Council Discusses Bayer CropScience Explosion

{Institute, West Virginia}...The National Research Council met with residents in Institute Saturday to discuss its report following the 2008 explosion at the Bayer CropScience chemical plant in Institute that killed two workers. Bayer stopped making the chemical there in January 2011 because of corporate restructuring. In May, the National Academy of Sciences released its findings about the use and storage of Methyl Isocyanate at Bayer CropScience. Elsa Reichmanis, chair of the committee, said their study showed that Bayer did perform process safety assessments, but Bayer and the legacy companies did not perform systematic and complete inherently safer process assessments on the processes for manufacturing MIC or the carbamate pesticides at the Institute site. Local residents said they appreciated the work that went in to the report, but, believe their real concerns were not addressed. The National Academy of Sciences will send its report to the Chemical Safety Board for further review.