That’s why I find a possible new report from the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) so troubling. If it goes into effect, the report could threaten Strongwell’s future – and cost the Tri-Cities area jobs that we sorely need.
Protecting the health and safety of Strongwell Corp.’s workers and the people of the Tri-Cities is our company’s lifeblood. In my four decades as a company executive and now chairman and owner, Strongwell has invested millions in ensuring that conditions at our Bristol plant are safe and secure for our 300-plus employees. Because Strongwell employees come into contact with chemicals, they receive state-of-the-art training in safety and health precautions – training that we constantly update.
We also work closely with Wellmont’s Bristol Regional Medical Center and rescue personnel to sharpen our response in the unlikely event of an emergency. Strongwell has always taken pride in being an industry leader, in going above-and-beyond federal, state and local requirements for plant and worker safety.
That’s why I find a possible new report from the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) so troubling. If it goes into effect, the report could threaten Strongwell’s future – and cost the Tri-Cities area jobs that we sorely need.
One of the chemicals that goes into the making of polymer composites, Strongwell’s end product, is styrene. Respected scientists around the world have been studying – as they should – styrene’s health effects to see if there’s any link to cancer. The European Union recently did a comprehensive analysis using Europe’s best health and environmental experts and determined there was no link. A blue-ribbon panel of scientists at the Harvard University School of Public Health concluded there was no link. Other leading scientists around the world have reached the same conclusion: no link.
So why is HHS considering a report that would say styrene is a “reasonably anticipated” cancer-causer?
The bureaucrats at the department’s National Toxicology Program (NTP) ignored good science and cherry-picked certain “facts,” enough to create their own bad science. HHS and NTP are not saying styrene “definitely” causes cancer. They’re not even saying it’s a “likely” cause. And they acknowledge they’ve not proven there is risk to people in their daily lives.
I fear that the head of the toxicology program is pushing her own agenda – ignoring good science and the consequences of her actions. If this flawed report is issued as written, it could needlessly hurt hundreds of businesses across the country, Strongwell included. The Tri-Cities area is not alone: More than three-quarters of a million jobs across the country depend on a viable styrene industry, many in small cities and towns like ours.
The styrene-based polymer composites processed at Strongwell are absolutely essential in the manufacture of ballistic panels to protect American troops in combat, not to mention dozens of consumer goods on which people rely every day. If our country can’t get styrene-based products from U.S. manufacturers, we will get them from foreign manufacturers. American jobs will inevitably disappear.
HHS and NTP have ignored repeated requests from members of Congress – including senators and representatives from Tennessee and Virginia – to reassess their review and look at all available evidence.
From the beginning, critical parts of the process lacked the very things that President Barack Obama and HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius promised to deliver when they took office: transparency and accountability. That’s no way to run a government. And it’s no way to run a study on which jobs and economic growth depend.
Strongwell has joined with other composite manufacturers in calling on Sebelius to reconsider issuing the report. Regardless of what happens, Strongwell Corp. will remain absolutely committed to the safety of our employees and plant neighbors.
As we have every day for the past 39 years, we will be completely open and up front with our employees. An HHS listing will not change anything in our current operations. Sadly, it will serve only to unnecessarily frighten our workers and the community. For the sake of the Tri-Cities community, let’s hope Secretary Sebelius reconsiders.
