![]() | This article contains promotional content .(August 2018) |
![]() | |
Industry | Chemical |
---|---|
Founded | 1915 [1] |
Founder | Francis G. Hood [1] [2] |
Headquarters | Operational/Corporate: Marinette, Wisconsin, U.S. |
Key people | George R. Oliver, [3] President Dave Eickman, [4] VP Operations Bob Roche, [4] CFO |
Products | Fire Protection Services, Safety Products |
Revenue | ![]() |
Number of employees | 640 (2007) [4] |
Parent | Johnson Controls |
Website | ANSUL |
Ansul is a corporation headquartered in Marinette, Wisconsin that manufactures fire suppression systems, extinguishers, and administers fire training. Ansul's initial activities included production of cattle feed, refrigerants and selected specialty chemicals. The name Ansul comes from ANhydrous SULfur dioxide (SO2), which was sold to die works and fruit preservers, and later as a refrigerant. [5] Production of fire suppression chemicals began in 1934. Virginia Chemicals, Inc. (now part of Celanese Corporation) acquired the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Products Division of The Ansul Company in 1967, [6] and by 1983 Ansul had discontinued all other production at the facility in Marinette. The US government is a major customer for Ansul. [4] [7]
The ANSUL name is a premium brand of Tyco Fire Protection Products. The full line of ANSUL special hazard fire protection products includes fire extinguishers and hand line units; pre-engineered restaurant, vehicle, and industrial systems; sophisticated fire detection/suppression systems, and a complete line of dry chemical, foam, and gaseous extinguishing agents. [8] A common hand-held fire extinguisher produced by Ansul is the SENTRY brand stored-pressure fire extinguisher. [9]
Ansul was created by Francis "Frank" G. Hood from the bankrupt Bastol Company, an enterprise started in Marinette in 1912. It remained independent until 1978, when it was acquired by Wormald International, an Australian corporation. Wormald was in turn acquired by Tyco International in 1990. [5] Ansul now exists as a brand of the Tyco Fire Protection segment of Tyco International, [3] which in turn is part of Johnson Controls International plc.
The company changed its name over the years but always kept Ansul as part of its name. From 1915 to 1963 it was the Ansul Chemical Company, from 1963 to 1981: the Ansul Company, and from 1981 to 1995 Ansul Fire Protection. The current name has been used since 1995.
Early leadership was quite stable, primarily under the Hood family. Once the company was acquired, turnover has been much more rapid as evidenced by this chronology of the presidents of Ansul: [5]
ANSUL is the registered trade name for Ansul's products and is often used in conjunction with the trade name for their specific products, such as ANSUL SENTRY fire extinguishers. [12]
(No trade names known in this category)
2001: In certain circumstances, seemingly isolated to McDonald's restaurants, detection cables in R-102 systems can fray, fatigue, and fail. Ansul will pay the suppression company to make repairs. [13]
2006: Ansul cooperated with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to voluntarily recall about 154,000 K-GUARD, SENTRY and FLAG FIRE Model Fire Extinguishers because if the fire extinguisher is dropped horizontally from a height of approximately 2 to 3 feet (0.91 m), the internal pick-up tube could crack and the extinguisher can fail to discharge properly. [14]
2006: SimplexGrinnell LP, ADT Security Services Inc., and Ansul Inc. were distributors for Tyco Fire & Security Fire Detection Systems made in China with faulty sensors. Sensors could experience reduced sensitivity to smoke in conditions of high humidity and high temperature. A product safety recall was conducted by the firm in cooperation with the CPSC. [15]
2009: Marine high pressure carbon dioxide systems are inadvertently discharging due to an internal pressure vent on the cylinder valve that may not be adequately venting pressure. This can cause the cylinder to actuate, which then causes all other cylinders on the system to actuate. Marine high pressure carbon dioxide valves with a date code range of 10–07 to 06-08 should be replaced. [16]
Ansul was among ten defendants in Miller v. Ansul Inc., Western Fire Protection, et al, Case #688690, San Diego County Superior Court, in 1995. Miller was injured while depressurizing an unrestrained Halon tank. Miller won the case. [17] [18]
Former employee Daniel Grace successfully sued Ansul in 1999 for age discrimination. The case was decided by the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division. [19]
Ansul et al. were named as defendants in a 2005 lawsuit alleging that the use of Agent Orange by the U.S. military led to birth defects for Vietnamese children. The United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York ruled that the defending companies were operating under the direct order of the President and as such could not be sued for the consequences of the use of their product. The court also ruled the British had previously used Agent Orange during the Malayan Emergency in the 1950s and that they set the precedent for America's use during the Vietnam War. [20]
