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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Saturday, August 8, 2015

AGENT ORANGE AND ILLNESSES CAUSED BY IT.

This page is not about Central Chemical - It is about what Agent Orange has done to many people. Some of the ingredients(Chemicals) used to make Agent Orange Central Chemical has had.

Caused from Exposure to Agent Orange:

acute peripheral neuropathy: a tempo- rary dysfunction of the nervous system characterized by involuntary “tingling” or numbness in the extremities

adult onset type II diabetes Mellitus
(and subsequent complications caused by): non-insulin dependent and charac- terized by high blood sugars

al amyloidosis: a rare group of diseases that results from the abnormal deposition of a particular protein called amyloid in various tissues of the body

*chloracne: an acne-like eruption on the skin due to prolonged exposure to certain chlorinated compounds

hodgkins disease: a tumor found in the lymph nodes characterized by increas- ing enlargement of the lymph nodes, liver, and spleen, and accompanied by progressive anemia

Ischemic (or ischaemic) heart disease:
a heart condition resulting when the arteries that bring blood and oxygen to the heart are blocked. There may be a buildup of cholesterol and other sub- stances, called plaque, in the arteries that bring oxygen to heart muscle tis- sue. Over time, the heart muscle does not work well, and it is more difficult for the heart to fill and release blood. It is the most common cause of congestive heart failure.

non-hodgkins lymphoma: Non-Hodg- kins lymphoma, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia and small-cell lymphocytic lymphoma: a rare type of cancer which causes malignant tumors of the lymph nodes, distinguished from Hodgkins disease by the absence of giant Reed-Sternberg cells.

parkinson’s disease: a neurological disease limiting the ability to control some muscles. Caused by a gradual loss of dopamine-manufacturing cells in the brain, Parkinson’s disease often causes movement and muscle problems and may be accompanied by slight, uncontrolled shaking of the arms and legs.

*peripheral neuropathy: a dysfunction of the nervous system involving either the somatic nerves or the autonomic nervous system (see Acute Peripheral Neuropathy); can cause sensory loss, atrophy, and muscle weakness
*porphyria cutanea tarda: characterized by skin lesions on exposed portions
of the body and pigment changes in the skin; liver disease occurs in some patients

spina bifida in children conceived after the veteran first arrived in Vietnam: characterized by a defective closure of the spinal cord in which the cord may be exposed and/or protrude

sub-acute peripheral neuropathy: a nervous system disorder either acute (temporary) or chronic (long-term) – see acute peripheral neuropathy and peripheral neuropathy

cancers
cancer of the bronchus: a malignant tumor found in the bronchus, an extension of the windpipe (trachea) connecting to the lungs

cancer of the larynx: a malignant tu- mor found in the voice box (larynx)

cancer of the lung: a malignant tumor found in the lungs

cancer of the prostate: a malignant tumor found in the prostate gland

cancer of the trachea: a malignant tumor found in the windpipe (trachea)

adult Fibrosarcoma: a tumor formed from connective tissue

alveolar soft part sarcoma: a sarcoma found in the aveoli, the sac-like ducts in the lungs

angiosarcoma: a tumor occurring on the breast and skin and believed to originate from blood vessels

chronic lymphocytic leukemia: char- acterized by a progressive increase in production of white blood cells

clear cell sarcoma of aponeuroses: a sarcoma found at the end of a muscle where it becomes a tendon

clear cell sarcoma of tendons:
a sarcoma found in the tendons

congenital Fibrosarcoma: a malignant tumor formed before birth and derived from connective tissue

dermatofibrosarcoma: a relatively slow- growing skin tumor consisting of one or more firm nodules

ectomesenchymoma: a tumor found in certain parts of the skin

epithelioid Malignant leiomysarcoma:
a malignant tumor derived from smooth muscle found in the layer covering the muscle

epithelioid Malignant schwannoma: a moderately firm, benign tumor found in the layers of membrane covering surfaces inside the body cavity caused by too many Schwann cells growing in a disorderly manner

epithelioid sarcoma: a tumor found in the membrane covering surfaces inside the body cavity

extraskeletal ewing’s sarcoma: a tumor outside the bone consisting of small rounded cells

