IP Explosion: Town Hall Addresses Health, Claims Concerns

February 3, 2017

Health issues and property claims were the hot topics at community town hall meeting Thursday night to discuss the January 22 explosion at the International Paper mill in Cantonment.

Many residents expressed concerns over personal health problems — ranging from skin irritation to difficulty breathing.  Again and again, officials referred the individuals to seek care from their personal physician for any concerning issues.

Officials acknowledged that it was not known exactly what chemicals were in the air immediately after the explosion.  Dr. Paul Nony, senior toxicologist. from the Center For  Toxicology and Environmental Health, said it was known what should have been in the air from material safety data sheets on black liquor, which was spewed on over 100 homes and businesses around the plant. But the EPA did not arrive and begin monitoring activities until Monday.

Dr. John Lanza (pictured left), director of the Florida Department of Health in Escambia County, said the chemicals should only cause “short term” problems, defining short term as lasting just days to weeks.

“Each one of your need to come live in our houses for a week so you can understand where we are coming from,” resident Patricia Osbahr (pictured below left) told the panel.  After Lanza admitted that he has not actually visited the Woodbury neighborhood that took the brunt of the black liquor and other fallout, she blasted him.

“You work for us, you are an employee for us and you need to come see what we are talking about,” Osbahr said. Lanza made note of her address and vowed to visit her home Friday afternoon.

Resident Richard Johnson was among those that expressed concerns about lower property values and the need for IP to provide written certification that a property was remediated for any future potential buyer.

Multiple residents complained during the meeting at Tate High School about the lack of communications between residents and the paper mill, between the mill and their claims representatives and between the parties involved in the cleanup efforts.

Residents were repeatedly given the local contact phone number — (850) 968-4208 — to ask individual questions or speak to claims adjusters, and local personnel took down their names and numbers during the meeting for followup.

One man told the panel that he had agreed with claims adjusters on a dollar amount he should received, but when the check arrived it was for half, which he said they explained was due to depreciation.

“We are committed to closing those gaps and make sure that everybody’s issues are heard,” Mill Manager Brett DeJong said as he encouraged residents to continue to work with International Paper. “We are not going anywhere. We are going to be here…we are going to get this taken care of,” he said. “We are making good progress. Just stick with us a little bit longer.”

Thursday night’s meeting was held by the Unified Command, which is comprised of International Paper, Escambia County EMA/Public Safety, Florida Department of Health, Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Pictured top: International Paper Mill Manager Brett Dejong addresses about 150 people at a post mill explosion town hall meeting at Tate High School Thursday night. Pictured below: Woodbury Drive resident Patricia Osbar provides her address to Dr. John Lanza, health department director, after he said he had not set foot in the impacted Woodbury neighborhood. Pictured below: Additional scenes from Thursday night’s meeting. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

Comments

16 Responses to “IP Explosion: Town Hall Addresses Health, Claims Concerns”

  1. 429SCJ on February 4th, 2017 7:58 am

    The fear in the post of those who depend on IP and the anger of those who simply live in proximity to the mill are well reflected in these post.

    Some people wish that this would simply go away, some people wish to ensure that their lives are not compromised by the incident.

    A comedy of hopes and fears, that will unfold as time goes by.

  2. Duke of Wawbeek on February 4th, 2017 7:53 am

    Mediation and litigation walk hand in hand.

    It is good to know that International Paper has the resources, that will be needed to repair the lives of those who live under IP’s shadow.

  3. Travis on February 3rd, 2017 11:19 pm

    People have managed to work at the mill for 40+ years without the problems that some people claim to have after one week of exposure.

  4. Simon on February 3rd, 2017 5:41 pm

    I’m sure that everyone involved is SO very pleased with the efforts of newly elected Congressman Matt Geatz and Donald Trump to abolish the Environmental Protection Agency! There is no real and present danger to our clean air, clean drinking water, and quality of life… Oh, wait, yes there is!

  5. That Guy on February 3rd, 2017 4:39 pm

    You live next to a large paper mill… These things can happen.

  6. Michelle on February 3rd, 2017 2:37 pm

    With all due respect to those that WEREN’T effected by this explosion, your negative opinions about those who were effected are invalid and unwarranted. The real problem here is that IP has no idea what the residents near the plant were exposed to in the cloud of chemicals released that night. Not the more solid black liquor, but the chemicals in the air. They admitted last night that they honestly don’t know. It’s possible it was an atomized version of the black liquor, and if so, the msds for this material lists this as a hazard that can damage the respiratory system. Interesting that people who had nothing to do with this have such strong opinions.

  7. No Excuses on February 3rd, 2017 12:32 pm

    The purpose of insurance (private or commercial) it to make a wrong right again. Even an unintentional wrong, such as an accidental explosion. It affected some folks adversely, and they are entitled to having the wrong done to them made right.

