Acknowledgement to XL Environmental THE CLAIM Workers at an XL insured’s chemical blending facility were transferring a highly toxic chemical, p nitro aniline (PNA), from 55-gallon drums into 2,000 lb. super sacks. During the transfer, an estimated 500 lbs. of this chemical was spilled, exposing the workers, the insured’s property and neighboring properties to the […]

Acknowledgement to XL Environmental THE CLAIM An explosion and a series of fires occurred at an XL insured’s chemical plant. The explosion occurred while workers were unloading chemicals from train cars. The fire department responded to the scene. Fire suppression water flowed one mile away onto an adjacent property, contaminating the adjacent location. Our insured […]

Acknowledgement to XL Environmental THE CLAIM An XL insured chemical blending and distribution facility experienced a fire and explosion. The fire originated from the packaging area of the plant and occurred as an operator was filling a steel tote tank with ethyl acetate. The cause of the fire was a static electrical spark resulting from […]

Acknowledgement to XL Environmental THE CLAIM Soil sampling activities at an XL insured’s facility indicated low levels of fertilizer constituent contamination over a large percentage of the site. Sampling results were submitted to the state regulatory agency which required a corrective action plan (CAP) be submitted for approval, subsequent site excavation and remediation. A toxic […]

Acknowledgement to XL Environmental THE CLAIM An XL insured retail agricultural-chemical distribution facility selling bulk fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides was inspected by a state environmental protection agency (EPA). The EPA inspection found several fresh spills of liquid and dry fertilizers at various locations around the insured’s property. Soil samples indicated widespread concentrations of nitrates, sulfates, […]

Acknowledgement to XL Environmental THE CLAIM An XL insured chemical manufacturer received rail cars of sodium hydroxide on its rail spur, located on its property. While performing offloading operations, a large release of sodium hydroxide from a rail car occurred. The release was caused when a 2 inch hose dislodged from its connection coupling. More […]

A 24 year old Olympia man settled a dangerous-highway-design lawsuit against the Washington State Department of Transportation for $2 million. The man was critically injured when his motorcycle hit a car turning left onto the controversial intersection at Lynch Road and SR 101 near Shelton. After two months in the hospital and 15 surgeries, the […]

A manufacturer of cast iron pipe was fined $8 million for dozens of environmental violations and lying about numerous safety violations at its plant along the Delaware River. The company is under federal monitor for a four-year probationary period. Prosecutors sought a maximum fine of $15 million for the company, which was convicted in 2006 […]

A lawsuit accuses a tannery of contaminating farmland with a chemical that caused brain-tumors in residents of a Missouri town.  The tannery is alleged to have used hexavalent chromium to remove hair from hides, and then providing the resulting waste product to area farmers to use as fertilizer. The lawsuit claims thousands of tons of […]

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is proposing to fine a chemical company $121,500 for a toxic leak that led to an acid cloud forcing hundreds of western Pennsylvania residents to evacuate. OSHA reports that the company committed 27 serious safety violations when 3,300 pounds of oleum leaked when a transfer tank overflowed because […]

The family of a 10-year-old girl who died in a 2006 tornado is blaming a Minnesota homebuilder for the child’s death. In a wrongful death lawsuit in County District Court, the family claims poor construction, not a tornado, is to blame for the girl’s death. The family maintains that the girl’s death might have been […]

The insurer that issued the performance bond for a portion of the troubled Interstate-84 construction in Connecticut will pay $17.5 million to settle claims involving installation of defective drains. The payment from the insurer on behalf of the primary contractor for the project will allow the state to begin repairing the defective drains along a […]