The Lanxess chemical plant in Charleston’s Neck area, which has come under increased attention following recent chemical leaks, is considering a new way to send emergency information to residents near the site.
Text messages, emails and landline calls could be used to warn residents in the Rosemont community and other nearby neighborhoods, Lanxess spokesman Michael Mackin said in an email to the Charleston City Paper.
“In order for any system like this to be effective, it will be critical for us to develop a comprehensive distribution list for those in adjacent communities,” he said.
“While we are still exploring options … we are reviewing the system and its capabilities” with the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) and the company’s Community Advisory Panel (CAP) made up of representatives of area communities.”
The new system will not replace the existing siren that alerts Rosemont residents of a chemical release, Mackin said.
The company was to test the new system internally this week, he said. The new system will also be an addition to the current warning system to alert plant employees of an emergency that does not affect nearby residents.
“There has been confusion around when that siren is activated to alert on-site personnel due to the fact that some nearby residents are able to hear the on-site siren and are sometimes unsure” of whether the alert is meant for an on-site only event or an accident that could harm the community, Mackin said in an email.
The community is nervous
Lanxess and state health officials met recently with Rosemont residents to discuss a June 21 leak of 10 four pounds of liquid phosphorus. The initial reports following the June 21 leak said it was 10 pounds of phosphorus, Mackin said. But later on, they said it was four pounds. During that meeting, residents complained they were not immediately notified of the toxic leak.
The company notified DHEC of one leak in 2018, three in 2019 and another in 2022, according to the summary of the agency’s reports sent to the Charleston City Paper. An alarm system, however, did not alert Rosemont residents of some of those mishaps, residents said. The leaks involved derivatives of chlorine, phosphorus and sodium.
Other leaks that prompted the company to sound an alarm occurred in May 2022 and November 2019. The DHEC report shows the May 2022 leak and one in March 2023 were low-level leaks of phosphorus that did not require reporting to DHEC.
The plant manufactures phosphorus trichloride and numerous derivative products, such as flame-retardant additives and intermediate products for the agrochemicals industry.
Residents fear the series of leaks could lead to a repeat of a June 17, 1991, explosion at that plant that killed nine workers and injured dozens. At that time, Albright & Wilson owned the plant. Following that mishap, the company installed a warning system to alert residents of a leak. But in recent years, the warning system has not always worked as planned, residents said.
The idea for a new warning system was raised during a recent meeting at Lanxess with three plant managers and Nancy Button, president of the Rosemont Neighborhood Association, and S.C. Rep. Wendell Gilliard, D-Charleston, whose district includes the plant.
It is unknown how soon a new warning system will be ready.
Gilliard said when he asked why Lanxess no longer uses an AM radio frequency created after the 1991 explosion to send information to the community, plant officials said they’re considering sending alerts to cell phones. “That was a surprise they had for us to show” the company is listening to the community, he said.
“The first thing we talked about in the meeting was safety,” Gilliard said. “We wanted to see what measures they are taking to make sure that [1991] incident, among other incidents, don’t happen again,” he said. “We questioned them about their training and to see if they are fully staffed.”
The company employs about 90 workers, and five positions are currently open, Gilliard said. The company said it has improved employee training, he added.
When plant managers said they’re considering a warning system using cell phones, Button asked what about seniors who are not adept with cell phones and computers. She suggested conventional telephones to notify residents.
To make the system work, Button said, residents will have to voluntarily provide their phone numbers. About 500 people live in Rosemont. Lanxess has to come up with a better system than that current siren system, she stressed.
Safety is not the only concern
Kwadjo Campbell, CEO of JC & Associates, a Greenville consulting group, also attended the meeting and presented the company with a three-year, $10 million Environmental Justice Mitigation Plan (EJMP) to support business assistance, job training and economic development initiatives to benefit residents near the plant. Campbell is a former member of the Charleston City Council and is manager of Gilliard’s current state Senate campaign.
The plan is in response to the reported and unreported chemical leaks at the plant. “The leaks released a hazardous chemical into the air and water, which can have a significant impact on the health and well-being of the community,” according to the plan. “The EJMP is designed to address the environmental and economic impacts of the leaks, with a focus on ensuring that the community is not disproportionately harmed.”
When asked about the EJMP proposal, Mackin said Lanxess “will continue to work with the regulatory agencies, elected officials and the community on a path forward.”
No media allowed at Lanxess meeting
Before the meeting began in a Lanxess conference room, a City Paper reporter was asked to leave.
Larry Kowal, Lanxess safety officer, turned to site manager Michael Jansen and asked: “Are we going to allow the press here? We don’t have to.”
Plant managers said it was against company policy to have reporters in meetings at the plant. They apologized as the reporter was escorted off the property.
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