Missouri Tannery Sued for Providing Tainted Sludge for Use as Fertilizer
It has recently been reported that at least 24 landowners are suing the current and former owners of a St. Joseph, Missouri tannery for failing to warn the landowners that fertilizer provided to them was tainted with chromium, which ultimately damaged their land. (Source: www.envfpn.advisen.com)
Earlier in 2009, the tannery, which had been providing sludge to farmers since 1983, was investigated to determine whether the sludge could have caused a series of brain tumors in the area. Results of environmental studies conducted this year showed "trace amounts of hexavalent chromium, a known carcinogen."
This is an example of an environmental situation that could potentially result in a significant bodily injury claim to the owners. Standard general liability and property coverages include total or absolute pollution exclusions that would exclude this type of claim. (Policies should be reviewed for coverage and exclusions and Insureds should consult their policies to determine actual coverage.) New Day has successfully negotiated coverage for these types of risks in the past and can help you meet your Insured's Environmental Insurance and Risk Management needs.
The staff at New Day Underwriting Managers LLC has the experience and expertise to address the exposure that property owners may have and work to obtain the premises environmental coverage to mitigate this and other environmental exposures and to obtain coverage for potential claims such as these. (The actual situation and circumstances of the claim and the actual coverage in place will dictate whether a claim is covered.) Contact the staff at New Day at 609.298.3516 or at info@newdayunderwriting.com to discuss how we can partner with you to address the premises environmental exposures. |
