- Email: [email protected]
Spectra to sell for Neelikon
F O C US sales of $244.7 M, compared against $15.1 M on $229.3 M in 2Q 2004. The seven week strike in the Finnish paper industry, which ended on 29 June 2005, caused the company a loss of sales of PCC, estimated at about $5 M. Globally, the company’s PCC sales increased to $122.9 M in 2Q 2005, a 4% increase compared against 2Q 2004. For the first six months of 2005 as a whole, the company’s global sales of PCC increased by 11% to $256.9 M. Industrial Minerals, Sep 2005, (456), 23
Rockwood to raise $408 M via an IPO Rockwood Holdings Inc was established in October 2000, essentially as a vehicle for Kohlberg Kravis & Roberts (a private equity company) to acquire and manage various speciality chemical businesses from Laporte. In August 2004, Rockwood’s business expanded substantially as a result of acquiring a package of Dynamit Nobel assets from MG Technologies (formerly Metallgesellschaft). With the original Laporte acquisition, Rockwood became the world’s second largest iron oxide pigments supplier. As part of the Dynamit Nobel package, Rockwood acquired Sachtleben and thus became the world’s eighth largest TiO2 pigment supplier and an important force in the world’s lithopone industry. In September 2004, Rockwood added to its pigment interests with the acquisition from Johnson Matthey of several inorganic pigment businesses in the UK and Australia. It also acquired Hamburger Color, a supplier of iron oxide pigment dispersions, based at King of Prussia (Pennsylvania, US). Rockwood has now announced plans to open up its capital base by means of an initial share offering (IPO) of 20.4 M shares at $20 each to raise gross proceeds of $408 M. Chimie Pharma Hebdo, 29 Aug 2005, (308), 28 (in French)
Spectra to sell for Neelikon Neelikon Food Dyes & Chemicals (of Mumbai, India) has appointed Spectra Colors Corp as its exclusive distributor for the US and Canada in respect of its colorant products, suitable for use in the food,
6
O N
PIGMENTS
pharmaceutical and cosmetic sectors. Neelikon produces a wide range of colorants at its chemical complex in Roha (about 120 km from Mumbai). HAPPI, Household & Personal Products Industry, Aug 2005, 42 (8), 24
LITIGATION Anti-lead paint lawsuits resurface in New Jersey & Rhode Island The New Jersey Appellate Court has overturned the ruling of a Middlesex County judge, who in 2002 dismissed a lawsuit filed by 22 municipalities and four counties seeking to recover from the lead paint and pigment producers the costs of removal of lead paint from publicly-owned houses, apartments and tenement blocks. The Middlesex County judge ruled that the municipalities and counties had “overstepped their authority” by filing this lawsuit. The three-judge appeals panel disagreed. They stated that the City of Newark, Essex County, Union County and the other governmental bodies have “inherent police powers” to sue any party in the cause of stopping a public nuisance, such as a health threat. Mr Chris Perrucci, a lawyer for seven of the local government authorities, said: “We will argue that the paint industry was aware that its product was harmful to small children, but it did not reveal this known danger to consumers. In that respect, the case is similar to earlier lawsuits against the asbestos and tobacco industries. Speaking on behalf of four of the paint manufacturers, Ms Bonnie Campbell said: “The latest ruling is truly a preliminary, procedural step. All it does is to send us back to the lower Court. The defendants have many procedural options available before the case can go to trial and they will vigorously defend themselves against the plaintiffs’ claims.” The sale of lead-based paint was banned in New Jersey in 1971, seven years ahead of a nationwide ban. Since 1989, there have been more than 100 lawsuits filed by individuals, groups and government bodies, seeking to blame paint and pigment manufacturers for health problems allegedly caused by poorly maintained
walls and ceilings painted with lead paint prior to the 1980s. The history of this litigation was reviewed in our editorial in ‘Focus on Pigments’, Oct 2001, which concluded thus: “Possibly the time may come when one or more of the paint/pigment manufacturers decides that it would be easier and cheaper to buy-off the lobbyists with out-of-court settlements rather than fight them in the Courts: sadly that is how blackmail works!” Perhaps the most high profile case to date was brought by the Attorney General for the State of Rhode Island. On 29 October 2002, the judge in this case declared a mistrial after the jury declared itself deadlocked. The sole issue before the jury was whether lead pigment in paint in and on Rhode Island buildings constituted a “public nuisance.” A retrial of this case should begin in October 2005, with additional issues to be considered beyond the “public nuisance” questions previously considered. Meanwhile in June 2005, the Rhode Island Attorney General declared that DuPont’s name had been removed from the list of defendants after the company agreed to make a “multimillion-dollar contribution” to a non-profit group which is working to protect children from exposure to lead. Chemical and Engineering News, 5 Sep 2005, 83 (36), 17-18 & Sue Lead Industry, 29 Aug 2005, Website: http://www.sueleadindustry.homestead.com
Columbian faces pollution litigation re West Virginian carbon black plant A group of more than 70 residents have filed a lawsuit against Columbian Chemical alleging physical and emotional damage caused by emissions of dust and carbon disulfide from the company’s Proctor carbon black plant in West Virginia. The plaintiffs claim that residents in the Marshall and Wetzel counties of the state suffer certain health conditions at four or five times the national average rate. Those conditions include: heart disease, cardiac arrhythmia, angina, cancer, pneumonia and sinusitis. Mr Mike Blair, Health & Safety Coordinator at the Proctor plant, said: “Carbon black is used in many everyday products, like plastic trash
