Legal Battles Likely over Dioxin-Contaminated Waste

By Ramsay Crooks

Published on July 23, 2005

DuPont's Edge Moor plant sits on the Delaware River, roughly a mile from residential areas. The discovery of Dioxins and other hazardous chemicals in the 500,000-ton pile of industrial waste at the site has community members and company officials battling over how to deal with the problem.

DuPont claims covering the waste poses "substanially lower" health risks than moving the materials. Residents, however, think DuPont is trying to avoid the nearly $380 million cost of removing the waste. Containing the site will cost around $5 million.

DuPont, which produces titanium dioxide pigment, is dealing with similar problems across the country. The company is under investigation in California and facing thousands of potential toxic-injury lawsuits in Mississippi related to another industrial site.

One community group near the Delaware plant has already sought help from Widener University's Environmental and Natural Resources Law Center, and other residents have contacted the law firm involved in the Mississippi cases.

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