Firms Linked to Methyl Isocyanate Fined : U.S. Says Union Carbide, FMC Fail to Guard Against Possible Peril

WASHINGTON —  The Labor Department said Friday it has issued citations for safety violations at two of the five U.S. plants that make or use methyl isocyanate, the deadly chemical that killed more than 2,000 persons in Bhopal, India, last Dec. 3.

The department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which inspected all five plants in December and January, said in a report, however, that the odds are “extremely remote” that a similar chemical disaster could occur in this nation. OSHA praised the factories for “generally rigorous adherence” to federal safety standards.

Backup Systems Noted

“In the unlikely event that an uncontrolled MIC (methyl isocyanate) reaction should occur, the redundant safety systems” at the plants “will serve to prevent a substantial release of MIC into the atmosphere,” the OSHA report stated.

The report summarized OSHA tours of methyl isocyanate operations at plants in New York, Louisiana, Texas, Georgia and West Virginia. Four of the plants keep stocks of the chemical for use in other manufacturing processes. The fifth, Union Carbide Corp.’s Institute, W. Va., plant, is the only American factory that makes methyl isocyanate.

The OSHA report said the Institute plant--which served as a model for the Union Carbide plant where the Bhopal disaster occurred--meets federal safety standards.

Oversights Detected

But at a second Union Carbide facility, in Woodbine, Ga., OSHA detected oversights that it contended could keep workers from stopping a runaway release of methyl isocyanate similar to--but smaller than--the Bhopal leak.

OSHA cited the Woodbine factory for poor maintenance and location of pressure release valves on 3,000-gallon methyl isocyanate storage tanks. If accidentally closed, the valves “could prevent an MIC release from venting to the scrubbing system” where it is supposed to be neutralized, the agency said.

The agency also said a 3,000-gallon container for the chemical lacked enough backup safety systems to ensure that a leak could be contained.

OSHA fined Union Carbide $1,280 for failing “to prevent or control exposure to a potential methyl isocyanate uncontrolled reaction” at the Woodbine plant, which makes pesticides.

The agency also fined FMC Corp.’s Middleport, N.Y., pesticide plant $2,920 for failing to equip a 42,000-gallon storage tank with adequate backup safety systems; failing to use an explosion-proof pump near the tank; and failing to provide employees with proper respirators and safety clothing.

Spill at FMC Plant Cited

Last November, the FMC plant was the site of a 40-gallon methyl isocyanate spill that triggered the evacuation of a nearby elementary school and exposed 11 students and teachers to irritating fumes. None was hospitalized.

Neither company had immediate comment on the fines and citations, but OSHA said the firms could contest the actions.

OSHA found no significant safety lapses at the other factories, but it recommended that the Institute plant and three others install automatic monitoring and alarm systems to detect leaks of the chemical in remote areas.