BY MIKE GALATI
LODI, New Jersey - A thunderous explosion and fire ripped through the Napp Technologies Inc. chemical plant here on the morning of April 21. Four employees were killed - three supervisors and a production worker - and eight were injured, one critically.

Napp Technologies maintained a production facility in the heart of this small town in northern New Jersey. It manufactured preservatives and chemicals for use in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. The company employed 110 workers.

The explosion destroyed the main production building, sending glass and concrete flying for blocks. Toxic fumes and chemicals spewed from the burning facility, causing state authorities to evacuate scores of people from their homes in the working class community surrounding the plant. The explosion and fire also caused a river of bright green toxic chemicals to flow down a main street and into the Saddle River, killing thousands of fish.

State and local officials initially downplayed the significance of the disaster and defended the company's environmental and safety record.

But an investigation revealed that the chemical explosion occurred because of a mishap in the blending of toxic chemicals that was virtually ignored by the company for nearly 12 hours, allowing a volatile reaction to spin out of control. State investigators also revealed that all workers had been evacuated from the building prior to the explosion, but that the four employees who were killed went back in shortly before the blast. Some in Lodi believe that they were ordered to return in case something ignited. All of them were members of the company's in-plant fire brigade.

Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Charles Buckley immediately announced that no criminal charges would be filed against the company.

Town officials, however, denounced the actions of the company in relation to the explosion. Lodi Fire Chief Sam Garofalo told the press that the fire department was not notified of any problem at the plant until shortly before the explosion, almost twelve hours after company officials knew that a potentially dangerous problem existed. He also revealed that his department had no information on what chemicals were stored in the building where the explosion occurred.

At a press conference Garofalo denounced Napp Technologies' safety record. "They never notified us when there was a fire; they always tried to put it out before they notified us," he said. "They don't belong in our town. They never tell us what they have in the building".

"All they cared about was making money - people were always getting hurt in there," said Wayne Woods, a chemical worker who used to work in the Napp plant. He told the Militant that it was common for company foremen to push workers to compromise safety. "They would just keep pressing you to get production up no matter what."  
 
 
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