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[Greenpeace Press Releases from Greenbase -- Redistribute Freely]

  ENVIRONMENTALISTS: RHONE-POULENC MUST STOP PLAYING WITH FIRE   
In Wake of Explosion, Call to Drop Incinerator Application
 
   MARTINEZ, Calif., June 22, 1992 (GP) -- Monday's tragic
explosion and chemical fire at the Rhone-Poulenc Basic Chemicals
Facility here brought renewed demands from environmentalists
that the company halt its plans to build a hazardous waste
incinerator at the site.
 
     Greenpeace and Communities for a Safe Environment, two
groups who have been fighting the incinerator proposal, released
a list of previous accidents at other plants operated by Stauffer
Chemical/ICI Inc., which are now owned by Rhone-Poulenc. (See
page 2.) The record shows that between 1980 and 1986 alone, more
than 100 workers and local residents were injured by leaks,
spills, explosions or fires at Stauffer/ICI facilities.
 
     "This disaster is yet one more example of what can happen
when an irresponsible corporation subjects a community to the
hazards of playing with fire," said Bradley Angel, a Greenpeace
toxics campaigner. "Today's explosion should serve as a tragic
wake-up call to local and state officials to cancel Rhone-
Poulenc's application for an incinerator now."
 
     Martinez emergency officials said a fire apparently broke
out at the facility, which reprocesses sulfuric acid, just after
9 a.m., and was followed by a large explosion about 11:30 a.m.
Two plant workers were hospitalized in critical condition, and
emergency crews evacuated the neighborhood around the facility.
 
    Rhone-Poulenc was seeking a permit to build a hazardous
waste incinerator to burn hundreds of toxic chemicals at the
site. A public hearing on the permit was scheduled for Tuesday,
June 23, but was cancelled by Martinez officials because of
Rhone-Poulenc's failure to meet state requirements for a public
review process. Rhone-Poulenc was continuing to seek state and
federal approval of the permit.
 
     "We can only shudder at how much worse it could have been
if Rhone-Poulenc was burning hundreds of other chemicals in our
back yard," said Cathy Ivers of the Martinez-based Citizens for
a Safe Environment.
 
       
  PARTIAL LIST OF ACCIDENTS AT STAUFFER CHEMICAL OR ICI PLANTS
 
 
1980: Sulfuric acid leak, Stauffer Chemical, Houston; 54 injuries
 
4/24/80: Toxic vapor release, ICI, Bayonne, N.J.; 5 injuries
 
1983: Gasoline fire, ICI, Cleveland, U.K.; 8 injuries
 
12/23/83: Chlorine leak, Stauffer, St. Gabriel, La.; 12 injuries
11/8/84: Chlorine leak/fire, Stauffer, Axis, Ala.; 1 injury
 
5/5/85: sulfuric acid leak, Stauffer, Baton Rouge, La.; 1 injury
 
1/31/86: liquid ammonium leak, ICI, Bellingham, U.K.; 2 injuries
 
2/11/86: bromine gas leak, ICI, Grangemouth, U.K.; 3 injuries
 
4/18/86: Liquid insecticide leak, ICI, Yalding, U.K.; 4 injuries
 
10/86: Nitrous oxide leak, ICI, Bellingham; 1 death, 16 injuries
 
12/5/86: Chlorine leak, Stauffer, St. Gabriel; 1 injury.

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   MARTINEZ TELLS RHONE-POULENC: NO MORE TOXIC TIME BOMBS 
Protest at Blast Site Demands R-P Drop Incinerator Application
 
MARTINEZ, California June 23, 1992 (GP) Residents of Martinez 
will be joined by Greenpeace and other environmental groups 
Tuesday, June 23, in a demonstration at the Rhone-Poulenc Basic 
Chemicals plant, where an explosion of sulfuric acid Monday 
injured a number of workers and spewed huge clouds of toxic fumes 
across the East Bay.
 
     The protest march will assemble just before noon Tuesday on 
Main Street in downtown Martinez and proceed to the Rhone-Poulenc 
gates, where Communities for a Safe Environment and Greenpeace 
will demand that the company drop its plans to build a hazardous-
waste incinerator at the site. Greenpeace will also release a 
detailed dossier on the abysmal environmental record of Rhone-
Poulenc, a Paris-based company whose majority owner is the French 
government.
 
     "Monday's explosion burned thousands of gallons of sulfuric 
acid -- but if Rhone-Poulenc's incinerator is approved, hundreds 
of other toxics chemicals will be burned and released from the 
plant every day," said Bradley Angel, a Greenpeace toxics 
campaigner. "When you consider yesterday's disaster in light of 
Rhone-Poulenc's long record of environmental crimes around the 
planet, giving them a license to play with fire would be 
suicide."
 
     Cathy Ivers of Communities for a Safe Environment, a 
Martinez group that has fought the incinerator, said her group 
will present a list of demands to Rhone-Poulenc at noon at the 
plant gates. They include:
 
     -- Rhone-Poulenc must immediately withdraw its application 
for a commercial hazardous waste incinerator in Martinez.
 
     -- The company must accept full responsibility for all 
damages from Monday's spill, fire and explosion.
 
     -- R-P must establish a fund to compensate residents and 
area business for any health effects or damage to property.       
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