Sludge Watch ==> Demonstration against Synagro Carlyle Group in Wash DC-non disclosure

[Maureen Reilly]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DECEMBER 17, 2007
3:10 PM

CONTACT: SEIU
Andrew McDonald
202-730-7338
Andrew.McDonald at seiu.org


Carlyle Group Sewer Sludge Business May Increase Health Risks to Communities
SEIU calls on Carlyle to disclose information about potential health hazards 
to environmental groups, local govts that contract with Carlyle-owned 
Synagro Technologies

WASHINGTON, DC - December 17 -- People who live near the operations of a 
Carlyle Group sewer sludge business could be at an increased health risk if 
Carlyle does not provide information to those communities about toxins and 
other hazards associated with its business. Washington, DC-based Carlyle, a 
giant global buyout firm, owns Synagro Technologies, a company that 
processes municipal waste products, transports the resulting “sewer 
sludge,” and distributes it for land application. Residents living near 
sites where sewer sludge has been applied have reported significant health 
complaints that they associate with the sludge application.


By taking Synagro private in an April 2007 leveraged buyout worth $772 
million, Carlyle is able to avoid requirements that Synagro provide to the 
public, shareholders, and federal agencies (such as the SEC) certain 
information about its business practices. As a result of the buyout, Synagro 
may no longer be required to disclose publicly the existence of regulatory 
inquiries or legal complaints against the company resulting from health 
hazards caused by Synagro products and product distribution. Private equity 
buyout firms such as the Carlyle Group are not required to publicly disclose 
information about the business practices of the companies they own.

Anything sent to a sewer can potentially end up in sludge, including human 
waste, fertilizer run-off, chemical run-off, or discharges from hospitals or 
manufacturing plants. According to the EPA, sewer sludge, also known as 
“biosolids” is “the solid, semi-solid, or liquid residue generated 
during the treatment of domestic sewage.” Indeed, the National Research 
Counsel has stated that “[t]oxic chemicals, infectious organisms, and 
endotoxins or cellular material may all be present in biosolids.”

“The Carlyle Group should come clean about its Synagro sewer sludge,” 
said Stephen Lerner, Director of the SEIU Private Equity Project. “People 
have a right to know about the products being produced and distributed in 
their neighborhoods, especially when those products may contribute to health 
hazards. Despite these health risks, the Carlyle Group seems to be allergic 
to the principles of transparency and disclosure. Carlyle should commit to 
full transparency about Synagro’s environmental impact.”

To highlight the health risks that could go undetected if Carlyle refuses to 
disclose information about its sewer sludge business, SEIU held a 
demonstration today outside Carlyle’s Washington, D.C. offices with 
demonstrators dressed in hazmat suits. This week SEIU began contacting 
environmental groups, and state and municipal governments that contract with 
Synagro to raise concerns about Carlyle’s lack of transparency and to 
encourage these groups to join the call for Carlyle to disclose potential 
risks of its sewer sludge business.

The focus on Carlyle’s sewer sludge business is part of a larger national 
effort by SEIU to hold Carlyle accountable for the impact of its actions on 
taxpayers, workers, and communities. More information is available at 
www.CarlyleExposed.org

Sewer sludge produced by the Carlyle Group’s Synagro Technologies has been 
accused of causing serious health problems. According to news reports, 
several individuals filed suit against a Synagro subsidiary in 2006 alleging 
that soon after applications of Synagro products on a neighboring property, 
they started suffering from running noses, burning eyes, even pneumonia and 
lung scarring.

Affected municipalities also are exploring their options to address concerns 
about Synagro products; among the strategies they are considering are 
lawsuits, injunctions, studies of government leases with the company, and 
city ordinances. In other cases, residents have had to try to deal with the 
problem themselves; one school located near a Synagro facility produced 
calendars for parents to track especially noxious days and report them to 
city government officials.

With 1.9 million members, SEIU is the fastest-growing union in North 
America. Focused on uniting workers in three sectors to improve their lives 
and the services they provide, SEIU is the largest health care union, 
including hospitals, nursing homes, and home care; the largest property 
services union, including building cleaning and security; and the second 
largest public employee union.
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http://www.commondreams.org/news2007/1217-12.htm