Geismar, La.-An Oct. 9 sulfuric acid leak at PCS Nitrogen’s Geismar, La., plant has already drawn a class action lawsuit from local residents. A PotashCorp statement said the leak from a storage tank occurred at approximately 9:45 a.m. “Within minutes, the site’s Emergency Response Team was on the scene and proceeded to mitigate the leak and prevent any offsite impact. All appropriate regulatory authorities were notified and no offsite impacts were identified. Per company procedures, an incident investigation was initiated to determine the root cause of the incident and to identify preventive measures,” the statement said. Since then, according to press reports, several Iberville Parish residents have filed a class action lawsuit, claiming that the acid leak endangered the health and safety of the general public. The lawsuit in 18th Judicial District Court maintains the sulfuric acid leak not only created an immediate health hazard, but caused plaintiffs “an ever-present fear ?Ǫ they will suffer from disabling or terminal diseases in the future.” The lawsuit also alleges the leak was the latest in a string of similar incidents at the plant which have endangered the public. PotashCorp said the company is aware of a class-action suit by some members of the area community, but declined comment because of company policy regarding pending litigation.
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