... *
5 micrograms per cubic meter is the amount of TCE, for example, that is
presently acceptable to breathe in a space about the size of an average
refrigerator, 24 / 7. This guideline is being re-evaluated by scientists
to determine whether it is too high, and whether it could expose people
to health risks. Each building was tested for multiple chemicals.
See chemical list below:
We'd
like to hear from EI and Huron
Campus Employees. Please submit your comments about your concerns
with the chemical contamination within the buildings of the Endicott site.
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Comments
We've Received
Comment
04/05/08:
Hmmm.....this one is not a shocker. Who would have thought that IBM did
something to infiltrate the EPA and get information they shouldn't have
gotten?... uh.. how about anyone with a brain!? IBM is not an upstanding
American corporation...and they haven't been for a long, long time. This
is a company that will do anything to get their way and get ahead. They
will recklessly disregard the environment of the communities they reside
in all over the USA; they will fire people because their health problems
racked up too much sick time; they will take zero responsibility for their
employees illnesses caused by chemical exposure; and they will literally
evacuate entire communities and fire thousands of good, loyal and long
term employees in exchange for labor at pennies on the dollar. They are
not the least bit patriotic.. not a all. You wanna talk about America
haters? See IBM. They're the perfect example. They constantly jockey for
phony awards and government accolades; all while doing their best to win
contracts that end up disappointing their customers. IBM hates America
and any other country that they do business in. When they can't get what
they want, they leave for another country. Ever hear of Vietnam? That's
the new China. India was the new Canada. Canada was the new USA. IBM only
loves themselves, i.e. corporate management. I would think that people
around here would be sordidly, sick of it all.
-Whitedog-
Alliance Reply: They need to be more
than sick of it, if they're current IBM'ers. They need to organize and
fight back. When
that starts to happen, you'll see the behavior of the real IBM; you never
knew existed... and you won't like it.
Comment
04/05/08: It
has nothing to do with IBM Chemicals anywhere. It has to do with an 84Million
dollar contract to do work for the epa that IBM lost to a canadian company.
When IBM filed a protest about losing the bid something in the wording
told the EPA that IBM had information they were not supposed to have and
were therefore guilty of some kind of bidding infration. As a resault
of this IBM has been barred from bidding on ANY new government contracts
untill the investigation is complete. Who knows where this leads? Time
will tell.
-Exodus 2007-
Alliance Reply: Apparently IBM has
been given a quick reprieve.
See this article: EPA
lifts suspension of contracts for IBM in today's news (4/5/08)
Comment
03/31/08: so
IBM is on the governments "Excluded Party " list now according
to this site http://www.epls.gov/epls/search.do?status=current&start=current&text=IBM
Now I am no expert here but I do see the letters "EPA" in this
document,,so has IBM been banned from doing business with the EPA? Why?
Is it a result of the TCE exposure in Endicott? http://www.pressconnects.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080304/NEWS01/803040330/1006
Maybe this is all old news to some of you, however if the lawsuits that
I would imagine that may occur out of this happens, I just wonder how
many more people will get laid off and/or pay cuts as a result...Oh well,
get ready for the next round of cuts I guess. What can you do!
-cm-
Any lawsuits
arising from the damage, done by IBM chemical spills, to Endicott resident's
property have no bearing on IBM or retired IBM employees; unless those
residents are also IBM employees or former IBM employees. Once the results
of the NIOSH health study of 28,000 IBM Endicott employees (from 1964-1990)
is complete, there may be cause for action at that time. We have to wait
about 2 to 3 years and see.
Comment
12/05/07: to
Glen Guhman: When
you having dinner with Palmisano? You're an a$$hole! -Anonymous-
Comment
11/17/07: Way
to go lil' Bush, resident of the White House! Where are your priorities,
man? How
many bullets for Iraq can you buy for the $3.2M; you don't want to fund
for USA citizens affected by health problems in and around Endicott? I never
voted for this moron. But if you did, who is the sorry one now? -Anonymous-
Comment
06/27/07: Well..
Dr.Clapp's presentation was great! I saw one NYS DOH guy frowning through
the whole thing. He never even asked any questions. I thought he would try
to dispute what Clapp said. I heard someone mention a book or article called
inconclusive.. something. Do you know where I can get a copy of that? It
sounds like some of the same crap that NYS DOH has pulled in the past. When's
the next meeting? -clap 4 clapp-
Alliance Reply: Glad you like the meeting. Yes, Dr. Clapp held us all
captive for a good amount of information about toxic chemcials and cancer
in IBM employees. There was a good Q&A and we hope you stayed for that.
