Central Chemical Corp.

History of Central Chemical Corp.
In important ways, the circumstances surrounding Thomas’s entry into the fertilizer business were not propitious. First, Thomas began business near the end of a half-century-long relocation of the fertilizer industry’s center. Though fertilizer use continued to increase in the Mid-Atlantic states and elsewhere during the period from 1870 to 1920, the manufacture of fertilizer began to shift to the Southern states in the late nineteenth century. By 1902, Charleston had replaced Baltimore as the fertilizer capital of the country. The Mid-Atlantic states’ share of total fertilizer use decreased from 34% in 1880 to 14% in 1920. By contrast, in 1920 the South-Atlantic states used about 50% of all fertilizers consumed in the U.S. Thus, Hagerstown could no longer enjoy proximity to the major centers of fertilizer-material production, and, while previously situated between the two highest-fertilizer-use regions of the country, it now found itself on the northern edge of a region that now dwarfed all others.

Second, Thomas’s decision to continue in the practice (apparently favored by Hagerstown companies) of making fertilizer primarily from bone and organic materials came at the start of a rapid increase in the demand for mixed fertilizers, but also at the beginning of a precipitous decline in the use of bone and bone products as a source of phosphorous in fertilizers. With the growing use of potash and phosphate rock, consumption of mixed fertilizers grew from 46% of the total in 1880 to around 70% in 1920. During the period from 1890 to 1910, when Thomas was focusing on his presumably unmixed “dissolved bone” fertilizers, mixed fertilizers were capturing market share.

Furthermore, the period from 1880 to 1920 is also characterized by the decreasing use of organic materials in general. Though organic materials provided about 91% of the total nitrogen in 1900, by 1917 the total nitrogen contribution from organics had dropped to 46.5%. With regard to phosphates, bone meal, dissolved bones and boneblack, and phosphoro-guano use peaked in 1890, but their use dropped to a negligible amount by 1910 as the use of superphosphates from phosphate rock increased dramatically..

Third, even as Thomas had begun his business trading fertilizer for livestock from relatively distant places, the fertilizer industry was increasingly turning to local distribution. Though mid-nineteenth-century fertilizer plants typically were situated in East Coast harbor cities, twentieth-century plants were dispersed to be closer to areas of consumption.

Finally, even though the name “Thomas’ Dissolved Bone” suggests that Thomas produced his own superphosphates initially, the use of bone in the production of superphosphates was on its way out as described above. For all practical purposes, then, Thomas had set his business on the track of the second, smaller type of fertilizer company, which only mixed fertilizer and did not produce superphosphates. For the next 90 years, even when Central Chemical had affiliates across the nation, it would remain in this “smaller” category – relying on large suppliers for its materials. For reasons noted above, this was not a problem at the turn of the century vis-à-vis the larger companies. Starting in the 1890s, however, many agricultural societies began to advocate home mixing of fertilizer materials by farmers. Throughout the first half of the twentieth century, the fertilizer industry fought this effort successfully by insisting on the value of industrial mixing processes and the farmer’s comparative disadvantages in mixing.

Though in its early years, Central Chemical advertised itself as “Exporters – Manufacturers – Importers,” by the 1970s it had become little more than a middle-man between larger suppliers and farmers. It did not import its own materials, but purchased granulated materials from suppliers. There is no evidence that Central Chemical was exporting products out of the country anymore. And its manufacturing capacity consisted of mixing pre-processed granulated materials in various proportions. At this point, its consulting capacity became equally important to its factory processes.

Though Central Chemical and its subsidiaries were taking in a combined $25 million in sales by the late 1970s, an employee remembers that there was always a sense of trouble on the horizon. The vulnerability of a company that adds very little value to its product and relies entirely on contracts with larger suppliers requires no explanation. It appears that not long after Central Chemical became a bulk blender, its large suppliers began pushing their advantages. In the early 70s, Central Chemical’s supplier, Agrico Chemical Company, put pressure on Central Chemical to enter into a long-term contract. When Central Chemical refused, Agrico withheld di-ammonium phosphate and granular triple super phosphate at a time of national shortage in these materials. Central Chemical responded by filing an antitrust lawsuit against Agrico in federal court. For most of the next decade much of the time, resources, and energy of what was still a closely-held corporation would be consumed in this litigation. Ultimately the lawsuit proved unsuccessful.

All of this came at the same time that local, state, federal regulators were investigating the Hagerstown plant for its pesticide-disposal practices. In the 1970s the State of Maryland ordered two separate cleanups of the site; the EPA was just getting started.

