination suit filed on behalf of 65-year-old Joseph A. Donelson, of Quinton-Marlboro Road in Quinton, had been thrown out by Superior Court Judge Timothy Farrell, who also presided over Seddon's case.

Mullin, who represented both Seddon and Donelson, said he will now be seeking another $1.5 million in legal fees from DuPont, the Wilmington, Del.,-based chemical giant.

DuPont Chambers Works Spokesman Bob Nelson said Wednesday that DuPont is currently looking into its options of an appeal.

"We still maintain that Mr. Seddon's allegations are unsupported," Nelson said. "We respect our employees, and encourage them to bring forward safety concerns."

Nelson added that 2007 was the safest year on record for the 90-year-old Chambers Works located in Deepwater in Pennsville Township.



According to the lawsuit, DuPont's safety record in previous years had been less than record-breaking. Seddon notified his supervisors in October 2003 that be believed the phosgene reactor he operated was becoming unstable, and that the inner tubes were corroded and beginning to leak.

Phosgene produced at the Chamber Works facility is a component used in the making of bullet-proof vests, Mullin said. It is also a known chemical warfare agent that produces instant and almost unbearable pain on exposed skin and eyes, while at the same time causing irritation to the respiratory tract.


An independent expert, Dr. Daniel D. Perlmutter, professor emeritus of chemical engineering at the University of Pennsylvania, testified that if just 10 percent of the phosgene had escaped, it would have caused a deadly plume in a 1,000 by 1,000 foot area.

Mullin said that a phosgene leak could have caused a large toxic plume that would have killed hundreds, if not thousands of people.

When Seddon first alerted his supervisors of the plant's failure to adhere to certain DuPont Phosgene Guardian Rules, Seddon alleged that DuPont began a vicious chain of rumors that their employee of 30 years was making threats to other employees and becoming mentally unsound.

"They made false allegations of violence, claimed there were performance issues and forced (Seddon) to go to a DuPont therapist," Mullin said. "Management had already poisoned the psychologist's view, and he ultimately suspended (Seddon) for two months without good cause."

Other independent psychologists who tested Seddon never found a problem with him, according to Mullin.

The suit alleged that DuPont's treatment of Seddon violated New Jersey's Conscientious Employee Protection Act, which essentially prohibits employers from taking retaliatory employment action against employees who "blow the whistle" by reporting to supervisors or authorities corporate conduct that the employee reasonably believes breaks the law.

Not long before Seddon retired in 2004, he called the DuPont Corporate Harassment Hotline, who told him they would conduct an investigation. The lawsuit alleges that such an investigation was basically swept under the rug.

Though Nelson explained that under applicable laws and as a general policy of the company, it would not discount such serious allegations.

"We continue to make our process safer by implementing new programs and procedures," Nelson said. "We take the input of our employees seriously when they bring safety issues to light."

DuPont replaced the phosgene reactor the same year Seddon retired.

[nemisis]

its funny how dupont gets such high marks for being a good neighbor from all the groups and politicians that receive funds from them ,but, if you look deeply enough you'll find an awful lot of communities that have suffered with contamination due to their actions. a lot of lawsuits going against them. in my opinion it takes more than paying taxes or making donations to be a good neighbor. yes, they provide jobs,but, at what cost to the rest of us.

[njriverman]

DuPont reports PFOA testing
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
By Randall Clark
rclark@sjnewsco.com
PENNSVILLE TWP. DuPont Chambers Works announced Tuesday it has submitted to the state a detailed report of the latest groundwater test results the company made in search of PFOA and other perflourinated compounds near the plant site here.

PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) is a processing agent used in the manufacture of non-stick surfaces, such as Teflon, and ingesting it has been associated with the risk of developing various cancers and other health problems.

The company has been monitoring for PFOA and other compounds at nine wells located in and around the Deepwater plant since 2005, company officials say.

The self-testing method Chambers Works utilizes was approved by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection in July of last year.

Officials said the latest test results come from nine monitoring wells around the plant and the test samples were drawn from depths between 5 1/2 and 16 feet deep.

According to Chambers Works Plant Manager Bland Dickey, results indicate that PFOA was detected off-site in shallow groundwater at concentrations ranging from .012 parts per billion to 1.4 ppb.

"Obviously parts per billion is a small number," Dickey said Tuesday. "It's like a drop of water in a swimming pool."

Dickey said that local water companies have relayed to Chambers Works that the company is operating safely and in compliance.

