BP’s Response to Questions about their Naperville Campus Operations

Five representatives from District 200 met with officials from the BP Naperville Campus on July 12, 2006 to gather information about BP operations at that site and to address rumors about BP’s interest in a school being located near its facility.  Following in question and answer format is a synopsis of what was learned at that meeting:

1. What is the nature of BP’s operations at the Naperville Campus?
   The Naperville Campus is primarily office based and business oriented.  Some research is conducted, but on a much smaller scale than in the past and with more emphasis on modeling and simulation.  It will become even more virtually oriented with less experimentation in the future. The scientific work conducted at the facility focuses on fuels and petrochemical research, polymers, and quality testing.  BP Naperville has about 1400 employees.  Fewer than 300 of those are scientists and only half of the scientists work directly with chemicals.  Office and lab personnel are not separated in the current work place.

2. How many employees were engaged in chemical research in the 1970’s compared to today?
   At its peak, about 1500 scientists, engineers and technicians worked at the Naperville facility.  Today, BP employs about 300 technologists and fewer than half are involved in experimental work.

3. Is BP opposed to having a school located on the 18-acre site the Board is currently considering?
   No.  BP is neutral on the issue, but would work to be a ‘good neighbor’ if the school is built there.

4. Is the proposed school site adjacent to the BP Campus?
   No.  The property is anywhere from one fourth to one half mile away from BP, depending on whether the measurement is taken from the closest border to closest border, or from the most likely spot for a school to the area where the cancer cluster occurred in the 1990’s.  If either of the perimeters is extended around the entire BP campus, one will see many structures in daily use, including office buildings, hotels, residential areas, a preschool, and hiking/recreational space.  DePaul University’s satellite campus sits directly on the BP campus.

5. Has BP ever owned the proposed school site or located underground storage tanks on the property?
   No.

6. Does BP now or has it ever located underground storage tanks on its property north of Warrenville Road adjacent to the proposed school site?
   No.

7. Where are the underground storage tanks located?
   BP currently has 89 steel and fiberglass underground storage tanks on its campus, down from 112 several years ago.  The tanks are located along a berm and at grade level in an area that slopes south away from Warrenville Road.

8. What safety precautions are in place to protect the tanks from leaking?
   A nitrogen blanket protects the tanks from exploding by depriving them of oxygen.  Further, extensive testing—far exceeding that required by law or regulation—is conducted to ensure the tanks are free of leaks.  All lines are tested once a year, just as the lines in gas stations are tested on an annual basis.  The tanks are tested monthly and the entire system undergoes extensive testing every five years.  A corrosion protection survey is conducted regularly on the steel tanks and a leak abatement system is in place.  Should a leak occur even with these precautions, the leak would be collected and contained. 

9. Are heavy metal catalysts used in research at the facility today?
   Very little new catalyst development for polymer processes is done at the Naperville facility.  Catalyst development does not pose a risk to the surrounding community as none of the materials are volatile and would not be emitted to the environment.

10. Are there other potential safety issues on the property?
    BP officials say the propylene tanks post a greater hazard than the underground storage tanks, but even those would have only minimal impact on neighboring property should they explode.  The tanks contain a gas similar to that used in outdoor gas grills and easily purchased in a number of local retail outlets.  BP has engineered protection around the tanks to minimize any damage in the unlikely event the tanks exploded.

11. Have toxic chemicals been buried on the BP site?
    No.  Hazardous waste is placed in industry containers, driven off site, and incinerated.

12. Are toxic emissions generated on the BP site?
    BP officials say their emissions are not harmful to humans.  A person would have more exposure to toxic gases filling a lawnmower with fuel than from emissions at the BP site.  Of the 82 tons of emissions reported on the site in 2005, nearly all is generated from burning natural gas to heat the buildings on campus. Three or four tons are a byproduct of research.  The emissions are similar to those in the vapors that come from pouring gasoline into a lawn mower, using fingernail polish remover, using all-purpose cleaners or applying oil-based paint.  Emissions from the 2000 vehicles that pass the campus daily pollute the environment at a higher level.

13. Why doesn’t BP want a school built on either of its properties north of Warrenville Road (east and west of Herrick Road)?
    BP is concerned about adding traffic on the already heavily traveled road and increasing the risk of its employees being involved in traffic accidents as they enter and leave the complex.  BP is negotiating with the DuPage County Forest Preserve for the sale of its property at the northeast corner of Herrick and Warrenville Roads.

14. Have any neighbors (business or residential) expressed concern about their safety due to their proximity to the BP campus?
    No.

15. Is wildlife located on the site as a safety monitor?
    No.   Many BP operations are located on large parcels of property that attract wildlife.  Much of the animal life at the site is based on employee interest.  No testing is done on the animals.  BP is an active member of the Wildlife Habitat Council.

16. Does the nature of work conducted at the Naperville Campus present a target for terrorist attack?
    The risk is minimal due to the small amount of research conducted there and the fact that disabling the site would have no impact on BP’s daily operations worldwide.  Although there is hydrogen stored on the site, it is in such small quantities as to pose no threat to employees or neighbors.  Officials say the greater threat to its campus is theft of intellectual property.  Plans are in place, however, if security is breached.

17. When was the BP (formerly Amoco) facility constructed?
    The facility opened in 1970.  Since that time, more than 8000 people have been employed there.  During that time, the science of industrial hygiene has advanced considerably, more sophisticated safety and monitoring systems are in place, experimentation is more technology oriented than hands-on, and operations are highly regulated by state and federal agencies.  In summary, the operations on campus today are much different—and much safer-- than they were 30 years ago.

18. Are there any plans for the future that might increase safety concerns on the site?
    No.  The reliance on technology will continue to increase and bench experiments will decline.

19. Were conditions at the research facility responsible for the ‘brain tumor cluster’ that has been widely reported?
    The company was very open and thorough in its study of cancer among its employees.  Experts from Johns Hopkins University and the University of
    Alabama were engaged to study the reported cases and the general
    population of employees at the Naperville Campus.  The study was done in five phases, and for each phase a peer-reviewed article was published in a scientific journal.  Articles on the first two phases were published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine, the first in 1999 and the second in 2001. The three separate articles on the third, fourth and fifth phases of the study were published in separate volumes of the Journal Of Occupational And Environmental Medicine (JOEM) in 2001.  Their findings concluded, in part:  “Occupational exposure may have contributed to the glioma excess, but the specific causal agents remain unknown.”   The study also found that employees with brain cancer were long-term employees who had worked in what is known as the 500 building. 

Those attending the June 12 meeting:
From District 200:
Gary T. Catalani, Superintendent
Rosemary Swanson, Vice President of the Board of Education
Barbara Intihar, Board of Education Member
Bill Farley, Assistant Superintendent for Business Operations
Denie Young, Director of Communications
From BP:
James Lowry, Director of West Suburban Operations
Jim Saylor, Environmental Coordinator
Cherie Duddridge, Naperville Site Manager
Margaret Laney, General Manager of Government and Public Affairs, Midwest U.S.
Valerie Corr, Public Affairs Director, Midwest U.S.