    Don’t misunderstand me, I despise money grabbing frauds, but people who are legitimately adversely impacted need to be compensated for their losses.

    The driveway that was crushed, for example. I’d file a claim and I am well able to pay for a new driveway. I did not tear it up, the cleaning folks, hired by IP did. I would certainly expect that to be made right.

  8. Xpeecee on February 3rd, 2017 10:48 am

    With all due respect for those affected by the explosion and for those looking for answers, I believe we should put this incident in perspective. I honestly believe there are no health issues involved in exposure to the chemical “Black Liquor”. Black liquor is the lignin that has been removed from wood fiber. The fiber is used to make paper and the lignin is a by-product. I worked in the mill for many years. Years and years ago, it was not unusual to have leaks that filled the air with a mist of black liquor. It smelled bad and it was slick. It got in our sinuses, in our food and in our clothes, but we worked in it anyway with no harmful affects. I realize that some people are more susceptible than others. For example, those with asthma may experience more difficulty when exposed to anything in the environment that is not pure. Living in an area with heavy automobile traffic and breathing exhaust fumes is one example. I would prefer exposure to black liquor over automobile exhaust fumes any day. I am convinced that IP will try to do what is right. We need IP in our community and IP needs us. I am just glad that nobody was injured – or killed… :)

  9. Godsgyrl on February 3rd, 2017 10:35 am

    If you stop and think about it, this was a human error somewhere. And we as humans make mistakes, some affect other people, some don’t. Stop judging and talking about how bad everything is. It could have easily been you that made a mistake and cause an issue like this. I thank God no lives were lost and that a family didn’t have to bury a loved one.
    Grow up people and do something positive instead of giving your unwanted opinion about everything. Some people are just naturally negative and find fault with everything.

  10. Walnut Hill Roy on February 3rd, 2017 10:15 am

    William,
    Why not publish the MSDS on the black liquor so that all can see what it contained.

  11. Bama Girl on February 3rd, 2017 9:52 am

    I guarantee that IP could give these folks 10’s of 1000’s of $’s and they still would want more. The only word for folks like this is greed! Plain and simple. NOTHING IP does or can do will ever satisfy them. Shame on them!

  12. Home owner on February 3rd, 2017 9:45 am

    If you all do not live in the affected area, then you all do not know what is really going on and what they have been putting up with since the 22nd. And how would you cover a driveway that was crushed by the equipment being used to clean at a depreciated value?

  13. Tracy on February 3rd, 2017 9:37 am

    My husband and I attended the meeting last night. I didn’t get the impression that any of the people there were just “looking for money”. They were genuinely concerned with their health and their property. Everyone responds differently to different chemicals or even slight changes in the air that you breath daily, especially if you already have health issues. My daughter and I have asthma and this has affected both us of us greatly. IP is trying, I will give them that but the problem is there seems to be no protocol for clean up or long term effects. They are doing what they can but people are anxious because they aren’t getting answers. They are obviously experiencing a lot of miscommunication between all the different departments that are involved. I believe they are really trying to resolve it all, it’s just going to take time. Please don’t assume that the affected people are just “money hungry” if you don’t know them or what they are facing. Obviously, we knew the risks of living near a plant of this size and that’s on us but for the amount of time and effort that my husband puts into keeping our property looking nice and being clean, I would appreciate having the company responsible for the debris clean up the stuff that’s been blown into my garage, in my pool, and on my roof. I don’t think that’s too much to ask.

  14. Carolyn Bramblett on February 3rd, 2017 8:42 am

    If people had serious issues regarding the paper mill problem then they would have gone to the Health Department or their doctors because everyone has one now, right? They also would have had their insurance company out to check their property if their concerns were real.

  15. CW on February 3rd, 2017 8:10 am

    I agree with Jay, many of those people are just looking for money. The IP officials have already said the only risk is skin iriitation with prolonged contact, yet many people are complaining about breathing problems, etc… So many people nowadays are so full of drama you can’t tell who’s telling the truth anymore.

  16. jay on February 3rd, 2017 5:36 am

    Sounds to me a lot have made up their mind they don’t care how much help I P gives and helps, they are on a mind set for free money,, like the man mad because of deprication I travel through these areas and I see the workers getting at it THUMBS UP , IP I ,, Your insurance company depreciates too ,,thope you keep up the good work you bring many Tax dollars into a run down town and feed many a family ,If a law suit hit and I was lucky enough to be a jurier,, case lost for the one sueing I P is doing all they can and believe me God they did not do the explosion on purpose, Thankful for no injuries or deaths in it, That’s what you people need to look at

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News