Latest Chemicals Headlines

All the headlines from our Chemicals Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Vermont Sues DuPont, 3M, Others Over Chemical Pollutants

Jul 1 2019 // Vermont announced Thursday that it’s filed lawsuits against DuPont, 3M and other chemical companies for damages it says was caused to groundwater, drinking water and other natural resources by the contamination of a...

Chemours Suit Claims DuPont’s Clean-Up Liability Estimates ‘Spectacularly Wrong’

Jul 1 2019 // Chemours Co. claims its former parent DuPont Inc.’s estimates on liabilities the spun-off company should cover were “spectacularly wrong” and wants a judge to block the chemical maker’s requests for...

Chemical Safety Board: Numerous Failures Led to 2014 Texas Dupont Plant Deaths

Jun 27 2019 // The U.S. Chemical Safety Board says the deaths of four workers at a chemical plant in Texas in 2014 were the result of a long list of safety failures in the plant’s operations. The CSB has released its final...

10 People at Clark Atlanta University Treated After Chemical Spill in Science Building

Jun 24 2019 // At least 10 people had to be decontaminated after a worker at a university in Atlanta spilled a chemical, creating a white cloud inside a science building. News outlets report everyone was evacuated Friday from the...

Drug Makers’ Supply Chain Probed as Blood Pressure Pill Tests Positive for Carcinogens

Jun 19 2019 // An online pharmacy told U.S. regulators it found another cancer-causing chemical in widely prescribed blood-pressure pills, raising new questions about a complex global web of companies that produces medicine for millions...

Illinois Silicone Plant Sued by State, County After Fatal Blast

Jun 6 2019 // Illinois and Lake County are suing the owner of a Chicago-area silicone factory that exploded last month, seeking to force the company to identify the nature and extent of chemical pollution in the area and limit the...

Maine Bill Aims to Ban Certain Food Packaging Chemicals

Jun 6 2019 // The Maine Legislature has passed a bill aimed at prohibiting the sale of food packaging with certain potentially toxic chemicals. The Senate on Tuesday sent the bill to Governor Janet Mills, who has pushed to explore...

New Hampshire Sues 3M, DuPont, Other Chemical Companies

May 31 2019 // New Hampshire has sued eight companies including 3M and the DuPont Co. for damage it says has been caused by a class of potentially toxic chemicals found in pizza boxes, fast-food wrappers and drinking water. The...

Chemical Multinationals Must Stop Cutting Corners in Sourcing: Report on China Blast

May 22 2019 // A prominent Chinese environmental group has called on chemicals multinationals to stop “cutting corners” by outsourcing business to Chinese suppliers that violate safety regulations after an investigation into...

New Jersey Chemical Plant Fire Prompts Warnings, Bridge, Road Closures

May 20 2019 // Authorities say a fire at a chemical plant in New Jersey has been brought under control, but road and bridge closures remained in effect and local residents were urged to remain indoors because of potential danger from...

California Jury Blames Roundup for Couple’s Cancer, Awards $2 Billion

May 13 2019 // A California jury on Monday awarded more than $2 billion to a couple who claimed Bayer AG’s glyphosate-based Roundup weed killer caused their cancer, in the largest U.S. jury verdict to date against the company in...

Iowa Wind Turbine Maker Settles with State Over Safety Violations

May 2 2019 // A Newton, Iowa, company that builds wind turbine blades has settled with state regulators following an investigation into workplace safety violations. TPI Composites agreed last month to pay the Iowa Occupational Safety...

Weed Killer Chemical Glyphosate Is Not a Cancer Agent, Says EPA, Contradicting Juries

May 1 2019 // The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said on Tuesday that glyphosate, a chemical in many popular weed killers, is not a carcinogen, contradicting recent decisions by U.S. juries that found that it caused cancer in...

Wisconsin Explosion Prompts Call for Updates to Chemical Study

Apr 30 2019 // The U.S. Chemical Safety Board wants federal regulators to re-examine a 1993 study on hydrofluoric acid after an explosion at a Superior oil refinery last year. The board sent a letter Wednesday to the U.S. Environmental...

Costs Add Up for Texas Fuels Storage Operator After Fire, Chemical Spill

Apr 16 2019 // The costs of a massive fire and chemical spill at a Houston petrochemical facility in March have begun trickling out, with a local official on Monday estimating emergency response costs at $800,000 for the first two weeks...

Arkema NA, Executive Now Face Assault Charges From 2017 Texas Chemical Plant Fire

Apr 11 2019 // A Texas grand jury on April 10 indicted chemicals manufacturer Arkema North America and one of its executives on assault charges, alleging they underplayed the dangers of a fire that injured two emergency workers called to...

Contractors: Company Knew About Valve Leak Before Texas Chemical Plant Fire

Apr 10 2019 // Three contractors who worked at a Houston-area chemical plant say in a lawsuit that the company knew that a flammable gas was leaking before a deadly fire erupted but did not order an evacuation. The Houston Chronicle...

Why Has Texas Decided to Break Tradition and Immediately Sue Industrial Polluters?

Apr 9 2019 // Late last month as crews worked to contain a roaring fire at a Houston-area petrochemical storage facility, the state of Texas did something unheard of, at least in recent memory: It sued the company that operates the site...

Workers Injured at Texas Chemical Plant Damaged by Fire File Suit

Apr 8 2019 // A growing number of lawsuits are springing from the ashes at a Houston-area chemical plant that caught fire this week killing a worker. Two plant employees filed separate state suits Wednesday against KMCO LLC, claiming...

Chinese Authorities Shut Industrial Park After Chemical Blast Kills 78 People

Apr 8 2019 // Authorities are shutting down an eastern China industrial park after 78 people were killed last month by a chemical explosion, the city government said Friday. Local departments have met to discuss how to eliminate...