Ultimately the push to eliminate the middle man that drove the switch to bulk blending began to turn on the blenders themselves. The larger companies and farmers wised up, and realized that they could both save money by dealing directly with each other. Farmers began buying direct-application materials from the same suppliers used by Central Chemical. By the early 1980s, Central Chemical’s network of fertilizer blenders had contracted substantially. Blending operations like those of the Hagerstown plant could no longer make the case for themselves. Crushed under the weight of increasingly serious environmental liability for its mid-century disposal practices, the Central Chemical Corporation contracted its operations substantially. The Hagerstown plant ceased operations in 1984 and the office headquarters moved from the old Thomas building to an office outside Hagerstown.


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Sunday, June 29, 2014

Researchers Find Pesticides May Increase Chances Of Having Autistic Child « CBS Baltimore





Researchers Find Pesticides May Increase Chances Of Having Autistic Child

June 26, 2014 6:00 AM
LODI, Calif. (CBS13) — New findings from UC Davis researchers suggest farm pesticides may increase the chances of having a child with autism.
The information in the study isn’t surprising to many families who grew up in the Central Valley and have a child diagnosed with autism.
Andrew Rigopoulis loves cars. So does his son, 7-year-old AJ, who was diagnosed with autism two years ago,
Always interested in finding clues, Andrew and his wife took close notice of the autism study that found pregnant women who lived near farms where pesticides were used had a two-thirds higher risk of having children with autism.
The UC Davis research tracked women’s addresses and determined how close they were to insecticide treated fields.
“We were able to link those addresses to a database on all of, or most of the commercial applications of pesticides in California,” said Professor Irva Hertz-Picciotto at the MIND Institute.
The study found mothers who lived less than one mile from fields treated with commercial pesticides during pregnancy gave birth to children who were about 60 percent more likely to have autism compared to children whose mothers did not live close to treated fields.
Andrew says he and other families with kids who have autism think this study makes sense. .
“I’m happy there is people out there that is still researching it to hopefully one day find a cure,” he said.
UC Davis scientists say a combination of genetic and environmental factors are at work in any child who develops autism. It’s not one thing. Andrew knows this all too well.
“I do know that if I were to have another child, that the risk is there,” he said.
Scientists who worked on this study say they have made progress in learning more about autism and potential links. And they urge all pregnant women to avoid contact with agricultural chemicals whenever possible.
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Thursday, June 26, 2014

Hagerstown City Council expected to allow EPA to study groundwater at former Central Chemical site






  • hshok

Superfund site off Mitchell Avenue, the  a right-of-entry agreement to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to allow the continued study of groundwater 
patterns near the former Central Chemical site
regular session at City Hall. The council informally consented April 22 to the agreement that would allow the EPA to install monitoring devices at groundwater springs and surface-water streams at city-owned properties, including the City Park lake, Hager House, Staley Park, and at locations along Hamilton Run and Antietam Creek. with the detectors recording whether the dye travels to the monitoring locations, Assistant City Engineer Jim Bender confirmed in an email last week.

Chemical site to the monitoring locations in order to gain a better understanding of how pesticide/contaminants may have been transported away from the site,” Bender said. “The proposed detectors will be monitoring the presence/absence of the dye at the monitoring locations, not pesticide or contaminants.” boundary lines, and wells have been drilled on adjacent properties to gauge contamination levels, according to previous reports in The Herald-Mail.member council had questions about the tracer
study, including whether the dye could potentially turn monitored waterways the fluorescent dye color.

Central Chemical site, said the dye potentially could color waterways, but it was unlikely.

City of Hagerstown and from other locations will help EPA to determine what future steps, if any, may be needed to control site-related contamination and prevent or reverse its movement away from the site,” Wallace wrote in the March 20 request to Bender. documents. manufacturing plant. Most pesticide blending ended in 1965, with operations ceasing.

 in 1984 and the old buildings being demolished in 2005. The former plant in 1997 became a Superfund site — the federal government’s program to clean up the nation’s uncontrolled hazardous waste sites, according to the EPA website.

Obtain soil and water samples used to evaluate the extent of contamination in the ground, according to previous reports in The Herald-Mail.about $250,000 to develop a plan to clean up contaminated soil and waste at the site, according to previous reports 

in The Herald-Mail. Completing the cleanup design is  estimated to take about two years.Groundwater contamination ongoing, according to previous reports. Hagerstown City Council is poised to.


Posted: Monday, April 28, 2014 8:14 pm 
| Updated: 8:37 pm, Mon May 19, 2014.


•  by Holly Shok
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Herbicide Tests and Storage in the U.S.

