TOXIC MUTANT LOST
When the sludge pits at Delphi Interior & lighting Systems' Plant
9 in Anderson, Indiana, were cleaned out on 15 November 1996,
General Motors workers found what one 30-year-old employee
described as a "squid-like creature". It was the colour of an
earthworm, 6-8in (15-20cm) long, with tentacles and possibly
eyes. The pit, which contained anti-freeze, stripper, oil and polyal,
a chemical cocktail used in the formation of plastic bumpers, had
several of the creatures, one of which was taken out, killed and
placed in a jar. It sat in the work area for several days before
being stolen in early December.
On 4 March 1997, both the US Environmental Protection Agency
and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management
confirmed that a "creature of an unknown origin or type" had
been found in the sludge pit. Tamara Ohl, spokeswoman for the
EPA, said that General Motors had promised that if they found
another sample of the organism, they would have it tested.
Sharon Morton, a spokeswoman for the Delphi company in
Detroit, said that she had been told by plant officials in Anderson
that when they were draining water from the pit they found
bacterial growth. "They described it as the type of bacteria that
would form when organic matter is placed in fresh water. They
consider it harmless. According to Moreton, the fresh water got
into the pit when a sprinkler line broke. She confirmed that the
sample (whatever it was) had disappeared in early December. |
