Latest Chemicals Headlines
All the headlines from our Chemicals Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Safety Lapses Found in West Virginia Bayer Chemical Plant Explosion
Apr 24 2009 // A large explosion and fire that took the lives of two workers at the Bayer CropScience plant in West Virginia last August was caused by a thermal runaway reaction during the production of an insecticide. The event likely...
New Suit Filed in Missouri Over Chemical in Farmland Sludge
Apr 24 2009 // Farmers in four northwest Missouri counties may have unwittingly dumped millions of pounds of carcinogen-laced sludge on their fields, which may be linked to a rash of brain tumors in the area, environmental activist Erin...
Maryland Suit Claims Restaurant Drink was Cleaning Chemical
Feb 6 2009 // A Baltimore woman says when she ordered an iced tea at a local McDonald’s restaurant last year, employees gave her a cup containing a cleaning chemical. Caryl Jones has filed a $100,000 lawsuit in Baltimore City...
Marsh Warns EU Companies of E&O Risks from Chemical Regulations
Dec 5 2008 // Marsh’s London office has issued a warning that companies that use chemical substances in the European Union (EU) could risk insurance implications “associated with their failure to adhere to the EU’s...
1 in 3 Toys Have Toxic Chemicals, Kids’ Safety Group Study Finds
Dec 4 2008 // A new survey finds that about a third of popular toys on sale this holiday season have significant levels of toxic chemicals. Researchers for the JustGreen Partnership — a coalition of children’s safety, public...
Environmental Liability: What’s Good Today, Could Be Bad Tomorrow
Nov 30 2008 // Environmental Insurance Delivers the Best Shield of Defense Against Emerging Pollutants The changing character of environmental regulation fits any definition of a moving target. Since the Environmental Protection Agency...
Fire Officials Worry About Homemade Bodiesel
Nov 24 2008 // As the price of fuel increased in recent months, Arizona authorities are wondering about hte potential toxicity of homemade biodiesel. Phoenix fire officials say it’s part of a trend of area residents using chemicals...
Investigation: Ike’s Toll on Environment a Heavy One
Oct 7 2008 // Hurricane Ike’s winds and massive waves destroyed oil platforms, tossed storage tanks and punctured pipelines. The environmental damage only now is becoming apparent: At least a half million gallons of crude oil...
U.S. Chemical Makers Report Minimal Hurricane Gustav Damage
Sep 2 2008 // Major chemical makers in the U.S. said Tuesday that initial inspections indicate only slight damage to those facilities that were affected by Hurricane Gustav, but companies are still uncertain about when production is...
Texas Environmental Case Against 7 Petrochemical Plants Resolved
Aug 27 2008 // Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott announced the resolution of the state’s environmental enforcement action against two Lyondell Chemical Company subsidiaries that operated seven petrochemical plants in Houston and...
$6.6 Million Settlement Proposed in Mass. Chemical Explosion
Aug 25 2008 // The co-owners of a Danvers, Massachusetts, paint factory that exploded and caused extensive damage to the surrounding neighborhood have proposed a $6.6 million settlement. According to a settlement proposal, factory...
West Virginia Governor, DuPont Met over Appeal of $196M Verdict
Aug 15 2008 // Gov. Joe Manchin’s office acknowledged that he conferred twice with chemical giant DuPont as it planned to appeal a $196 million punitive damage award in a West Virginia pollution case. His office also reviewed a...
Democrats Press Labor Department on OSHA Rule on Chemical Exposure
Jul 25 2008 // Leading lawmakers this week accused the Bush administration of acting in secret to make it harder to limit worker exposure to carcinogens and other dangerous chemicals in the workplace. The Labor Department is trying...
Insurance Glitch Nixes Dow Chemical Land Gift to West Virginia University
Jul 21 2008 // Dow Chemicals Co.’s plan to give West Virginia University 58 acres of South Charleston real estate and lab space valued at $25 million has fallen through. Dow’s Union Carbide subsidiary blamed the cancellation...
Florida Air Controllers File Injury Reports, 5 Sue over Chemical Exposure
Jul 17 2008 // Five Florida air traffic controllers are suing roofing contractors claiming they lost their jobs after being unable to work because of toxic chemical exposure. The five employees, Barbara Cooper, Shawn Fields, Dan Kersh,...
California AG Sues Cement Plant for Hexavalent Chromium Exposure
Jul 8 2008 // California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. and District Attorney Rod Pacheco sued TXI International, a Riverside, Calif.-based cement plant, for exposing people to the potent carcinogen hexavalent chromium without...
Parents Sue Companies Over Baby Bottles
Jun 20 2008 // Four Ohio parents have filed a federal lawsuit against makers of baby bottles, claiming the bottles were made from a harmful chemical that sparked congressional hearings and prompted the world’s largest retailer to...
Feds Cite Florida Chemical Plant in Fatal Blast
Jun 20 2008 // The owners of a Florida chemical plant where a December explosion killed four workers were cited June 18, accused of violating federal safety standards. A report from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration found...
Texas Chemical Plant Explosion Leaves 1 Dead, 6 Injured
Jun 13 2008 // An explosion at a Goodyear chemical plant in Houston killed a worker and injured six others on June 11. The body of the worker, whose name was not released, was found under debris about seven hours after the 7:30 a.m....
Local Officials in Louisiana in Dark About Chemicals on Trains
May 27 2008 // Railway officials do not publicize the types of dangerous chemicals that pass every day through communities like Lafayette, La., citing safety concerns in the post-Sept. 11, 2001, world. But even first responders often...
