DuPont has settled a federal complaint over eight West Virginia chemical releases and will pay a fine in excess of $1 million, according to The Herald Dispatch. The leaks occurred at the company’s Belle production facility in Kanawha County, WV, where one worker was killed due to exposure to phosgene. The releases occurred between May 2006 and January 2010. DuPont is required to make safety and emergency response improvements to prevent future leaks, according to the terms of the settlement.
DuPont, by its own estimate, has spent nearly $7 million making improvements to comply with a 2010 EPA order. The recent settlement will go toward training employees, improving response and notification of first responders, and controlling risks during process changes.
