The Use and Storage of
Methyl Isocyanate (MIC)
at Bayer CropScience
Committee on Inherently Safer Chemical Processes:
The Use of Methyl Isocyanate (MIC) at Bayer CropScience
Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology
Division on Earth and Life Studies
NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL
OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, D.C.
www.nap.edu
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001
NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.
This study was supported by the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board under Award No: TPD-CSB-1O-C-OOO1.
Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.
International Standard Book Number 13: 978-0-309-25543-1
International Standard Book Number 10: 0-309-25543-0
Cover image: Bayer CropScience.
Additional copies of this report are available from the National Academies Press, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Keck 360, Washington, DC 20001; (800) 624-6242 or (202) 334-3313; http://www.nap.edu.
Copyright 2012 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America.
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering, and Medicine
The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences.
The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Charles M. Vest is president of the National Academy of Engineering.
The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine.
The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. Charles M. Vest are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council.
This page intentionally left blank.
COMMITTEE ON INHERENTLY SAFER CHEMICAL PROCESSES:
THE USE OF METHYL ISOCYANATE (MIC) AT BAYER CROPSCIENCE
ELSA REICHMANIS (Chair), Georgia Institute of Technology
PAUL AMYOTTE, Dalhousie University
PETER BEAK, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
MICHAEL L. P. ELLIOTT, Georgia Institute of Technology
WAYNE B. GRAY, Clark University
DENNIS C. HENDERSHOT, Independent Consultant
ANDREA KIDD TAYLOR, Morgan State University
MICHAEL K. LINDELL, Texas A&M University
JACQUELINE MCDONALD GIBSON, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
JEFFERY J. SIIROLA, Eastman Chemical Company (retired)
JOHN SORENSEN, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (resigned from committee on 2/28/2011)
National Research Council Staff
KATHRYN HUGHES, Study Director
DOROTHY ZOLANDZ, Director
JEFFREY JACOBS, Director, Water Science and Technology Board
ERICKA MCGOWAN, Program Officer (until April 2011)
SHEENA SIDDIQUI, Senior Program Associate
AMANDA CLINE, Administrative Assistant
RACHEL YANCEY, Senior Program Assistant
BOARD ON CHEMICAL SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY
PABLO DEBENEDETTI (Co-Chair), Princeton University
C. DALE POULTER (Co-Chair), University of Utah, Salt Lake City
ZHENAN BAO, Stanford University
ROBERT G. BERGMAN, University of California, Berkeley
HENRY E. BRYNDZA, E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Company
EMILY CARTER, Princeton University
DAVID CHRISTIANSON, University of Pennsylvania
MARY JANE HAGENSON, Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LLC
CAROL J. HENRY, The George Washington University
JILL HRUBY, Sandia National Laboratories
MICHAEL KERBY, ExxonMobil Chemical
CHARLES E. KOLB, Aerodyne Research, Inc.
JOSEF MICHL, University of Colorado, Boulder
SANDER G. MILLS, Merck, Sharp, & Dohme Corporation
DAVID MORSE, Corning Inc.
ROBERT E. ROBERTS, Institute for Defense Analyses
DARLENE J. SOLOMON, Agilent Technologies
JEAN TOM, Bristol-Myers Squibb
DAVID WALT, Tufts University
National Research Council Staff
DOROTHY ZOLANDZ, Director
KATHRYN HUGHES, Program Officer
TINA M. MASCIANGIOLI, Senior Program Officer
DOUGLAS FRIEDMAN, Program Officer
AMANDA CLINE, Administrative Assistant
SHEENA SIDDIQUI, Senior Program Associate
RACHEL YANCEY, Senior Program Assistant
Acknowledgments
The Committee on Inherently Safer Chemical Processes: The Use of Methyl Isocyanate (MIC) At Bayer CropScience would like to thank the many technical, chemical, and engineering experts who contributed to the integrity of this report through the submission of informative materials and attendance of committee meetings. The committee would like to acknowledge Amy McCormick and Lucy Sciallo-Tyler of the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board; Steven Smythe, Patrick Ragan, Connie Stewart, Cindi Lester, Walter Martin, and the staff of the Bayer CropScience facility in Institute, West Virginia; Scott Berger, Center for Chemical Process Safety; Randall Sawyer, Contra Costa County; George Famini and George Emmett, Department of Homeland Security Analysis Center; John Carberry, Carberry EnviroTech; Matthew Blackwood and Larry Zuspan, Kanawha Putman Emergency Planning Committee; Craig Mattheisson, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; and Warren Woomer of Charleston, South Carolina. We would also like to thank West Virginia State University in Institute, West Virginia for hosting the committee members and National Research Council staff for an open public comment session. Our thanks to all those who participated in the comment periods and who contributed information in support of the committee’s data-gathering efforts.
This page intentionally left blank.
Acknowledgment of Reviewers
This report has been reviewed in draft form by persons chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making the published report as sound as possible and to ensure that it meets institutional standards of objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following for their review of this report:
DANIEL A. CROWL, Michigan Technological University
CHAU-CHYUN CHEN, AspenTech
MARTIN SHERWIN, W.R. Grace & Company, Retired
JOHN SAWYER, MATRIC Research
MICHAEL WRIGHT, United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union (United Steelworkers)
SCOTT FARROW, UMBC
GAIL BINGHAM, RESOLVE
NED HEINDEL, Lehigh University
MICHAEL R. HOFFMAN, California Institute of Technology
PAM NIXON, West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection
MAY BERENBAUM, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
JOHN H. SORENSEN, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (retired)
Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations, nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by David Bonner, Stematix, Inc. and W. Carl Lineberger, University of Colorado at Boulder. Appointed by the National Research Council, they were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authors and the institution.
Contents
2 Bhopal and Chemical Process Safety
3 Industrial Production and Use of MIC at Bayer CropScience
4 The Concepts of Inherently Safer Processes and Assessment
5 MIC and Pesticide Production at the Institute Plant: Alternatives Assessment
6 A Framework for Decision Making
7 Process Safety Management at Bayer CropScience
8 Post-incident Retrospective Process Assessment
B Carbamate Pesticide and Methyl Isocyanate Timeline
C Emergency Response and Emergency Preparedness
D Policy Context of Inherently Safer Processes