Flexible Foam Products Fact Sheet
- " In Wayne County, heavy public opposition and the threat of
lawsuits that would hold up the project caused Flexible Foam to look
to Archbald. Source: Scranton Times.
- " Flexible Foam Products ranks 13'th in the top 25 worst polluters
of companies and facilities releasing the greatest amount of recognized
carcinogens. Source: Sierra Club.
- " Flexible Foam Products is ranked by the Dept. of Health and
Energy as one of the "Cancer Dirty Dozen" for toxic levels
of carcinogenic emissions. Source: Dept. of Health and Energy.
- " Lackawanna County residents already face a cancer risk from
air pollutants up to 54 times higher than what the federal standards
consider safe according to an EPA assessment this year. Source: Scranton
Times.
- " Flexible Foam Products will be transporting into our community,
using in their manufacturing process and emitting into the air several
know hazardous, toxic and carcinogenic substances including cyanide
and toluene diisocyanate (TDI). According to the EPA, repeated exposure
to TDI causes cumulative decrease in lung function. The EPA considers
five of these substances to be hazardous to human health and to the
environment. Three of these five are known carcinogens which even at
acceptable emission levels are dangerous to humans, particularly the
elderly, children, pregnant women and their fetuses, plant and water
life. Source: Various.
- " In case of a large spill of TDI you must declare a "state
of emergency" A large spill is only 10 gallons. Source: BASF Corporation
TDI handbook
- " Flexible Foam Products has been put on OSHA's (Occupational
Safety and Health Administrations) watch list of companies put on notice
to fix safety and health hazards. Source: OSHA.
- " On July 9, 2002, Flexible Foam Products in Portage, Wisconsin
was cited by OSHA for wrongly storing flammable and combustible materials
- a "serious violation", and for not having a written plan
in place telling employees what to do in case of an emergency. Source:
Portage Daily Register.
- " Flexible Foam Products claims that the manufacturing process
to be used in its proposed Arcbald plant is a "safer" process"
- the same as used in its facility in Portage, Wisconsin.
- " In 2002 alone, four fires have broken out at the Portage Wisconsin
facility. These fires have resulted in evacuations, responses by HAZMAT
Teams and emergency medical technicians, and the "wash down"
and treatment of 12 employees at hospitals for exposure to fumes from
an improperly mixed batch of polyurethane foam. According to a hospital
spokesperson, "toluene exposure can cause respiratory problems,
affect the nervous system and cause pulmonary edema". Source: Portage
Daily Register.
- " In response to the fire mentioned above, Jim Whisman, manager
of the foam line and a 29 year veteran had this to say:
"If the water ratio isn't just right during the transition of one
foam to another, a chemical reaction can produce too much heat and begin
to fume. If not caught in time, the foam can burst into flames."
- "These bad or hot transitions are a regular part of the foam
formation process."
- These fuming or flaming sections of foam are "dragged outside
through a nearby door and doused with water."
- " In one fire, the burning foam produced a dense, black smoke
through which the source of the fire could only be detected with a thermal
imaging camera.
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