He added that the Chambers Works plant is making headway in eliminating the presence of PFOA entirely, a goal it has set for itself for the next seven years.

"We have committed to no longer make, buy, or use PFOA by 2015, or earlier if possible," Dickey said. "We have made excellent progress toward that goal by significantly reducing emissions and developing new products that are more environmentally sustainable."

The DEP said it will take some time to assess the findings that it received Tuesday.

DEP spokeswoman Karen Hershey said she is not aware of any PFOA guidance limit it sets for groundwater, but that the DEP does maintain a health-based guidance level for drinking water of .04 ppb.

Setting the guidance level was prompted in part by a study conducted in 2005 by an area advocacy group.

The Delaware Riverkeeper Network conducted the 2005 study by going door-to-door, measuring levels of PFOA in tapwater throughout homes in the towns of Deepwater, Pennsville and Penns Grove.

All three had measurable amounts of PFOA, the findings indicated.

Water that the network had tested reached levels between .0648 and .063 ppb in Penns Grove. PFOA levels of that concentration have been linked to a risk of cancer, according to DEP literature.

Findings offered by the DEP illustrate that laboratory tests conducted on adult rats show PFOA was found to induce liver, Leydig cell and pancreatic tumors in male rats and tumors of the mammary in female rats.

The Center for Disease Control and John Hopkins University have also reported health impacts in newborn babies such as low birth weight and reduced head circumference.

PFOA is said by the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine to be present in about 96 percent of people in the U.S., tending to build up within the body. Continued exposure to contaminated drinking water could produce higher concentrations of PFOA over time, since the chemical is difficult to excrete.

Dickey confirmed there is at least one lawsuit pending against DuPont on behalf of one or more people found with higher than average PFOA levels in the blood.

------------------------------------------

Anyone know someone who has been tested for
PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid)?

[nemisis]

duponts findings are pretty much the same as their findings across the river and they paid a hell of a fine for that. if there is even a hint of ground water contamination they should be fined and an immediate clean up begun.

[njriverman]

Subject: NJ Coalition calls for investigation of private wells for PFOA


New Jersey Coalition Calls for Investigation of Private Wells to Protect Families from PFOA in Drinking Water



Monday, June 09, 2008; Posted: 11:52 AM

DEEPWATER, N.J., June 9, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Community groups react to news that DuPont's Teflon chemicals likely contaminate area residential wells. Eight of nine DuPont monitoring wells exceeded New Jersey's 'alert level.'



- Private residential well contamination with PFOA reported by NJDEP.



- Testing demanded of all private drinking water wells and warnings issued to residents in towns adjacent to DuPont because of high levels of PFOA.



A coalition of environmental and labor groups are calling for the testing of private drinking water wells in four towns near DuPont's Chambers Works facility in Deepwater, N.J. They are concerned about the possible presence of the dangerous Teflon chemical, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and other perfluorinated compounds (PFCs).



The coalition's call for testing of private wells by DuPont follows the company's disclosure to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) that its groundwater monitoring wells showed contamination levels which exceeded the State of New Jersey's "alert level."



"Those whose drinking water comes from private wells have the right to know if they are drinking PFOA contaminated water," said Jane Nogaki, Vice Chair of NJ Environmental Federation. "Of particular concern are wells serving families with pregnant women and small children," she said noting a study of PFOA contamination of newborns released by Johns Hopkins Medical School in 2007.



"DuPont's sampling results, along with the NJDEP's information of private well contamination raises the possibility that up to 750 private residential drinking water wells in Salem County may suffer from PFOA contamination," said Shawn Gilchrist of the United Steelworkers Union.



Groundwater is the only source of drinking water for the nearby residents of Pennsville, Penns Grove, Carneys Point, and Oldmans Township and the results of DuPont's testing raises the possibility that common aquifers have been contaminated with PFOA and other PFCs.



DuPont's testing of nine on-site and off-site monitoring wells surrounding its Chambers Works plant showed PFOA results ranging from .012 parts per billion to 2.2 parts per billion. The nine monitoring wells were required by the NJDEP and were located at the plant's boundaries.



A year ago February, the NJDEP set the nation's safest drinking water guidance level for PFOA. New Jersey identified the safe "alert level" of only .04 parts per billion after finding PFOA contamination in drinking water supplies across the state. While all wells showed some PFOA content, eight of the nine monitoring wells exceeded New Jersey's "alert level."