SERVICE-CONNECTED DISABIlITY COMPENSATION FOR EXPOSURE TO AGENT ORANGE 4
hairy cell leukemia: a rare slow- growing chronic cancer of the blood called such because the leukemic lymphocytes have short, thin projec- tions on their surfaces that look
like hairs when examined under a microscope. Hairy cell leukemia is caused by an abnormal change in B lymphocytes (a type of white cell).

hemangiosarcoma: a tumor derived from blood vessels and lining blood- filled spaces

Infantile Fibrosarcoma: a tumor formed as a child derived from fibrous connective tissue

leiomyosarcoma: a tumor derived from smooth muscle

liposarcoma: a tumor that may occur anywhere in the body consisting of irregular fat cells

lymphangiosarcoma: a tumor derived from blood vessels

lymphoma: a malignant tumor of the lymph nodes

Malignant Fibrous histiocytoma: a type of tumor found in connective tissue

Malignant giant cell tumor of the tendon sheath: a tumor found in the membrane of tendons

Malignant glandular schwannoma:
a moderately firm malignant tumor
in the glands caused by too many Schwann cells growing in a disorderly pattern

Malignant glomus tumor: a tumor found in the tiny nodes (glomuli) in the the nailbed, pads of fingers, toes, ears, hands, feet, and other body organs

Malignant hemangiopericytoma: a tumor characterized by rapidly growing fat cells formed in blood vessels and lining blood-filled spaces

Malignant Mesenchymoma: a malig- nant tumor in the embryonic tissue or fluid

Malignant shwannoma with Rhabdo- myoblastic: a moderately firm malig- nant tumor found in skeletal muscle resulting from the rapid disorderly growth pattern of Schwann cells

Multiple Myeloma: cancer of specific bone marrow cells characterized by bone marrow tumors in the skeletal system

Proliferating angiedotheliomatosis: increasing numbers of benign tumors in blood cells often causing skin discoloration

Rhabdomysarcoma: tumors derived from skeletal muscle

Sarcoma: tumors arising in connec- tive tissue, bone, cartilage, or muscle
soft tissue sarcoma: a group of soft tissue cancers characterized by malignant tumors which develop on muscles and connective tissue, or in body fat

Synovial sarcoma: a tumor found in the lubricating fluid surrounding joints and tendons

* Diseases with various time requirements A current version of this guide can be 
viewed online at www.vva.org.
Note: this list may change over time. For official updates, see title 38 Code of Federal Regulations Section 3.309(e) “Diseases associated with exposure to certain herbicide agents.”

BIRTH Defects RecognIzed by the VA as connected to Agent Orange Exposure

Spina bifida: children born to either male or female Vietnam veterans; 
Spina Bifida Occulta not included

children born to Female Vietnam Veterans achondroplasia: produces a type of dwarfism cleft lip and cleft palate

congenital heart disease

congenital talipses equinovarus: clubfoot esophageal and Intestinal atresia
hallerman-streiff syndrome: premature small growth and other related defects
hip dysplasia

hirschprung’s disease: congenital megacolon hydrocephalus due to aqueductal stenosis hypospadias: abnormal opening in the urethra Imperforate anus neural tube defects
Poland syndrome: webbed fingers

Pyloric stenosis

syndactyly: fused digits

tracheoesophageal Fistula

Undescended testicles

Williams syndrome: thyroid defects

Not covered are conditions that are congenital malignant neoplasms, chromosomal disorders, or developmental disorders. In addition, condi- tions that do not result in permanent physical or mental disability are not covered.
Note: this list may change over time. Veterans may obtain more information on birth defects and should register all children and grandchildren with birth defects, including cancers and learning disabilities, online at www.birthdefects.org, main- tained by the National Birth Defect Registry.
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