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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Friday, February 27, 2015

Cleanup Pace Quickens at Hagerstown Superfund Site


HAGERSTOWN, MD (AP) The pit where Central Chemical Corp. dumped its waste is hidden, covered with soil to keep toxins from blowing into the nearby neighborhood or washing into streams. 

The buildings where workers mixed DDT, arsenic and other agricultural pesticides and fertilizers have been razed, leaving cracked concrete slabs among the weeds covering the fenced, 19-acre parcel. 

But despite its desolate appearance, the pace of work is quickening at the Superfund site in Hagerstown’s North End. Eighteen years after a construction crew found the dump while digging a sewer line, an analysis of the contamination is nearly done and formulation of a remedy is in sight. 
Eric Newman, remedial project manager for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), said progress was stalled for approximately six years after the EPA added Central Chemical to its list of the nation’s most hazardous waste sites in 1997 while the agency wrangled with the company, its suppliers and customers over how to proceed. 

They eventually agreed on a two-part investigation that has cost the 15 participating companies approximately $6 million, including demolition of the buildings this spring. The companies’ contractor, URS Corp., of Fort Washington, PA, finished a draft of its Phase II report in January and is doing further tests at EPA’s behest to define the extent of groundwater contamination beyond Central Chemical’s boundaries. 

 “We’ve gotten a heck of a lot of information in two years,” Newman said.
“Since February of 2003, we’ve done a dynamite job.” 

After the draft is revised and accepted, possibly by the end of the year, the EPA will propose a cleanup plan, gather public comment and ask the companies to foot the bill for that work as well. URS geologist William G. Murray estimated it could be another two years from now before ground is broken for a cleanup aimed at making the property suitable for the uses a community panel has already selected: light industrial or professional offices. 
David Schwartz, president of Central Chemical, which still owns the land, said he agrees with the proposed uses but it’s too soon to say who might want to build there.
“I think we need to keep an open mind until we get closer to the time and see whether there’s a need for what we want to do,” he said. 

There are no surprises in URS’ 93-page draft report, which The Associated Press obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request. The highest concentrations of the dozens of pesticides, solvents, compounds and toxic metals that Central Chemical used or disposed of at the site from the 1930s until 1968 are in the soil. Newman said lesser amounts found in the groundwater pose little risk to humans because there are no nearby drinking-water wells, and the city gets its drinking water from the Potomac River upstream of its confluence with Antietam Creek, which runs through Hagerstown. 

The Antietam and a tributary identified as Marsh Run 2 contain some of the substances linked to Central Chemical, but many of the same substances also were found in the same streams upstream from the plant, making it hard to pinpoint the source, according to the report. 
Many homes in the adjacent Brighton Manor neighborhood have changed hands since the problem became publicly known in 1992. Some new residents said they didn’t know about Central Chemical. Others who did said they weren’t worried about it. 

“It hasn’t concerned me,” said Cecil Howe Sr., a retired auto salesman who moved to the neighborhood four years ago. “The thing’s been there and there’s not much you can do about it.” 
Marvin Clites, a mental health worker, said he bought his two-story home in 2002 for $122,900 — approximately half the price of houses in the nearby Northgate neighborhood. 

“I figure that if something’s in the air, we’re going to die anyway,” he said. 
Home values in Brighton Manor have risen nearly as fast as those in the city as a whole, according to the Washington County Department of Taxation and Assessments. Clites said his was appraised at $169,900 earlier this year. 
Kristin Aleshire, a city councilman who also sits on the community panel that proposed the reuse options for the Central Chemical site, said he’s satisfied with the pace of the cleanup project. 

“I think it’s more important to proceed cautiously. And I don’t think that anyone expects that there would be an expedient process to undo immediately, without taking such precautions, decades worth of potential damage that have been done,” he said. 

