Wherever they went, whatever town they set up a factory in, this chemical company blighted it and put local residents at risk. Their apologists can claim that accidents can happen, and these were somehow in the distant past but the worst incidents involving Albright and Wilson occurred in their dying days in the 1990’s before the Rhodia takeover. By way of example, we learn in Hugh Podger’s book “Albright and Wilson the last 50 years” that 9 people died at a plant in Charleston in America, something which gets all the attention of less than a page in his pathetic fiscal packed bore fest of a book. If this doesn’t tell you everything you need to know about who was running Albright and Wilson, then nothing will!
In the UK they fared no better. 1990-91 saw many incidents across a range of sites, fires, emissions and explosions with toxic gas clouds being released, as well as a successful private prosecution being taken out against them by Greenpeace for polluting the Irish Sea.
Here are those links for the receipts and truth that I am speaking.
In 1996 however, their site at Avonmouth near Bristol came in for scrutiny. This site apparently originating in the mid 1960’s was the home of “Butler Chemicals Limited”, who made a range of disinfectants and emulsions.
Published: Thursday 01 October 1964 Newspaper: Bristol Evening Post
This company was already a customer of Albright and Wilson for P4, manufacturing organic phosphorus compounds when they were taken into the fold by Tenneco, who of course for a significant period of time were the major share holding masters of Albright and Wilson.
Tuesday 17th September 1974 Newspaper: Birmingham Daily Post
A little further forward in time we get the article below in The Bristol Evening Post in 1986, a year in which there appears to have been a great effort to slime the public with PR lobbying. It was rife at Trinity Street with the liar Bloore, and one familiar name crops up in this article who failed to answer any of my questions when he was involved in a senior position at Rhodia- Bob Tyler.
It is this type of “journalism” from fucking shillers like this that unfortunately play right into the hands of the scum at The Chemical Industries Association. Just blatant attempts at brainwashing with no real questions asked but telling people how “everyday chemicals” make your life easier.
BEP 15th August 1986
The most telling quote-
“Attention is all too often concentrated on the the most dangerous and destructive chemicals , the defoliants, and weapons and acids, making people feel that there is something deeply sinister about the Avonmouth chemicals complex.”
Just ten years after this puff piece bullshit, the real reason why we should all be afraid of the chemicals industry and its blatant safety failures where they were not paying attention was revealed at this very site and see the official HSE report below for the precis. THEY COULD NOT EVEN IDENTIFY WHICH DANGEROUS CHEMICALS WERE WHICH FFS!
The Fire at Albright and Wilson, Avonmouth. 3rd October 1996
Published: Thursday 03 October 1996 Newspaper: Liverpool Echo
published: Sunday 06 October 1996 Newspaper: Sunday Mirror
Published: Thursday 17 October 1996 Newspaper: Clevedon Mercury
Published: Thursday 30 July 1998 Newspaper: Clevedon Mercury. John Scott, encountered that pratt before as well claiing rattlechain lagoon was “safe”.
CANCER CAUSING FUMES
Published: Thursday 27 May 1999 Newspaper: Clevedon Mercury
Another interesting read is the Avon Fire and rescue report for this incident which also highlights the plant as it then stood.
“The site produces organic speciality chemicals for the Biocides, Flame Retardant and
Phosphorus Specialities Businesses. The Company stores and uses various quantities of a
multitude of Hazardous Substances but at the beginning of 1996 application was made to the Health and Safety Executive for authority to increase their holding of Propylene Oxide above the 50 tonne threshold. The application was approved and the site became a ‘CIMAH’ site in April 1996. They have formulated an ‘on-site’ plan but an ‘off-site’ plan has yet to be developed.”
Incident_Report_Albright_and_Wilson_REDACTED
“Albright and Wilson’s personnel recounted that in the morning on the day of the fire a ‘tank container’ arrived on site loaded with 20 tonnes of epichlorohydrin which had been ordered from Czechoslovakia……The tanker was drawn alongside the compound and connected by pipework and hose to the EPI storage tank closest to the rhyne and loading of the vessel began. Albright and Wilson report that they received an urgent telephone call from the hauliers in Belgium informing them that the ‘tank container’ delivered that morning did not in fact contain epichlorohydrin but contained sodium chlorite solution. “
Epichlorohydrin is a garlic smelling cancer liquid- that’s all you need to know.
Sodium chlorite is a highly reactive oxidising agent. This chemical was hooked up to the epichlorohydrin vessel with disastrous consequences.
MAYBE THEY SHOULD HAVE “CZECHED” THE CHEMICALS 😆 😆 😆
BOOM BOOM!