DuPont plant in Louisiana fined $480,000 for releasing a cancer-causing chemical
A chemical manufacturing plant west of New Orleans has agreed to pay a $480,000 federal fine and install equipment to stop the release of a cancer-causing chemical from a storage tank and pipe
RESERVE, La. — A chemical manufacturing plant west of New Orleans has agreed to pay a $480,000 federal fine and install equipment to stop the release of a cancer-causing chemical from a storage tank and pipe.
The consent agreement and final order outlining the settlement between DuPont and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was filed Sept. 25, about 2½ years after an unannounced inspection found several releases of benzene at levels greater than federal rules allowed, The Advocate reported.
The plant is located roughly a half-mile (0.8 kilometer) from an elementary school in Reserve, Louisiana, and is within an 85-mile (137-kilometer) stretch of the state known officially as the Mississippi River Chemical Corridor. Colloquially it is called Cancer Alley.
Daniel Turner, a spokesperson for DuPont Specialty Products, said the release of the chemicals had caused “no impacts to site personnel or to the community.”
“We are pleased to resolve this matter with the U.S. EPA,” Turner said. “From the time the on-site inspection occurred, we have disputed the instrument readings captured by EPA from those of our contractors. However, we have taken immediate corrective actions to resolve the issues identified in the inspection process."
According to the EPA, benzene has been found to cause an increase in leukemia cases for those occupationally exposed. Women who have inhaled high levels of benzene have reported reproductive effects, and long-term exposure can also cause blood disorders. Short-term exposure can cause drowsiness,
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