"Following the fertilizer plant blast, Texas cited terror concerns in withholding information on dangerous chemicals. Some say that secrecy deprives citizens of the ability to make decisions about their safety."
"ATLANTA -- Before an ammonium nitrate tank blew up in the small central Texas town of West on April 17, with a blast so powerful it registered a 2.1 on the Richter scale, some residents said they were aware of possible dangers at the plant, while others said they had absolutely no idea that something could go so horribly wrong.
Two days after the Boston Marathon bombings, a fire at the West Fertilizer Company ignited a chemical tank, sparking a massive explosion that killed 15 people – 12 of them first responders – hurt hundreds, leveled a retirement home, and damaged a school and dozens of homes.
Whether or not widely available information about what could happen at the plant would have made a difference in how the town of West, over decades, snuggled homes and schools up to the facility’s perimeter is perhaps impossible to answer – especially as, some economists have found, Americans tend to downplay the risk from high-risk jobs and living next to dangerous industries."
Patrik Jonsson reports for the Christian Science Monitor May 3, 2013.
SEE ALSO:
"From Washington To West, System Failed To Protect Texas Town From Tragedy" (Dallas Morning News)
"Lax Security at Fertilizer Plant Hints at Regulatory Gaps in Texas" (Christian Science Monitor)
"Texas Plant That Exploded Carried Only $1M Policy" (USA TODAY)
"Exclusive: At Texas Fertilizer Plant, a History of Theft, Tampering" (Reuters)
"Officials: No Breakthrough Yet in Texas Explosion" (USA TODAY)
"For Texas Volunteer Firefighters, Budget Debates Not Just About Money" (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
"Fight Brews Over Tighter Plant Rules" (Wall St. Journal)
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