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Air Pollution Damages from Plant's Emissions Prompt Lawsuit

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 13:29:15 EST

Residents of Muscatine, Iowa have filed a lawsuit against Grain Processing Corp., which they allege emits so much pollution that homes, cars, and buildings across the city have been damaged. According to the Huffington Post, residents say that the plant, which makes corn-based products, spews toxic chemicals and particulate matter into the air that then travels for miles with the wind.
 
Recent testing at homes and public parks showed extremely high levels of acetaldehyde and sulfuric acid, among other chemicals.
 
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) views acetaldehyde as a probable human carcinogen, which also causes irritation to the eyes, skin, and respiratory tract. Inhalation of sulfuric acid can result in irritation and harm the respiratory system as well.
 
The lawsuit, filed by 11 residents, is seeking class-action status for approximately 17,000 people who live within three miles of the plant.
 
The EPA issued a notice of violation in March claiming that GPC repeatedly violated the limits on the thickness of discharges at its smoke stacks and committed other violations, reports the Post.
 
'EMSL Analytical's Industrial Hygiene (IH) laboratory offers scientifically and legally defensible testing services to professionals and the public,' states Scott Van Etten, CIH, National Director of Industrial Hygiene at EMSL. 'Our IH laboratory team has a great deal of experience analyzing substances according to validated testing methodologies, including acetaldehyde by NIOSH 2016M and sulfuric acid by NIOSH 7903.'
 
For more information regarding EMSL's IH testing services please call 800-220-3675, e-mail info@EMSL.com, or visit www.EMSL.com.
 
About EMSL Analytical, Inc.
EMSL Analytical is a full service testing company providing quality lab services under the same private ownership since 1981. Including the corporate lab facility in Cinnaminson, NJ, EMSL Analytical operates over thirty laboratories nationwide in the US and Canada. We provide analytical services for environmental, indoor air quality (IAQ), industrial hygiene, forensics and materials science, consumer products, food safety, PCR, pharmaceutical, asbestos, lead, and radiological samples. The company has an extensive list of accreditations from leading organizations, as well as state and federal regulating bodies. Please see our website for a complete listing of accreditations.