Region: Northeast Edition | StoryID: 6350 | 
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Friday, February 6, 2015

Pesticides trigger Parkinson's

,TNN | Feb 4, 2015, 03.33 PM IST




KOLKATA: Have you been consuming vegetables without washing them properly? It could be exposing you to the risk of contracting Parkinson's disease post-60. A study of patients in Kolkata reveals that pesticides in vegetables might be one of the major causes that trigger the debilitating illness characterized by tremor of hands, muscular rigidity and slow, imprecise movements. The city is believed to have 10,000 Parkinson's patients, up from 3000 a decade ago.Pesticides destroy dehydrodenase, an enzyme in the brain that helps to break down harmful aldehyde - waste product generated by normal functioning of the brain. As a result, the harmful wastes remain in the brain, inhibiting the production of dopamine which is directly responsible for the onset of Parkinson's. An international study linking Parkinson's to pesticides spurred researchers at the Institute of Neurosciences Kolkata (INK) to observe local patients. The result has left them worried. "We are yet to launch a full-scale study on this. But primary observations do point to a worrying fact. A vast quantity of pesticide-laden vegetables enter the Kolkata markets and are regularly consumed. Over a period of time, this has obviously affected the brain. It is quite evident from the sharp rise in the number of Parkinson's patients in the city. Even if we consider the rise in Kolkata's population, the increase in the number of patients is quite remarkable," said Hrishikesh Kumar, head of the department of neurology, INK.
According to experts, though Parkinson's disease has not garnered public health attention as much as heart disease and cancer, it has far reaching negative impact on the quality of life of an individual. Globally, around 6.3 million people are known to be suffering from it. The age of onset is usually over 60, but it is estimated that one in 10 are diagnosed before the age of 50, with slightly more men being affected than women. "It is not just detrimental to the physical health and daily activities, Parkinson's also severely affects mental health of the patient. It is very often associated with depression, demoralization, anxiety and psychosis. Considering the debilitating effects of the disease, treatment modalities offering quick and effective solutions to the problem is the need of the hour," said Kumar.
At least one-fifth of the city's Parkinson's cases are believed to have been triggered by pesticides. Rigorous washing should be enough to get rid of them, say experts. But often, even that may not be sufficient, they warn. "Even if you remove the pesticides on the surface, those injected into the vegetables remain. Rinsing them in boiled water doesn't help either for it removes the nutrients from the vegetables. So, the best way is to consume organic vegetables. The problem, of course, is that they are not widely available yet," said Kumar.
A 2006 study conducted in USA claimed that those exposed to pesticides had a 70% higher incidence of contracting Parkinson's.
Direct brain stimulation (DBS) therapy is one of the remedies for Parkinson's. It involves the use of a small, pacemaker-like device that sends electronic signals to an area in the brain that controls movements. These signals block some of the brain messages that cause disabling motor as well as non-motor symptoms. The device is placed under the skin in the chest , while thin wires connect the device to the brain which enables the signals to reach the source of the patient's symptoms.
But Kumar points out that DBS works only in some severe cases of Parkinson's that don't respond well to medicines. "It may not be advisable in early stages, though DBS is an advanced form of treatment, akin to the cardiac pacemaker," said Kumar.

 http://health.einnews.com/article/248043920/96bzVYn9rNtNbLOr

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Friday, December 19, 2014

Another Groundbreaking Study Emerges Linking Agricultural Pesticides To Autism – And That’s Not All


 by . 




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Numerous studies have clearly outlined the health and environmental dangers that are associated with pesticides, more specifically, agricultural pesticides. They’ve been linked to cancer, birth defects, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, kidney failure and many more.
It’s remarkable how we continue to spray these all over our food. In the past decade alone, scientists from all over the world have conducted studies that now link them with autism. Keep in mind, autism is a very large spectrum, some of it may be evolution, and in many other cases, neurodevelopment is largely hampered  due to the factors mentioned in this article (and more). Here is one of the (out of what could be many) reasons why:
Pesticides Increase Risk By 2/3
A study coming out of the University of California, Davis, determined that pregnant women who live in close proximity to land and farms where chemical pesticides are/were applied experience a two-thirds increased risk of having a child with autism spectrum disorder or some other developmental disorder.
The study examined associations between pesticides, including organophosphates (a main ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide)  that were applied during the participants’ pregnancies and a later diagnosis of autism or developmental delay in their children.
The study was published this summer, online in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.(1) It concluded that proximity to organophosphates alone at some point during gestation was associated with a 60% increased risk for ASD.

“This study validates the results of earlier research that had reported associations between having a child with autism and prenatal exposure to agricultural chemicals in California. While we still must investigate whether certain sub-groups are more vulnerable to exposures to these compounds than others, the message is very clear: Women who are pregnant should take special care to avoid contact with agricultural chemicals whenever possible.”  – Janie F. Shelton, a UC Davis graduate student who now consults with the United Nations, lead author of the study. 