AGENT ORANGE AND OTHER  HERBICIDES and PESTICIDES HAVE CAUSED ILLNESSES SUCH AS PARKINSON'S DISEASE AND ETC:
STORAGE/TESTING AND ETC. PLEASE SEE WHAT STATES AND LOCATION AND ETC.


Maryland

Location: Camp Detrick, MD - Fields A, B, and C
Dates: 1946-47
Project Description: The experiments were directed mainly towards the investigation of plant inhibitors applied as sprays or to the soil in the solid form to be taken up by the roots.
Agents: 2,4,5-T, 2,4,5-T triethanolamine, tributylphosphate, ethyl 2,4-D, butyl 2,4,5-Ttriet 2,4-D
DoD Involvement: Yes

Location: Camp Detrick, MD - Fields C, D, and E
Dates: 1948
Project Description: The experiments were directed mainly towards the investigation of plant inhibitors applied as sprays or to the soil in the solid form to be taken up by the roots.
Agents: 2,4,5-T, isopropyl phenol carbamate, LN-2426, 2,4-D
DoD Involvement: Yes

Location: Camp Detrick, MD - Fields C, D, and E
Dates: 1949
Project Description: The experiments were directed mainly towards the investigation of plant inhibitors applied as sprays or to the soil in the solid form to be taken up by the roots. Experiments were done by Ennis, DeRose, Newman, Williamson, DeRigo, and Thomas.
Agents: Triethelyne. 2,4,5-T, carbamates
DoD Involvement: Yes

Location: Camp Detrick, MD - Fields A, B, D, and E
Dates: 1950
Project Description: The experiments were directed mainly towards the investigation of plant inhibitors applied as sprays or to the soil in the solid form to be taken up by the roots. Experiments were done by Ennis, DeRose, Acker, Newman, Williamson, and Zimmerly.
Agents: 2464, butyl 2,4-D, 974, butyl 2,4,5-T, q:q 143 and 974
DoD Involvement: Yes

Location: Camp Detrick, MD - Field F
Dates: 1950-51
Project Description: The experiments were directed mainly towards the investigation of plant inhibitors applied as sprays or to the soil in the solid form to be taken up by the roots. Experiments were done by Acker, DeRose, McLane, Newman, Williamson, Baker, Dean, Johnson, Taylor, Walker, and Zimmerly.
Agents: 2464, carbamate, butyl 2,4-D, 143 and 974 (orange?),2,4,5-T, 2,4-D, Orange
DoD Involvement: Yes

Location: Area B, Camp Detrick, MD
Dates: Spring/Summer 1953
Project Description: Personnel at Camp Detrick tested the feasibility of using an experimental spray tower for applying a mixture of chemical anticrop agents to broad-leaf crops.
Agents: 3:1 mixture 2, 4-D and 2, 4, 5-T
DoD Involvement: Yes

Location: Fort Detrick, MD; Fort Ritchie, MD
Dates: 1956-57
Project Description: In 1956 And 1957, defoliation and desiccation were carried out at Fort Detrick and Fort Ritchie, Maryland by the Chemical Corps and Biological Warfare Research. These were bench tests.
Agents: Various, 577 compounds
DoD Involvement: Yes

Location: Fort Detrick, MD
Dates: 8/1961 - 6/1963
Project Description: From 8/1961 to 6/1963, compounds were spray-tested in the greenhouse to evaluate them as effective defoliants, desiccants, and herbicides.
Agents: 1410 compounds
DoD Involvement: Yes

Location: Fort Ritchie, MD
Dates: 1963
Project Description: Various studies were done to explore the effectiveness of different herbicides. They were all field trials. These studies were done by personnel from the US Army Biological Laboratories.
Agents: Tordon, 2,4-D, Orange, diquat, endothal, and combinations of each with Tordon
DoD Involvement: Yes

Location: Fort Meade, MD
Dates: 1963
Project Description: Various studies were done to explore the effectiveness of different herbicides. They were all field trials. These studies were done by personnel from the US Army Biological Laboratories.
Agents: Cacodylic acid, Dowco 173, butyediol
DoD Involvement: Yes

Location: Poole's Island, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD
Dates: 7/14/1969 -
Project Description: During the week of 7/14/1969, personnel from Naval Applied Science Laboratory in conjunction with personnel from Limited War Laboratory conducted a defoliation test along the shoreline.
Agents: Orange, Orange plus foam, Orange plus foam Orange, Foam
DoD Involvement: Yes

- See more at: http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/locations/tests-storage/usa.asp#Maryland


See more at: 
http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/locations/tests-storage/usa.asp#sthash.vZVAtgB6.dpuf

Click on or copy the link below and paste  by placing it on search area:

http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/locations/tests-storage/usa.as
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