The article you are referring to is called "Inconclusive By Design".
Someone sent us a hardcopy of it. You didn't leave your email address or
contact information, so we can't send you anything in the mail. Please tell
all your neighbors and friends what you heard , saw, and learned. It's important
that we continue to pursue the clean-up and remedy of the IBM buildings
and the removal of the chemicals underneath them. Our opinion is that Endicott
will have a difficult time recovering new business, until it's been completed.
Stay tuned to this web site for more information.
DEP
Sues IBM Over Dayton Well -Anonymous-
Comment
11/14/05: A toxic chemical reaction at a Longmont printing
manufacturer early Thursday
sent seven employees to the hospital, forced nearly 100 people to strip
down for decontamination, prompted an emergency alert to neighbors and inconvenienced
countless morning commuters. But by 1 p.m., city and county officials had
sounded an "all clear" for northeast Boulder. The hazardous materials
incident at Lexmark International Inc. resulted from the mixing of two epoxy
floor coating chemicals at around 8 a.m. After fumes and a large plume of
chemical irritants emerged from the 6555 Monarch Road plant, police issued
multiple 911 call-back alerts to those within a two-mile perimeter and evacuated
about 150 people from the area.Officers blocked roads surrounding the plant
for hours, including the Diagonal Highway from Colo. 52 to 63rd Street until
about 10:30 p.m. Police spokeswoman Julie Brooks said the Lexmark plant
was the only business evacuated, although many employees at the nearby IBM
Global Services and Boulder wastewater treatment plants couldn't make it
to work. Inhaling the toxic chemical could create a burning sensation similar
to a pepper spray reaction, Brooks said. "It could cause a burning
sensation in your ears or nostrils," she said.Many of those evacuated
had to remove their clothes in decontamination tents near the plant and
scrub down with soap and detergent. They then donned blue plastic coverings.
Four RTD buses were available to help transport evacuees to a nearby King
Soopers, said Bill Berkhimer, RTD street supervisor. Michelle Kol, 33, works
at Lexmark and was one of about a dozen people who left the plant on foot
around noon. She said employees who "didn't feel they were contaminated
could leave." They had to walk because they couldn't access their cars,
said Rich Karpiel, a development engineer at Lexmark. "They said that
transportation for us was up to us," he said. Karpiel, who has been
at Lexmark for 27 years, said that although there was concern for people
affected by the chemicals, "The mood there was pretty good." "Everyone
filed out safely," he said. Lexmark, a former division of IBM, is now
an independent developer, manufacturer and supplier of printing and imaging
products in more than 150 countries.City officials said the chemical that
reacted in the local plant Thursday was isophorone, a clear liquid that
can be dissolved in water. It's used as a solvent in some printing inks,
paints, lacquers and adhesives. Karen Kemmesat, Lexmark spokeswoman, said
the chemical reaction resulted from a project unrelated to plant operations.
She said the large plume of smoke dissipated after several hours. Hospitalized
employees were treated after reporting feeling sick, Kemmesat said. They
were allowed to return home Thursday. Boulder County's hazardous materials
team spent the day cleaning up the facility. Lexmark employees should call
the company's information line to determine when the facility will reopen.
Thursday night the message said the plant will be closed for first and second
shift today but critical employees could be called to help prepare the plant
to open Monday. It
wasn't until halfway through his 14-mile bike commute to work that Tim Johns
learned he would have to find another route. The 42-year-old opens his Longmont
bicycle shop at 10 a.m., but he said he had doubts he would make it on time
Thursday. "I'll wait here a while longer, then I will probably go back
to Boulder and get my car," he said. Coleen Craghill, who works at
Miss Catherine's Creative Learning Center, said parents had been picking
up their kids. Children still at the school had to stay inside all day,
meaning they would miss their outdoor recess. Kevin Hunt, a chemist who
works nearby, had a 1- and 3-year-old at Miss Catherine's. When he heard
about the accident, he checked on his kids, but said he wasn't too concerned.
"If the wind were blowing in this direction then that would be a different
story," he said. "But my kids are safe, and I'm safe." At
the Boulder Reservoir, assistant office manager Kyle Gulla said staff were
asked to temporarily leave, but the park never officially closed. "There
were people still fishing out there," said Gulla. Park visitors were
not told about the precaution to evacuate. "We didn't think to do it
because the police never came or asked us to officially close," he
said. Camera intern Julianne Bentley contributed to this report.
- Vanessa Miller, Daily Camera Staff Writer -
