A Fort Wright plastic product manufacturing plant has received its share of complaints from the public over the years, ranging from wafting odors to perceived safety threats. As scrutiny mounts from the public, Covington officials are taking steps to ensure the plant follows proper environmental safety protocols in the future.
While the Interplastic Corporation plant is located in Fort Wright at 3535 Latonia Avenue, there is a section of the plant located in Latonia. The plant manufactures polyester resins used for making boats, spas, and other items. A chemical called styrene is used in manufacturing polyester resins, which produces an odor.
“There have been issues regarding its operation at least since the 1990s, probably longer ago than that,” Covington City Solicitor David Davidson said at a May commissioner’s meeting.
In 1997, approximately 800 residents filed a class action lawsuit against Interplastic. One of the plaintiffs, Judith Moore, claimed the fumes coming from the plant caused her to have headaches.
According to the EPA, styrene emissions have been linked to headaches, nausea, weakness and depression.
“It would actually make your nose burn,” Moore told WCPO in 2019. “Nauseous, headaches — I’ve had headaches ever since.”
The lawsuit was settled in 2004 for $4.75 million. The settlement included a consent decree requiring the company to make regular reports to the fire departments in both Fort Wright and Covington.
Davidson has been involved in ongoing discussions with officials from Fort Wright, neighboring residents, and attorneys who were involved in the 1997 lawsuit.
On Jan. 10 of this year, an incident involving the plant prompted an emergency “shelter-in-place” order for those living within a mile of the plant. An explosion occurred at a storage container housing polyester resin. The response from regional fire and hazardous materials teams brought renewed attention on the plant.
“My phone has not stopped ringing,” Commissioner Tim Downing said at a commissioner’s meeting in January. “That facility is not respecting its neighbors. We need to figure out a way to do something about it.”
In 2019, a similar emergency “shelter-in-place” order occurred after equipment failure caused the release of a lung irritant into the air.
At the time, Covington Mayor Joe Meyer said city officials found out about the incident through a 911 phone call, and that no Interplastics representative notified the city.
Davidson formally requested records from Fort Wright earlier in 2022. Davidson said his investigation and research is ongoing, and he plans to set up meetings with officials from the plant to discuss concerns.
Covington’s legal and fire departments updated the commission on steps they’re taking regarding Interplastics:
- Collaborating with Kenton County Homeland Security & Emergency Management to obtain a detection meter similar to one that was carried in the past on the hazmat truck housed by the fire department, Chief Mark Pierce said. The meter can be equipped with a styrene chip that can detect odor levels more accurately than the Draeger tubes used in the past to measure toxic levels of chemicals in the air, Pierce said.
- Working together with Interplastic to schedule tours of the plant to refamiliarize firefighters with the plant’s layout and operations
- Kenton County facilitating a meeting that could include representatives from Interplastic, Fort Wright, and Covington to discuss general concern
- Setting up a meeting with the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection to discuss how to handle any future odor complaints and whether there was anything the city or the state could do to improve their response on neighbors’ behalf
However, Davidson cautioned the commission that the city was “limited” in its legal authority. As of now, Covington doesn’t have the appropriate meters to determine acceptable levels of styrene odor levels.
“It does appear that our hands are tied in a lot of ways but I thought it was important that our citizens of Latonia understand that we do care and that we’re looking at it and we will continue to look at it,” Commissioner Ron Washington said.
On Interplastic’s website, an environmental policy states the company must, “meet compliance obligations of relevant interested parties,” and ”minimize adverse environmental impact from the materials used and activities to manufacture and deliver products.”
“That’s what the EPA is for,” Davidson said. “Even safe styrene operations produce an odor. They have a right to operate.”
Meyer said odors and emmissions can be hard to prove if a complaint is made after hours because the odor can dissipate before an expert can be called to investigate.
“Reports of bad odor are inherently difficult to prove,” Meyer said.
Davidson recommended that affected people should call the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection to report issues. The Department’s “environmental emergencies” hotline is (800) 928-2380 or (502) 564-2380.