300 Tons of Waste From Chem Warfare Depot Burned Illegally

In a serious breach of US and International Law, 300 tons of unidentified substances from the Rocky Mountain Arsenal were burned illegally by now-bankrupt Asarco, and its subsidiary, Encycle. The companies burned thousands of tons of waste materials illegally, under the pretenses of resource extraction. The documents detailing the activities were recently revealed, after having been kept confidential by the companies. The materials were burned in the late nineties, in El Paso. Most shocking, government officials knew details as early as the late nineties, and the information has not been made public until now.



300 tons of unspecified residue from a chemical weapons arsenal, burned in an El Paso smelter, and the EPA doesn't think any of us need that information until 7 years or so have passed? Nevermind the thousands of tons of other dangerous materials, this is 300 tons of unidentified residue from a freakin' chemical warfare depot!

I am disgusted with the company, but at least their motives are understandable. But what could compel the EPA to be so irresponsible in their role as the watchdogs of public health? Could it have something to do with the fact that their ranks are increasingly filled by the corporate revolving door? Yeah, I think that might have something to do with it...



[edit on 11-10-2006 by WyrdeOne]

Hmm... yeah could be.
Also it could be after 7 years those who would have suffered from the poison are sure to be dead.

Voila! Saving a lot of embarrassment - and compensations, not the least.

Depending on what the chemicals were, they could take decades to cause harm.

If they're carcinogens, the clusters won't start popping for decades, at least...

It's doubtful that the chemical residues would make it out of the smelter's smokestack intact, but surely whatever remained was nasty stuff.

Too bad there's no way of knowing with the information we have available.

I doubt if even the chemical weapons depot knew what the sludge was composed of, which is probably why they were so happy to get rid of it.

Good post. I had missed this. I wonder if this story will die due the elections coverage. That may be why it has shown up now. Lots of cover in the press. Between NK, Iraq and the elections no one will notice.

300 tons, that like 3 atlas mechs.

And so this further confirms that the corperation is a enity that is designed for the maximum amount of profits, and minimum responsability.

Makes companys owned by a individual fat-cat seem like a saint because if a definate person owns it, then they have to be reponsabile for it.