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History of Nyanza Dump

in this section: Ashland Lawsuit | History of Nyanza Dump | Textile Dye-Making Plant | Nyanza Lagoon and Pond Contamination | Contaminated Wetlands | Ashland High School | Ashland Cancer Cluster | Swimming in Ashland? | Legacy of Kevin Kane | FAQ about Nyanza | Fell in Lagoon | MA State Department of Health Report on Nyanza


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A History of the Nyanza Chemical Waste Dump-1965-1978


How it all began

1917 — U.S. Color & Chemical Co. of Boston builds dye manufacturing plant in Ashland Ä one of the earliest such plants in America. Company is co-founded by Carl Waldinger and John O’Day, both native German dye businessmen.

1919 — Nyanza Color & Chemical Co. of N.Y. established by Ernest Patz, a Prussian who emigrated to America in the late 1800s. Nyanza named after Lake Nyanza in Africa (better known as Lake Victoria, the headwaters of the Nile River).

1926 — Waldinger forms U.S. Chemical & Dye Corp. of America retaining the Ashland plant as its top producer.

1930 – U.S. Chemical & Dye Corp. of America and Nyanza Color & Chemical Co. merge and rename Ashland plant Chemical Manufacturing Co.

1959 — Roland E. Derby Sr. purchases 50-percent share of Nyanza Lab in Ashland from Waldinger family.

1965 — Derby family buys remaining shares of Nyanza and consolidates various companies under single heading: Nyanza Inc. The company grows into a $300-million-a-year operation with offices and warehouses all over the country.

1978 — Nyanza Inc. ceases operations in Ashland.

1983 — Nyanza Inc. officially dissolved by the Secretary of State for failure to submit annual reports.

April 25, 2006-The state finds a link between cancer cases and the Nyanza property.


see also:

Nyanza Lagoon and Pond Contamination Nyanza Lawsuit - Contamination found in Lagoons, Ponds, Sudbury River
Nyanza - Contaminated Lagoons, Ponds, Sudbury River - Free Lawsuit Eval

Ashland High School Ashland High School - In the center of Cancer Contamination from Nyanza
The Nyanza Superfund site is next to Ashland Junior & Senior Highschool

Nyanza Plant Nyanza Plant-Learn more about the Nyanza Plant and its history
Nyanza Plant-Find out about the plant and the dangers it has caused
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$423 million settlement— MTBE suit involving the contamination of 153 public water systems nationally

$16.5 million verdict — Asbestos case involving exposure from dental tape

$1.4 million settlement — Accident involving woman struck down by ambulance

$1.5 million settlement — for 47-year-old construction worker who fell off elevated train tracks

$6 million settlement — Pediatric malpractice involving infant who suffered brain damage at birth

$53 million verdict — brake mechanic suffering from mesothelioma

$13.5 million verdict — one of the very first Vioxx trial cases

$15 million settlement — man wound up a paraplegic due to negligent hospital care

$37 million verdict — 2 asbestos lung cancer plaintiffs

$47 million verdict — boilermaker who died from mesothelioma

$2.6 million settlement — ill-fitting prosthesis caused decubitus ulcers

$75 million verdict — historic consolidated trial involving men who had worked at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in the 1940s and 1950s

$12.7 million verdict — iron worker who was injured due to unsafe working conditions

$8 million settlement — obstetrical malpractice resulted in neurological deficits

$64.65 million award — 4 asbestos plaintiffs

$17.5 million — consolidated trial of 5 mesothelioma victims



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