Greenpeace Posts Maps of Worst-Case Toxic Disasters in New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore

Washington, D.C., June 4, 2002 - Greenpeace is posting four maps on its web site that depict worst-case toxic disasters in New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore. The maps reflect what would happen in these metropolitan areas if terrorists attacked nearby chemical plants, or if the plants had accidents. The maps are based entirely on reports submitted to the EPA by each company as required by the Clean Air Act. Greenpeace gave advance copies of the maps to the EPA's Office of Homeland Security in early April.

The environmental group is pushing for the EPA to adopt measures to require chemical plants to switch to inherently safer chemicals. "Strong leadership from Capitol Hill and the White House can prevent the kinds of disasters forewarned in these worst-case scenario maps," said Rick Hind, Greenpeace Toxics Legislative Director. "These maps should be a wake up call to industry and government that chemical plants are ticking time bombs in the midst of large residential areas."

Greenpeace is posting maps of:

A Kuehne plant in South Kearny, New Jersey (within 5 miles of New York)
A Dupont chemical plant in Deepwater, New Jersey (a few miles from Wilmington, DE andÝ Philadelphia, PA)
A second Dupont chemical plant in Edgemore, Delaware (a few miles from Wilmington, DE and Philadelphia, PA)
A Condea Vista plant in Baltimore, MD.

As reported in the Wall Street Journal "New Alarms Heat Debate on Publicizing Chemical Risks" by Ann Davis May 30, 2002, the chemical industry is opposed to sharing information with the public about the threats posed by chemical plants.

"Citizens have a right to know if they are prime terrorist targets because their homes and schools happen to be located inside chemical kill zones," said Hind. "Only by being aware of unnecessary chemical hazards, such as chlorine, can communities demand the use of widely available safe alternatives."

Sen. Jon Corzine (D-NJ) introduced a bill (S.1602) that will be voted on in committee on June 27 to require chemical plants to evaluate safer alternatives or show why they cannot use them. The EPA is also working on a similar measure. The Department of Justice is preparing a report on chemical facility vulnerability to terrorism, which is now almost two years overdue.