Articles Posted in North Carolina Environmental Law

On Monday December 30, 2013, the residents of a small North Dakota town called Casselton were forced from their homes following a fiery train accident. The accident, which happened around 2:30 pm, involved a BNSF Railway Co. train carrying crude oil. According to reports, the train derailed causing multiple cars to catch fire and explode.…

A serious carbon monoxide situation at a plant in Lincoln County, North Carolina has resulted in at least twenty seven employees being treated for exposure to carbon monoxide. The RW Garcia Plant reported a leak of carbon monoxide on Monday afternoon and the facility was evacuated. However, twenty seven employees and one emergency responder were…

A serious leak of carbon monoxide gas at a plant in Lincoln County on Monday has resulted in the hospitalization of 28 people including one emergency responder. The leak occurred at the RW Garcia Corp. Plant at around 1:00 pm. It is not clear what caused the leak at this time. However, in many of…

Diamond Pet Foods has been identified as the cause of multiple sicknesses due to cat and dog food manufactured at its facility in Gaston, South Carolina. The number of sick people is increasing despite a recall of the contaminated products. The sick are suffering from Salmonella Infantis and several have been hospitalized. More are expected…

I recently came across a very interesting article regarding injuries caused by swimming pool chemicals. According to a study published in the journal Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, improper handling of pool chemicals resulted in over 28,000 injuries from 2002 to 2008. The study included those injured in North Carolina. Apparently, the most common cause…

On Saturday afternoon, a chemical plant in Hudson, North Carolina blew up causes an evacuation of approximately 750 nearby residents. The plant, located in Caldwell County, North Carolina, is operated by Chemical Coatings, Inc. It is not clear what caused the explosion. However, it took multiple first responders several hours to control the blaze. Click…

In an interesting case, an Alabama chicken plant has been fined $52k for an August ammonia leak that sent 150 people to the hospital. Anhydrous ammonia, which is used a refrigerant at poultry processing plant, apparently leaked from a pipe on the roof of the plant. The plant is run by Millard Refrigerated Services of…

As reported in an excellent story by the Raleigh News and Observer, a neighborhood near Fuquay Varina is restling with a contaminated water issue. The neighborhood, called Northgate, has well water which has been found to contain high levels of tricholoethylene, a chemical compound used as an industrial solvent and known to be a carcinogen…

As reported by Eyewitness News 9, four residents of GlenCare of Mount Olive, North Carolina have died and it appears that hepatitis B is to blame. At least one other resident has tested positive. Investigators are trying to pinpoint the source and cause of the spread. For more on this story, click here and here.

As reported by Facing South, the Environmental Protection Agency has begun holding hearings on coal ash regulations. According to reports, 39 additional sites in 21 states where coal ash has contaminated water supplies with arsenic and other toxic metals. That brings the total number of coal ash damage cases that have been documented to date…