Environmentally, Ansul ranked in 2002 among the dirtiest/worst facilities in the US for cancer risk (air and water releases) and non-cancer risk score (air and water releases) [21] due to chromium and copper. Chemicals discharged from Ansul in 2011 [22] include:
Chemicals transferred to other sites:
Chemicals released to the air:
Chemicals released to surface water:
Surface water near Ansul is the adjacent Menominee River. The river bottom and groundwater are heavily contaminated with arsenic compounds that were released by Ansul from 1957 to 1977 as a result of herbicide manufacture, with certain spots of river sediment containing levels as high as 11,000 ppm arsenic. [23] [24] For six of those years (1960–1966), arsenic-laden wastewater was discharged directly into the river. [24] These discharges and contaminations were the result of an accumulation of more than 95,000 short tons (86,000 t) of arsenic salt that was at one time stored on site. [25] The company consequently operated under two consent orders (Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) Consent Order 2A-73-714; and Administrative Order on Consent (AOC) between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the WDNR, and Ansul, signed on September 28, 1990). [24] As a result of the US EPA AOC, Ansul agreed in February 2009 to spend an estimated US$28 million to: [26]
Total remediation efforts and their costs are:
In November 2011, the local newspaper reported that Tyco (Ansul) is still negotiating with the EPA and WDNR to work out a plan, which has been submitted to the EPA for approval. Disclosed at a meeting with the Local Menominee River Area of Concern Citizens Advisory Committee was a plan to partially dredge and partially cap the arsenic. Estimated to cost US$24 million and take two years, 100,000 cubic yards (76,000 m3) of contaminated sediment would be removed from an area of 3 acres (12,000 m2) - 3.5 acres (14,000 m2) acres around the Eighth Street Slip, which would be replaced with sand from another (undisclosed) area of the river and topped with stone. However, the EPA has indicated that it wants Ansul to dredge the sediment from all ≈19 acres (77,000 m2). The Tyco proposal also includes capping ≈3.5 acres (14,000 m2), leaving 100,000 cubic yards (76,000 m3) of contaminated sediment in place. If approved, this project would commence in June 2012. [28]
The Tyco proposal was rejected by the EPA in 2012, and 250,000 cubic yards (190,000 m3) of sediment was ordered to be removed from the main channel, the turning basin, areas directly east of the turning basin, the Sixth Street Slip, and the south channel. Tyco hired Sevenson Environmental Services of New York as the general contractor for the project, which began in July 2012. [29] (Sevenson was also the general contractor to clean up the infamous Love Canal site in New York.) [30] The project is slated for completion by Nov. 1, 2013, and the current estimate of cost is US$25 million. [27]
Tyco created a website in 2011 specifically for the cleanup project, featuring reports, news, and FAQs. [31]
The arsenic contamination of the river bed has been problematic for a neighboring corporation, Marinette Marine (MMC). MMC is a shipbuilder with government contracts. Among their limitations for vessel size is the ship's draft, which must be less than the depth of the Menominee River. MMC is located immediately upstream of Ansul, and because of the arsenic contamination of the river bed, MMC's desires to dredge the river have been stymied until Ansul's remediation efforts can be completed. [24] The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) estimated in 1986 that 40,000 cubic yards of sediment would need to be dredged. [32]
The arsenic contamination causes a beneficial use impairment (BUI) resulting in local regulations that restrict anchoring of boats adjacent to the Ansul property, as anchors may disturb the arsenic-laden sediments. A “Menominee River No Anchor Zone” is conspicuously posted. [33] [34]
USA Today reported that Marinette schools are in the top 5 percentile for the most exposure to air pollution. [35] St. Thomas Aquinas Academy High School (formerly known as Marinette Catholic Central High School until 2004 [36] ) is adjacent to Ansul's property, and next to it is the Marinette Middle School (formerly Marinette High School until 1973). Marinette High School is adjacent to the Ansul Fire Technology Center, where tons of chemicals are used annually to train fire fighters. [37]
Green Bay is an arm of Lake Michigan, located along the south coast of Michigan's Upper Peninsula and the east coast of Wisconsin. It is separated from the rest of the lake by the Door Peninsula in Wisconsin, the Garden Peninsula in Michigan, and the chain of islands between them, all formed by the Niagara Escarpment. Green Bay is some 120 miles (193 km) long, with a width ranging from about 10 to 20 miles ; it is 1,626 square miles (4,210 km2) in area.
Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies, with a negative impact on their uses. It is usually a result of human activities. Water bodies include lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers, reservoirs and groundwater. Water pollution results when contaminants mix with these water bodies. Contaminants can come from one of four main sources. These are sewage discharges, industrial activities, agricultural activities, and urban runoff including stormwater. Water pollution may affect either surface water or groundwater. This form of pollution can lead to many problems. One is the degradation of aquatic ecosystems. Another is spreading water-borne diseases when people use polluted water for drinking or irrigation. Water pollution also reduces the ecosystem services such as drinking water provided by the water resource.
Environmental remediation is the cleanup of hazardous substances dealing with the removal, treatment and containment of pollution or contaminants from environmental media such as soil, groundwater, sediment. Remediation may be required by regulations before development of land revitalization projects. Developers who agree to voluntary cleanup may be offered incentives under state or municipal programs like New York State's Brownfield Cleanup Program. If remediation is done by removal the waste materials are simply transported off-site for disposal at another location. The waste material can also be contained by physical barriers like slurry walls. The use of slurry walls is well-established in the construction industry. The application of (low) pressure grouting, used to mitigate soil liquefaction risks in San Francisco and other earthquake zones, has achieved mixed results in field tests to create barriers, and site-specific results depend upon many variable conditions that can greatly impact outcomes.
The Menominee River is a river in northwestern Michigan and northeastern Wisconsin in the United States. It is approximately 116 miles (187 km) long, draining a rural forested area of northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan into Lake Michigan. Its entire course, with that of its tributary, the Brule River, forms part of the boundary between the two states.
Lead hydrogen arsenate, also called lead arsenate, acid lead arsenate or LA, chemical formula PbHAsO4, is an inorganic insecticide formerly used to control pests including gypsy moth, potato beetle and rats.
Firefighting foam is a foam used for fire suppression. Its role is to cool the fire and to coat the fuel, preventing its contact with oxygen, thus achieving suppression of the combustion. Firefighting foam was invented by the Moldovan engineer and chemist Aleksandr Loran in 1902.
Soil contamination, soil pollution, or land pollution as a part of land degradation is caused by the presence of xenobiotic (human-made) chemicals or other alteration in the natural soil environment. It is typically caused by industrial activity, agricultural chemicals or improper disposal of waste. The most common chemicals involved are petroleum hydrocarbons, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, solvents, pesticides, lead, and other heavy metals. Contamination is correlated with the degree of industrialization and intensity of chemical substance. The concern over soil contamination stems primarily from health risks, from direct contact with the contaminated soil, vapour from the contaminants, or from secondary contamination of water supplies within and underlying the soil. Mapping of contaminated soil sites and the resulting clean ups are time-consuming and expensive tasks, and require expertise in geology, hydrology, chemistry, computer modelling, and GIS in Environmental Contamination, as well as an appreciation of the history of industrial chemistry.
Kidde is an American multinational company that manufactures and distributes fire detection and suppression equipment, as well as smoke and CO alarm units. Kidde is one of America's largest manufacturers of smoke alarms and fire safety products. Kidde is headquartered in Mebane, North Carolina, and it has been part of Kidde Global Solutions since December 2024.
Arsenic contamination of groundwater is a form of groundwater pollution which is often due to naturally occurring high concentrations of arsenic in deeper levels of groundwater. It is a high-profile problem due to the use of deep tube wells for water supply in the Ganges Delta, causing serious arsenic poisoning to large numbers of people. A 2007 study found that over 137 million people in more than 70 countries are probably affected by arsenic poisoning of drinking water. The problem became a serious health concern after mass poisoning of water in Bangladesh. Arsenic contamination of ground water is found in many countries throughout the world, including the US.
Coal combustion products (CCPs), also called coal combustion wastes (CCWs) or coal combustion residuals (CCRs), are categorized in four groups, each based on physical and chemical forms derived from coal combustion methods and emission controls:
Havertown Superfund is a 13-acre polluted groundwater site in Havertown, Pennsylvania contaminated by the dumping of industrial waste by National Wood Preservers from 1947 to 1991. The state first became aware of the pollution in 1962 and initiated legal action against the owners in 1973 to force them to cleanup the site. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ranked the site the eighth worst cleanup project in the United States. The site was added to the National Priorities List in 1983 and designated as a Superfund cleanup site in the early 1990s. Remediation and monitoring efforts are ongoing and the EPA transferred control of the site to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection in 2013.
