On Sat, 18 Sep 2004 18:01:36 GMT, "Frank Logullo"
wrote:

Both your posts are political BS. The mercury one is really crap. I've got
more mercury in one tooth in my mouth than 1,000,000 fish combined and I'm
still hear to talk about it. Get serious and tell me what to do with my
hydrangea cuttings
Frank

WOW! Do you ever read the data from your former employer, Dupont?
Could it be your vested interest that clouds your thinking and
encourages you to cover up the truth by calling it political BS?

Koch won't be responsible for mercury
Invista division sold, not pollution
By Bonnie Naumann/staff





WAYNESBORO -- They'll take the industrial plant, but pass on the
pollution.
When subsidiaries of Koch Industries announced in November it will pay
$4.4 billion for Invista, including the Waynesboro plant, the public
began wondering who would hold responsibility for the mercury
pollution in the South River.
"People wonder if DuPont will keep any responsibility," said Jim
Donovan, president of the Shenandoah Valley chapter of Trout
Unlimited, which stocks the river. "It's something that you really
can't get rid of."
According to Rick Straitman, corporate remediation spokesman for
DuPont, the company doesn't plan to leave town. They will maintain all
responsibility for mercury pollution deposited between 1929 and 1950.
DuPont also will retain responsibility for all deposits found in the
future, Straitman said. EPA officials said the plant does not use
mercury, as it no longer has a state permit to do so.
"They will allow DuPont to continue remedial efforts," Straitman said.
"(Koch will) own the plant itself, but won't receive ownership of the
land until after this has been resolved."
Koch officials declined to comment on the contract, which is pending
government approval.
Koch is the nation's second-largest privately owned firm and owns
companies in more than 30 countries. It produces specialty polyester
fibers.
Invista, a business unit of DuPont, makes fibers and related chemical
treatments. The company's 2002 annual revenues were $6.3 billion and
it employs about 18,000 people in 50 sites worldwide. It manufactures
well-known trademarked brands including Lycra, Stainmaster and
Coolmax.
Closing on the sale is estimated for mid-2004, the companies announced
in November.
Charles Holliday, chief executive officer of DuPont cited marketplace
realities and an ongoing company transformation as reasons to sell the
Invista division. In November, DuPont called the Invista division the
company's least profitable unit.
"This acquisition is an excellent fit with our capabilities and vision
for long-term growth," Koch Chief Executive Officer Charles Koch said
in a press release.
Future in Waynesboro
DuPont's participation in the South River Science Team will keep
company scientists working on the South River. The chemical firm's
monitoring contract with the EPA extends into 2092.
Corporate scientists are working with the science team to understand
the extent of the mercury pollution. They know mercury is in the South
River between the plant site and Port Republic, but need to figure out
if mercury still on or near the plant site continues to pollute the
river.
"Soil under the pavement could be getting into the storm water systems
because they are so old," said Mike Jacobi, with the Environmental
Protection Agency. Storm water pipes eventually empty into the South
River.
If ongoing pollution sources are found, DuPont will pay to remedy the
situation, Straitman said.
That could include further scientific studies or attempts to abate
future pollution, Straitman said. If soil under a paved area is found
to contain mercury, DuPont scientists will be allowed by Koch to do
whatever is necessary to study it or limit contamination.
Complete clean up and removal often is difficult with mercury, because
of its unusual chemical properties, scientists said at a recent
science team meeting.
"When you touch it, (mercury) breaks into more parts and becomes
harder to contain," said John Rudd, a nationally recognized mercury
expert.
New York state's Lake Onondaga is contaminated by mercury, despite
efforts by environmentalists and scientists to remedy the lake's
problems, according to Nancy Sticht of the lake's partnership for
research and development.
Like the South River, the lake is among the few bodies of water across
the country where mercury did not settle out naturally over time,
according to DuPont's Straitman. The EPA usually takes this hands-off
approach with mercury sites and many scientists still prefer to use
it, including those on the South River Science Team.
In 1979, an independent consulting firm of Lawler, Matusky and Skelly
Engineers studied the feasibility of rehabilitating the rivers. They
determined that was not feasible at that time to remove mercury from
the environment.
The scientists regularly monitor mercury levels in fish, soil and
water because the toxin typically is buried in sediment at the bottom
of waterways and becomes harmless.
The EPA outlined a monitoring schedule for DuPont, which the company
has followed. DuPont set up a trust fund to pay for required studies.
The company paid the state $1.5 million, plus spent another $1.5
million for additional studies. The research money was spent from
1999-2004, Straitman said, adding that the number will continue to
rise until the pollution is abated.
Fiscal responsibility typically falls to state governments if
corporations dodge their duties. Virginia suffers from many pollution
problems statewide. About 14 percent are polluted, the DEQ announced
this month.
"The state's under an obligation to clean up these rivers, and
unfortunately there's no money to do that," said Glen Besa, state
director for the Sierra Club.
The Sierra Club announced plans to sue DuPont in October 2003, but
have not yet. The company and the club are discussing the issue, said
Nancy Marks, senior attorney with the Natural Resources Defense
Council.
Law professors and lawyers said it isn't unusual for corporations
guilty of environmental pollution to take an interest in the latest
scientific studies. It makes sense for a company that may face
litigation if everything possible isn't done. But few have formed
groups like the South River Science Team.
"This is an innovative way to bring scientists and experts together,"
said Mike Jacobi of the EPA.
So far, the team has made steps toward understanding the problem and
developing plans to fix it.
"They have been very good about looking into this," said Don Kain with
the DEQ. "They seem very dedicated