Bayer to Pay $796,500 in EPA Fines at Plant That Exploded

(MoneyWatch)  UPDATE: This post has been updated with corrected information regarding the date of the explosion and the date of the inspections. BNET regrets the error. Bayer will pay just $796,500 in EPA fines for pollution caused by a Charleston, W.Va., plant that exploded in August. The fines are not related specifically to the explosion, but to inspections done by the FDA in 2001. The explosion killed one person, but was so massive it closed a freeway and locals were told to "shelter in place" in seven towns surrounding the plant.

A local environmental group is angry at the small size of the fine because they believe Bayer stored methyl isocyanate (MIC) at the plant. The Bayer site had between two and 20 times the amount of MIC than was stored at Bhopal, India, when a Union carbide plant blew up and killed 8,000.

The back story about the explosion -- plus a dramatic photo of the fire -- can be found here.

An extremely detailed account of Bayer's reponse to the explosion -- including the company's failure to give emergency responders information about the plant and a security guard who tied up an emergency line -- can be found here.

(Bayer said: "We believe we established the correct communications with metro 911.")

The EPA settlement is based on "Respondent's ability to pay." Bayer earned ?32 billion in 2007.

• BNET's previous coverage of controversies at Bayer:
• FDA sends Bayer a warning letter for unsubstantiated claims over Drontal for dogs.
• Bayer Sells Dog Tags for Diabetics
• Trasylol Deaths Trigger Lawsuits
• Ethics Problems Are Business as Usual at Bayer
• In October, the FDA slammed Bayer with two warning letters today for allegedly unlawfully selling two unapproved aspirin products.
• In 2007 the FTC extracted a $3.2 million settlement from Bayer after the company falsely claimed its One-A-Day WeightSmart multivitamins could somehow help with weight loss.
• That FTC order came after Bayer had already violated a pre-existing FTC not to market OTC products unless those products can "be supported by competent and reliable scientific evidence."
• In July 2007, the National Advertising Division said Bayer should discontinue its advertising for its All-Day Energy multivitamin, which doesn't last all day.
• In June 2007, NAD said Bayer was not telling the truth when it said Aleve was the No. 1 medicine among orthopedic surgeons.
• In March 2007, NAD said Bayer was making unsubstantiated claims about rivals to its Ascencia diabetes blood glucose monitor.