Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards Act Misses Opportunity to Protect Communities from Hazards of Chlorine Railcars, Says K2 Pure Solutions

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The following statement was made in response to the full committee vote on the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards Act (H.R. 2868 or CFATS) and was made by David Cynamon, Chairman of K2 Pure Solutions. K2 Pure Solutions is deploying a network of facilities that use only salt, water and electricity to produce chlorine and bleach across the U.S., providing an economical and safer alternative that eliminates the need to ship chlorine by rail.

"It is critically important for Congress to address the very real danger of chlorine traveling by rail. While legislators took some positive steps toward improving public safety with the CFATS legislation, Congress missed an opportunity to enact meaningful reform and protect communities from the hazards of chlorine railcars. Rather than eliminating the need to transport chlorine by rail, CFATS as it is written today merely shifts the risks down the street from water utilities to conventional bleach manufacturers - suppliers that can escape changing their existing unsafe processes as a result of loopholes in the bill. Not until water treatment facilities are required to evaluate the products of their supply chain, and the processes used to manufacture those products, and choose the safer from among competing comparably priced processes, will Americans be safe from the ticking time-bomb of chlorine railcars."

Americans are put in grave danger of being exposed to potentially deadly chemical attacks or accidents resulting from the transport of chlorine by rail. The U. S. Naval Laboratory estimates that a release from a single railcar carrying chlorine could cause 100,000 deaths or serious injuries – many more if it takes place in a major urban center. The RAND Corporation reports more than 250 attacks on railcars carrying hazardous chemicals between 1995 and 2005.

About K2 Pure Solutions

K2 Pure Solutions manufactures products essential to modern life through environmentally sustainable and Inherently Safe Technology. K2 Pure Solutions helps provide an answer to eliminating the need to transport chlorine for water purification and disinfection by deploying and funding a North America wide network of state-of the-art facilities utilizing inherently safe technology. K2’s facilities will mitigate the potential environmental, security and operational risks associated with the transport of chlorine for water treatment by producing exceptionally pure bleach, caustic soda and other chlor-alkali products using only salt, water and electricity in the most economically viable manner.

K2 Pure Solutions was founded by David Cynamon and Howard Brodie, the founders of KIK Custom Products, North America's largest contract manufacturer of private label household bleach, personal care and household cleaning products. K2 also includes Centre Partners (www.centrepartners.com) among its partners; a leading middle market private equity firm with offices in New York and Los Angeles. David Cynamon and Howard Brodie have partnered with Centre Partners since 1997. For more information visit: www.k2pure.com.