US group sues Akzo, Basell to clean up site

25 January 2008 20:00  [Source: ICIS news]

HOUSTON (ICIS news)--A US environmental group said on Friday that it has sued Akzo Nobel and Basell in an attempt to have the companies clean up alleged contamination at a plant site along a river in New Jersey.

"These are toxic chemicals and high levels of metals that are contaminating the wider environment," said Judith Weinstock, a lawyer who is representing the Edison Wetlands Association, the group that sued the companies in federal court.

The suit alleges that the plant site, near the Raritan River, has remained contaminated with aromatic solvents and metals - despite an agreement made 22 years ago to remediate the area. Akzo now operates the plant, and Basell has agreed to buy it.

Site samples that Edison took in March and April had high concentrations of benzene, 2-chlorotoluene, 4-chlorotoluene, toluene, aniline and 4-chloroaniline, the suit said.

Soil samples found high levels of arsenic, antimony, lead, xylene and toluene, all of which exceeded state regulations, the suit said. Other samples found high concentrations of tribenzylamine, which was produced at the plant.

Samples taken by an Akzo Nobel consultant also found concentrations of chemicals that exceeded state limits, the suit said.

In the suit, Edison asks that the companies conduct a study to determine the extent of any pollution caused by the plant. The group then wants the companies to clean up the contamination.

Akzo had no comments about the suit because it has yet to review it, a spokeswoman said. A Basell spokesman did not immediately return calls on Friday seeking comment on the suit.

The suit said the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) have not started any civil or criminal court actions to address the alleged violations of environmental laws.

The EPA and the NJDEP each said that they do not generally comment about pending lawsuits.

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Author: Al Greenwood
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