The study examined commercial pesticide use in California, and used data from the California Pesticide Use report alongside data from the residential addresses of approximately 1000 participants in the Northern California area that participated in the Childhood Risk of Autism from Genetics and the Environment study (CHARGE)

“CHARGE (Childhood Autism Risks from Genetics and the Environment) was launched in 2003 as the first comprehensive study of environmental causes and risk factors for autism and developmental delay. The CHARGE study recognizes that no single factor accounts for all autism cases, nor is there one event or exposure that can be responsible for the rapid increase in diagnoses over the last few decades. Instead, each child’s path to altered brain development may be different.” (source)

I think the above explanation for autism is great. I do agree that there is not one single event that is responsible, I think it includes a number of factors that allow toxins to enter into the body from fetal development and early childhood, and there is a lot of evidence which suggests this.


“Organophosphates applied over the course of pregnancy were associated with an elevated risk of autism spectrum disorder, particularly for chlorpyrifos applications in the second trimester. Pyrethroids were moderately associated with autism spectrum disorder immediately prior to conception and in the third trimester. Carbamates applied during pregnancy were associated with developmental delay. Exposures to insecticides for those living near agricultural areas may be problematic, especially during gestation, because the developing fetal brain may be more vulnerable than it is in adults. Because these pesticides are neurotoxic, in utero exposures during early development may distort the complex processes of structural development and neuronal signaling producing alterations to the excitation and inhibition mechanisms that govern mood, learning, social interactions and behaviour.”(1)

More Studies Regarding Autism and Toxins

A new study published in the journal PLOS Computational Biology, from researchers at the University of Chicago revealed that autism and intellectual disability (ID) rates are linked with exposure to harmful environmental factors during congenital development. (2)
The team analyzed data that covered more than one third of the U.S. population. Data from individual states and more than 2,100 counties were used. Fetuses, particularly males, are sensitive to multiple toxins such as environmental lead, medications and a wide variety of other synthetic molecules, like pesticides, mercury and more. Exposure to these toxins during critical stages of development is thought to explain a large portion of congenital reproductive malformations.
Our environment is full of neurodevelopmental toxins, which means they alter how the brain grows. Mercury, polychlorinated diphenyl, lead, brominated flame retardants and pesticides are a few of many examples. Don’t forget about insecticides and herbicides.
Another recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine compared brain autopsies of autistic children who had died from unrelated causes to those of normal ones. The autistic brains demonstrated abnormal patches of disorganized neurons that disrupted the usual distinct layers in the brain’s cortex. The study suggests that abnormalities occurred in utero during key developmental stages between 19 to 30 weeks gestation. It’s not just the toxin, it’s the timing of the exposure. (3)
Another study outlines how glyphosate toxicity leads to the suppression of critical enzymes, and as a result links the Western diet to heart disease, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, autism and more. (4)
In another case, a group of scientists put together a comprehensive review of existing data that shows how European regulators have known that Monsanto’s glyphosate causes a number of birth malformations since at least 2002. Regulators misled the public about glyphosate’s safety, and in Germany the Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety told the European Commission that there was no evidence to suggest that glyphosate causes birth defects (5)
A new study published in the journal Biomedical Research International  shows that Roundup herbicide is 125 times more toxic than its active ingredient glyphosate studied in isolation.(16)
There is more research confirming that mothers who are exposed to commonly used, “safe” pesticides give birth to children with lower intelligence, structural brain abnormalities, behavioral disorders, compromised motor skills, higher rates of brain cancer and small head size. (6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)
The list goes on and on, for more information on toxins and the role they play in autism, you can click HERE.
Sources:
6.Rauh V, Arunajadai S, Horton M, Perera F, Hoepner L, Barr DB, et al. 2011. Seven-Year Neurodevelopmental Scores and Prenatal Exposure to Chlorpyrifos, a Common Agricultural Pesticide. Environ Health Perspect 119:1196-1201. 
7. Bouchard M, Chevrier J, Harley K, Kogut K, Vedar M, Calderon N, Trujillo C, Johnson C, Bradman A, Barr D, Eskenazi B. Prenatal Exposure to Organophosphate Pesticides and IQ in 7-Year Old Children. Environmental Health Perspectives, 2011; DOI: 10.1289/ehp.1003185
8. Engel S, et al. Prenatal Exposure to Organophosphates, Paraoxonase 1, and Cognitive Development in Childhood. Environmental Health Perspectives, 2011; DOI: 10.1289/ehp.1003183
9. Horton M, et al. Impact of Prenatal Exposure to Piperonyl Butoxide and Permethrin on 36-Month Neurodevelopment. Pediatrics 2011; 127:3 e699-e706; doi:10.1542/peds.2010-0133
10.  Horton M, Kahn L, Perera F, Barr D, Rauh V. Does the home environment and the sex of the child modify the adverse effects of prenatal exposure to chlorpyrifos on child working memory? Neurotoxicology and Teratology, 2012; DOI: 10.1016/j.ntt.2012.07.004
11. Rauh V, et al. Brain anomalies in children exposed prenatally to a common organophosphate pesticide. PNAS 2012 109 (20) 7871-7876; published ahead of print April 30, 2012, doi:10.1073/pnas.1203396109
12.Oulhote Y, Bouchard M, Urinary Metabolites of Organophosphate and Pyrethroid Pesticides and Behavioral Problems in Canadian Children Environ Health Perspect; DOI:10.1289/ehp.1306667
14. Greenop K, Peters S, Bailey H, et al. Exposure to pesticides and the risk of childhood brain tumors. Cancer Causes & Control. April 2013
15. Kimura-Kuroda J, Komuta Y, Kuroda Y, Hayashi M, Kawano H (2012) Nicotine-Like Effects of the Neonicotinoid Insecticides Acetamiprid and Imidacloprid on Cerebellar Neurons from Neonatal Rats. PLoS ONE 7(2): e32432. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.003243