Diamond Alkali Company was an American chemical company incorporated in 1910 in West Virginia by a group of glass industry businessmen from Pittsburgh. The company soon established a large chemical plant at Fairport Harbor, Ohio, which would operate for over sixty years. In 1947, the headquarters of the company was moved from Pittsburgh to Cleveland. Later the company established a plant in Redwood City, California, that produced ion-exchange resins. In 1967, Diamond Alkali and Shamrock Oil and Gas merged to form the Diamond Shamrock Corporation. Diamond Shamrock would go on to merge with Ultramar Corporation, and the combined company, Ultramar Diamond Shamrock Corporation, would in turn be acquired by Valero Energy Corporation in 2001.
A fire extinguisher is a handheld active fire protection device usually filled with a dry or wet chemical used to extinguish or control small fires, often in emergencies. It is not intended for use on an out-of-control fire, such as one which has reached the ceiling, endangers the user, or otherwise requires the equipment, personnel, resources or expertise of a fire brigade. Typically, a fire extinguisher consists of a hand-held cylindrical pressure vessel containing an agent that can be discharged to extinguish a fire. Fire extinguishers manufactured with non-cylindrical pressure vessels also exist, but are less common.
Imperial Oil is a current Superfund site located off Orchard Place near Route 79 in Morganville, Marlboro Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey. This site is one of 114 Superfund sites in New Jersey. It is in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 2 Superfund area of control and organization. The 15-acre (61,000 m2) Imperial Oil Co./Champion Chemicals site consisted of six production, storage, and maintenance buildings and 56 above-ground storage tanks.
Water pollution in the United States is a growing problem that became critical in the 19th century with the development of mechanized agriculture, mining, and manufacturing industries—although laws and regulations introduced in the late 20th century have improved water quality in many water bodies. Extensive industrialization and rapid urban growth exacerbated water pollution combined with a lack of regulation has allowed for discharges of sewage, toxic chemicals, nutrients, and other pollutants into surface water. This has led to the need for more improvement in water quality as it is still threatened and not fully safe.
Hocomonco Pond is a recreational pond located in Westborough, Massachusetts near Route 9. Also called Hobomoc Pond, it was named for Hobomok, a Wamesit Indian evil spirit. The pond and adjacent land are a Superfund site.
Groundwater pollution occurs when pollutants are released to the ground and make their way into groundwater. This type of water pollution can also occur naturally due to the presence of a minor and unwanted constituent, contaminant, or impurity in the groundwater, in which case it is more likely referred to as contamination rather than pollution. Groundwater pollution can occur from on-site sanitation systems, landfill leachate, effluent from wastewater treatment plants, leaking sewers, petrol filling stations, hydraulic fracturing (fracking) or from over application of fertilizers in agriculture. Pollution can also occur from naturally occurring contaminants, such as arsenic or fluoride. Using polluted groundwater causes hazards to public health through poisoning or the spread of disease.
Between 1947 and 1977, General Electric polluted the Hudson River by discharging polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) causing a range of harmful effects to wildlife and people who eat fish from the river. Other kinds of pollution, including mercury contamination and cities discharging untreated sewage, have also caused problems in the river.
The Grand Calumet River is a 13.0-mile-long (20.9 km) river that flows primarily into Lake Michigan. Originating in Miller Beach in Gary, it flows through the cities of Gary, East Chicago and Hammond, as well as Calumet City and Burnham on the Illinois side. The majority of the river's flow drains into Lake Michigan via the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal, sending about 1,500 cubic feet (42 m3) per second of water into the lake. A smaller part of the flow, at the river's western end, enters the Calumet River, and through the Illinois ultimately drains into the Mississippi River.
The Horseshoe Road Complex Superfund Site in Sayreville, New Jersey is a 12 acres (4.9 ha) property located near the Raritan River. The industrial site has been out of operation since the early 1980s after a fire revealed 70 drums containing silver cyanide, ethyl acetate, and acetonitrile. The drums caught the attention of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and by 1995 the Horseshoe Road Complex was on the National Priorities List. The site had three areas consisting of the Atlantic Development Corporation (ADC), Horseshoe Road Drum Dump, and Sayreville Pesticide Dump. The neighboring Atlantic Resources Corporation, the location for precious metal recovery, is addressed with the Horseshoe Road Complex (HRC) site due to the intermixing of chemical contamination. The on-site contamination is not an immediate threat to the surrounding community, although prolonged or repeated exposure to the site itself, will result in health effects. The HRC Superfund site is now in its final steps of cleanup in accordance to the EPA's plan.