The sampling results also suggest that DuPont's "interceptor wells," which are supposed to have contained the company's pollution, may not stop the spread of these contaminants into the surrounding communities.



At the present time, there are nearly two thousand Salem County residents who depend on private wells for their drinking water. Without further testing, we fear that many of these wells may draw water from a now contaminated aquifer.



"Clearly now that DuPont and the state know about the contamination, quick action to gather the private well data and address the danger is in everyone's interest," said Tracy Carluccio, Deputy Director of Delaware Riverkeeper Network.



"We demand these wells should be investigated for contamination with state oversight. To do less would be unconscionable," added Carluccio.



For more information:



Tracy Carluccio: 215-369-1188 or 215-692-2329 (cell)



Deputy Director, Delaware Riverkeeper Network



Jane Nogaki: 856-912-6790 (cell)



Vice Chair, NJ Environmental Federation



-- The Centers for Disease Control and John Hopkins University have reported health impacts in newborn babies such as low birth weight and reduced head circumference. (Source: Possible Etiologies of PFAA-Induced Developmental Effects: Reflections from a Pediatric Perspective; Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD; U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Hidden List



-- PFOA has been found in the breast milk of nursing mothers, and has been found in children between the ages of 2 and 12 at blood levels similar to those found in adults. (Source: Study conducted by Kathleen Arcaro of the University of Massachusetts Amherst--results are scheduled for publication in Environmental Science and Technology ( Hidden List Hidden List Hidden List Hidden List UMass Amherst : In the Loop : Talking Points : Chemicals used in Teflon, Scotchgard, found in human milk in state, say researchers Hidden List ); other breast milk studies reported in February and May 2007 Issue of Environmental Health Perspectives) Hidden List



SOURCE United Steelworkers (USW)



http://www.steelworkers-usw.org



Jenny Vickers
Communications Coordinator & Organizer
NJ Environmental Federation

NJ Chapter of Clean Water Action
New Jersey Environmental Federation: Clean Water Action

(732) 280-8988

(732) 280-0371 Fax



1010 Vermont Avenue NW, Suite 1100

Washington, DC 20005-4918

[SAdams]

What are these people talking about? There is already laws on the books forced by the NJ Environmental Federation for:

1. Drinking Water Standards. Why isn't that being adhered to or followed? Was that law ACTUALLY passed or is it just another BIG joke?

2. Private Well Testing Law. Helped by the New Jersey Environmental Federation when Assembly Geist now Judge Geist passed this law. Put all the burden on the PEOPLE who own the wells. And not the Polluters. So DuPont doesn't have to do anything.

Better look into this. I'M WARNING YOU!!! DO NOT RELY OR TRUST THE NEW JERSEY ENVIRONMENTAL FEDERATION. I'LL SAY IT ONE MORE TIME!!!! DO NOT RELY OR TRUST ON THE NEW JERSEY ENVIRONMENTAL FEDERATION. DON'T TRUST THEM AS FAR AS YOU CAN THROW THEM.

Believe me I KNOW FIRST HAND. They all have their own agenda and are BIG players on "VOTE ENVIRONMENT".

[Sassygrl]

There is no mandated drinking water quality standard regarding PFOA contamination.

I agree that there are very powerful fake environmental groups out there who really protect the chemical companies not the public.

[nemisis]

I find it amazing that so many companies, agencies, etc., are allowed to monitor, investigate, themselves. I'm sorry, I just do not have that amount of trust.

To follow that thinking I could investigate myself for a crime and find myself innocent.

Dupont has been proven time and time again that they cannot be given the public trust and that they have little , if any, regard for public safety. Yet they monitor themselves with the state and federal government's blessing. Idiotic!

[Icecat62]

The EPA sucks. I know firsthand as I lived in P-City growing up. All the wells were contaminated by lead, the glass in our house was pitted by the acid byproducts from their plant, birds were found dead in the yard, trees died...I had to get a blood tests for lead poisoning. The EPA kept saying National Lead was okay. Living near that plant, I know the truth.

[njriverman]

Originally Posted by Icecat62

The EPA sucks. I know firsthand as I lived in P-City growing up. All the wells were contaminated by lead, the glass in our house was pitted by the acid byproducts from their plant, birds were found dead in the yard, trees died...I had to get a blood tests for lead poisoning. The EPA kept saying National Lead was okay. Living near that plant, I know the truth.

What is P-City?