Denver a terror risk?

by Peter Marcus

Report: 1.7M vulnerable if chemical plant attacked

More than 1.7 million people in the Denver area could be at risk if an area chemical facility were to be attacked by terrorists, states a report released this week by the Center for American Progress.

In addition to 100 other “most dangerous chemical facilities” around the nation, Denver’s KIK Denver, Inc., part of Ontario, Canada-based KIK International, Inc., is highlighted as a chemical plant that could bring the region a worst-case toxic gas cloud if it were to be targeted by terrorists. The plant produces bleach by using chlorine gas at its facility located at 4941 East 39th Ave., which requires bulk shipments, according to the report.

The report identifies alternatives for each chemical plant across the nation, each of which threatens at least 1 million people if they were to be attacked by terrorists. In the case of KIK Denver, the Center for American Progress recommends producing bleach on-site from salt and electricity without shipping or storing chlorine gas. The liberal policy group hired a chemical safety consultant for the report.

“Adopting safer chemicals is the only certain way to protect American communities from a toxic gas release,” said Paul Orum, chemical safety consultant. “Site security cannot assure protection against a concerted attack, insider sabotage, or catastrophic release. Replacing hazardous chemicals with safer alternatives removes the danger.”

Calls to KIK Denver by the Denver Daily News went unreturned yesterday. If the plant follows-up, the Denver Daily News will print its response.

Since 1994, KIK Denver has made great strides in the number of toxic chemicals released into the environment, according to the Toxics Release Inventory Program of the Environmental Protection Agency. In fact, from 1991-2002 chlorine releases have decreased by 34 percent. The facility is ranked by the EPA as one of the “cleanest/best facilities in the U.S.”

Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security warns that terrorists could use chemical plants as improvised weapons of mass destruction. There are concerns, however, that security standards developed within the last two years at chemical facilities only focus on “physical measures” like adding gates and guards. The measures do not completely protect against an internal attack, or catastrophic release, states the report.

“So far we have been unwilling to address this threat in a serious way,” states P.J. Crowley, director of national defense and homeland security at the Center for American Progress. “We must move beyond our current focus on site security.”

Converting to alternative chemicals and processes would increase the safety of as many as 80 million Americans living near chemical plants, states the report. Millions more living near railroads and highways used for transporting chemicals would also be safer.

“Millions of people remain unnecessarily vulnerable to toxic terrorism,” said Reece Rushing, director of regulatory and information policy at the Center for American Progress. “This report shows that substantial safety and security improvements are possible and affordable.”