OCTOBER 2005
Rockwood to raise $408 M via an IPO Rockwood Holdings Inc was established in October 2000, essentially as a vehicle for Kohlberg Kravis & Roberts (a private equity company) to acquire and manage various speciality chemical businesses from Laporte. In August 2004, Rockwood’s business expanded substantially as a result of acquiring a package of Dynamit Nobel assets from MG Technologies (formerly Metallgesellschaft). With the original Laporte acquisition, Rockwood became the world’s second largest iron oxide pigments supplier. As part of the Dynamit Nobel package, Rockwood acquired Sachtleben and thus became the world’s eighth largest TiO2 pigment supplier and an important force in the world’s lithopone industry. In September 2004, Rockwood added to its pigment interests with the acquisition from Johnson Matthey of several inorganic pigment businesses in the UK and Australia. It also acquired Hamburger Color, a supplier of iron oxide pigment dispersions, based at King of Prussia (Pennsylvania, US). Rockwood has now announced plans to open up its capital base by means of an initial share offering (IPO) of 20.4 M shares at $20 each to raise gross proceeds of $408 M. Chimie Pharma Hebdo, 29 Aug 2005, (308), 28 (in French)
Spectra to sell for Neelikon Neelikon Food Dyes & Chemicals (of Mumbai, India) has appointed Spectra Colors Corp as its exclusive distributor for the US and Canada in respect of its colorant products, suitable for use in the food,
6
O N
PIGMENTS
pharmaceutical and cosmetic sectors. Neelikon produces a wide range of colorants at its chemical complex in Roha (about 120 km from Mumbai). HAPPI, Household & Personal Products Industry, Aug 2005, 42 (8), 24
LITIGATION Anti-lead paint lawsuits resurface in New Jersey & Rhode Island The New Jersey Appellate Court has overturned the ruling of a Middlesex County judge, who in 2002 dismissed a lawsuit filed by 22 municipalities and four counties seeking to recover from the lead paint and pigment producers the costs of removal of lead paint from publicly-owned houses, apartments and tenement blocks. The Middlesex County judge ruled that the municipalities and counties had “overstepped their authority” by filing this lawsuit. The three-judge appeals panel disagreed. They stated that the City of Newark, Essex County, Union County and the other governmental bodies have “inherent police powers” to sue any party in the cause of stopping a public nuisance, such as a health threat. Mr Chris Perrucci, a lawyer for seven of the local government authorities, said: “We will argue that the paint industry was aware that its product was harmful to small children, but it did not reveal this known danger to consumers. In that respect, the case is similar to earlier lawsuits against the asbestos and tobacco industries. Speaking on behalf of four of the paint manufacturers, Ms Bonnie Campbell said: “The latest ruling is truly a preliminary, procedural step. All it does is to send us back to the lower Court. The defendants have many procedural options available before the case can go to trial and they will vigorously defend themselves against the plaintiffs’ claims.” The sale of lead-based paint was banned in New Jersey in 1971, seven years ahead of a nationwide ban. Since 1989, there have been more than 100 lawsuits filed by individuals, groups and government bodies, seeking to blame paint and pigment manufacturers for health problems allegedly caused by poorly maintained
walls and ceilings painted with lead paint prior to the 1980s. The history of this litigation was reviewed in our editorial in ‘Focus on Pigments’, Oct 2001, which concluded thus: “Possibly the time may come when one or more of the paint/pigment manufacturers decides that it would be easier and cheaper to buy-off the lobbyists with out-of-court settlements rather than fight them in the Courts: sadly that is how blackmail works!” Perhaps the most high profile case to date was brought by the Attorney General for the State of Rhode Island. On 29 October 2002, the judge in this case declared a mistrial after the jury declared itself deadlocked. The sole issue before the jury was whether lead pigment in paint in and on Rhode Island buildings constituted a “public nuisance.” A retrial of this case should begin in October 2005, with additional issues to be considered beyond the “public nuisance” questions previously considered. Meanwhile in June 2005, the Rhode Island Attorney General declared that DuPont’s name had been removed from the list of defendants after the company agreed to make a “multimillion-dollar contribution” to a non-profit group which is working to protect children from exposure to lead. Chemical and Engineering News, 5 Sep 2005, 83 (36), 17-18 & Sue Lead Industry, 29 Aug 2005, Website: http://www.sueleadindustry.homestead.com
Columbian faces pollution litigation re West Virginian carbon black plant A group of more than 70 residents have filed a lawsuit against Columbian Chemical alleging physical and emotional damage caused by emissions of dust and carbon disulfide from the company’s Proctor carbon black plant in West Virginia. The plaintiffs claim that residents in the Marshall and Wetzel counties of the state suffer certain health conditions at four or five times the national average rate. Those conditions include: heart disease, cardiac arrhythmia, angina, cancer, pneumonia and sinusitis. Mr Mike Blair, Health & Safety Coordinator at the Proctor plant, said: “Carbon black is used in many everyday products, like plastic trash
OCTOBER 2005