Reducing MIC 'feasible, but costly,' Bayer documents say

[Hubert Flottz]

Source: By Ken Ward Jr. staff writer

Reducing the stockpile of deadly methfyl isocyanate at Bayer CropScience's Institfute plant is a "feasible, but costly" project that Bayer has never fully examined, according to internal documents obtained by congressional investigators.

Bayer officials briefly studied thfe idea after buying the Institute plant in 2002, but were not able to produce evidence to show "the extent to which the company analyzed the costs and benefits of changing its storage or inventory procedures," a House subcommittee report issued this week concluded.

During a hearing Tuesday, House Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., recalled investigating the Institute plant -- then owned by Union Carbide -- just after a leak of MIC killed thousands at a sister facility in Bhopal, India.

"Twenty-five years after the catastrophe in India, I think it's finally time to ask whether it makes sense to allow Bayer to continue producing and storing such massive amounts of this highly toxic chemical," Waxman said in opening the hearing.



Read more: http://www.wvgazette.com/News/200904220737

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So it's Bayer's bottom line, vs the safety of thousands of people living in the area? Same kind of greed based thinking that led to the disaster at Bhopal, India. I guess Bayer figures, as cheaply as Union Carbide got away with killing thousands in India, that they could just pay for another disaster cheaper than they could make sure people in this area are safe? Hell, we're just a bunch of expendable hillbillies...no biggie???? Less troublemakers around to bitch about mountain top removal and polluted air and water?

[Hubert Flottz]

1. Federal prosecutors to look into Bayer explosion

By Ken Ward Jr.
Staff writer

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper called today for a federal criminal investigation of Bayer CropScience's actions related to the August 2008 explosion that killed two plant workers.


In a letter, Carper urged U.S. Attorney Charles T. Miller "to take the appropriate and necessary steps to review the conduct of Bayer CropScience relating to the August 28, 2008, explosion."


Miller confirmed that Carper had referred the matter to prosecutors, and said his office plans to look into it.


"We always do if we get a referral," Miller said. "From what I read in the paper, some things don't look right. But it's an area where we need to have an agency do some investigating." More...

http://www.wvgazette.com/News/200904220585

An federal investigation that probably would not have gotten anywhere, if John McSame had won in November.

[ashling]

2. Go Henry!

"Twenty-five years after the catastrophe in India, I think it's finally time to ask whether it makes sense to allow Bayer to continue producing and storing such massive amounts of this highly toxic chemical,"

[Hubert Flottz]

3. When Saddam was "Gassing his own people" it was cause

to hang him...but I guess the way Bayer sees it, it's okay to gas people if you can make money doing it.

Bayer AG can keep their "Giftgas"...I don't want any...