(16) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3955666/
http://www.collective-evolution.com/2014/09/09/are-you-pregnant-new-study-makes-it-very-clear-how-to-reduce-the-risk-of-autism/
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Friday, August 29, 2014

Herbicide and Pesticide Exposure Linked to Parkinson's Disease


Written By: 
Case Adams, Naturopath
Herbicide and Pesticide Exposure Linked to Parkinson's Disease
A recent study from UCLA has confirmed that exposure to the herbicide Paraquat is linked with a heightened risk of Parkinson's disease. This combines with other research that has found other chemicals used on our foods and landscapes significantly increase the risk of Parkinson's.
The researchers, from UCLA's Fielding School of Public Health, studied 357 Parkinson's diseasecases along with 754 control subjects - adults from Central California. The researchers determined increased exposure to the herbicide Paraquat through geographic mapping linking their home locations to agricultural use of the chemical on farms. Those living closer to farms that sprayed the herbicide were found to have a 36% increased risk of Parkinson's.
However, those who experienced a head injury combined with increased Paraquat exposure tripled their chances of having Parkinson's disease.
Researchers from Mexico's Unidad de Medicina Familiar also studied cases of Parkinson's together with exposure to the herbicide Paraquat among Mexican workers. They also found a positive association between exposure to this chemical and Parkinson's disease.
Paraquat is N,N′-dimethyl-4,4′-bipyridinium dichloride.
Learn safe detoxification methods.
A study published last year from the Louvain Center for Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology of Brussels' Catholic University of Louvain concluded that pesticide exposure was also significantly linked to Parkinson's. Here the researchers analyzed and calculated the data from twelve peer-reviewed clinical studies that investigated Parkinson's disease together with pesticide exposure. They collected research conducted between 1985 and 2011.
The meta-analysis found that all twelve studies individually and collectively established a link between pesticide exposure and Parkinson's disease.
After calculating meta-data ratios and relative risk, the researchers found that Parkinson's disease incidence as diagnosed by a neurologist was more than two-and-a-half times for those exposed to more pesticides compared to those less exposed. Other risk calculations showed the increased incidence of Parkinson's disease to range from nearly double to 28% - which was the average of all cases studied.
But when the research focused upon farm workers involved in the growing of bananas, pineapples or sugarcane, the incidence of Parkinson's disease more than doubled that of lower-exposure individuals.
The researchers concluded:
The present study provides some support for the hypothesis that
occupational exposure to pesticides increases the risk of Parkinson's disease.

 Since this review study came out, other studies have investigated some of the worst pesticides, and the mechanisms by which they produce Parkinson's disease.
A study from Korea's Yonsei University studied the broad spectrum pesticide Rotenone – and how it damages nerve cells and pathways. The researchers found that Rotenone induces cell death in a process called with G2/M cell cycle arrest. G2/M cell cycle arrest blocks the process of mitosis that enables cells and their DNA to replicate – and more importantly among nerve cells - repair any DNA damage. Thus the insecticide basically blocks the ability of the nerve cell to repair itself – lending to the cells eventually dying off or mutating.
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