News From USW: USW Warns Governor Blanco About Potential Increased Poisons from DuPont Plant in Louisiana.PITTSBURGH -- Concerned about serious health and safety hazards, the United Steelworkers United Steelworkers (USW) historic labour union representing workers in steel, aluminum, and other metallurgical industries for much of the 20th century. In the U.S. (USW USW Und So Weiter (German: and so on) USW Undersea Warfare USW United Steel Workers USW US Wheat Associates USW Ultrasonic Welding USW Ultra Short Wave USW US West Telecommunications (stock symbol) ) today warned Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco to closely monitor the emissions of dangerous chemicals from a DuPont facility scheduled to increase in the future. DuPont documents indicate the increased production will only bring a small increase in employment. The main emission in question is chloroprene- widely considered a carcinogen carcinogen: see cancer. carcinogen Agent that can cause cancer. Exposure to one or more carcinogens, including certain chemicals, radiation, and certain viruses, can initiate cancer under conditions not completely understood. . "The trade-off for a few jobs will be added pollution and a higher risk of cancer," USW District 8 Director Billy Thompson said in a letter sent late last week. "The real costs will be borne by the citizens of Louisiana CODE, OF LOUISIANA. In 1822, Peter Derbigny, Edward Livingston, and Moreau Lislet, were selected by the legislature to revise and amend the civil code, and to add to it such laws still in force as were not included therein. , not DuPont. Is this a fair deal?" DuPont Performance Elastomers (DPE DPE Digital Preservation Europe DPE Designated Pilot Examiner (conducts FAA checkrides) DPE Distributed Processing Environment DPE Dual-Phase Extraction (DNAPL removal system) ), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the chemical giant DuPont, operates the facility located in LaPlace, Louisiana and manufactures Neoprene- a key product in the rubber industry. The Louisville (Ky.) Courier-Journal recently reported that DPE's estimated cancer risks from the maximum emissions allowed under its permits could cause 357,000 cases for every million people in Louisville. "The community should demand accountability from DuPont and the strictest safety precautions," said USW District 13 Director Mickey Breaux. "While workers inside the facility already have been exposed, we are concerned for their health and safety as the production levels are expected to dramatically increase." DuPont intends to close its other Neoprene neoprene: see rubber. neoprene Any of a class of elastomers (rubberlike synthetic organic compounds of high molecular weight) made by polymerization of the monomer 2-chloro-1,3-butadiene and vulcanized (cross-linked, like rubber), by sulfur, rubber facility in Louisville and consolidate the production in LaPlace next year. After the proposed plant consolidation, resulting nation-wide chloroprene chloroprene (klōr`əprēn') or 2-chloro-1,3-butadiene, colorless liquid organic compound used in the synthesis of neoprene and certain other rubbers. emissions will be solely concentrated in LaPlace. USW represents DPE workers at the Louisville facility. The entire letter and accompanying enclosures can be viewed online at http://www.dupontcouncil.org/DuPont_News_Archive.htm The USW is the nation's largest industrial union with 850,000 members, including 1,800 DuPont workers. |
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