Philadelphians Sue Over Delaware River Chemical Spill Incident

PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphians have filed a class-action lawsuit against the company responsible for a chemical spill last month into the Delaware River that caused concerns over drinking water contamination.

Meanwhile, a Bucks County native and pharmacist has launched a petition drive to shut down the Lower Bucks company a chemical spill last month into the Delaware River caused concerns over drinking water contamination.

Sarah Hassinger launched a Change.org petition calling for the immediate shutdown of Trinseo PLC., a specialty material solutions provider, which said in a statement that the March 24 spill was caused after a pipe carrying a non-toxic "latex emulsion product" above ground from the production area of its Altuglas plant in Bristol Township to a holding tank failed.

“If Trinseo cannot operate without putting our drinking water at risk, then they should not be allowed to continue their operation," said Hassinger, who purchased a home in Bristol four years ago. "The health and safety of our community must come before profits.”

The petition currently has more than 30,000 signatures.

Aminata Diallo, senior campaigner for Change.org, said that Philadelphia residents have filed a class-action lawsuit against Trinseo and its subsidiary, Altuglas.

She said the lawsuit states that between 8,100 and 12,000 gallons of the solution containing butyl acetate, ethyl acetate, and methyl methacrylate was released into the Delaware River. It entered the Otter Creek through a stormwater drain before flowing into the Delaware River.

They are suing for negligence, private and public nuisance, certification of the class action, damages, fees, costs, and a jury trial, she said.

The 15-page lawsuit filed last week in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas says defendants Altuglas LLC and Trinseo PLC have admitted that the chemical spill stemmed from an “equipment failure”

"This is not the first time Trinseo’s mishaps have placed the greater Philadelphia area’s environmental safety at risk," Diallo said in the press release. "From chemical fires to water pollution, Trinseo has caused numerous environmental damages over the past few decades."

According to the plaintiffs of the lawsuit, Trinseo has had at least four previous leaks dating back to 2010.

Trinseo explained how the spill happened in a statement on its website last month.

Tests of water samples conducted by government agencies and water utilities throughout last month detected no contamination of drinking water from the released material.

Testing was conducted by the Philadelphia Water Department, Aqua Pennsylvania, New Jersey American Water, Burlington Township (NJ) Public Works, and the Environmental Protection Agency and concluded last Wednesday.

After consulting with the regulatory agencies, Trinseo said it has restarted compounding lines at its Bristol Township plant.

But the company said that latex operations will not resume until the cause of the release is identified and corrected.

The lawsuit looks to cover all persons and entities that reside in the area served by the Baxter Drinking Water Treatment Plant.

Calls to Trinseo's Bristol office and corporate headquarters went unanswered Monday.