Some runners dressed as if caught unprepared by a toxic gas
release. One runner wore a construction worker’s hardhat, another
wore his clergyman’s collar, while another wore pajamas. Race
marshals held road signs reading “Yield to Chlorine Gas,” “Toxic
Fumes Crossing,” and “Poison Gas Zone.” The race ended in Liberty
State Park, overlooking the Statue of Liberty and its inscription
of “huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”
“It’s no accident that we held the race in Jersey City,” said
Rick Hind, legislative director for Greenpeace. “In February, two
workers were killed in a huge fire at an ExxonMobil facility on
Staten Island. Eight chemical plants in New Jersey threaten a
million or more people if a terrorist attack or accident resulted
in a release of poison gas. Jersey City and the entire New York
metro area are particularly vulnerable because one single plant
owned by the Kuehne Chemical company in South Kearny threatens up
to 12 million people. This represents the largest population at
risk in the U.S.”
Greenpeace urged the company to switch to safer alternatives to
the ultra-toxic chlorine it uses to make disinfectants. Kuehne’s
own report to the EPA shows that a “worst case” accident involving
chlorine could release toxic gas for a 14-mile radius. Safer
technologies, such as ultraviolet (UV) light, offer the company a
profitable alternative. The city of Wichita, Kansas is switching
its sewage treatment system to UV at a projected saving of 20
percent.
“On May 12, the Department of Homeland Security will begin a
five-day, multi-city security drill to test emergency response to
simulated terrorist scenarios,” said Hind. “This Run is
Greenpeace’s own ‘exercise’ – to show that prevention is the only
real option.”
Following the race, prizes were
awarded to the top male and female finishers in the race, to the
top finishers in different age groups, and for the most creative
costumes. Speakers included Rebecca Weber of NYPIRG, the Rev.
Fletcher Harper of Partners for Environmental Quality, and Carl
Mayer, environmental advocate and former city councilman from
Princeton, New Jersey. A statement was read from Senator Frank
Lautenberg (D-NJ) in support of the Run. On May 15, the Senate
Environment and Public Works Committee will vote on Senator Jon
Corzine’s chemical security bill, S. 157.
