Shimadzu, Hazardous Materials and Your Health
....please circulate this important information to all potential claimants!
Have you ever visited, worked at or are you currently employed with Shimadzu Scientific
Instruments (Columbia, Maryland, USA)? If you answered yes, then you need to review this
release carefully because it contains time-sensitive information. If you worked at or
visited the Shimadzu physical plant located at 7100 and/or 7102 Riverwood Drive in
Columbia, MD from 1991 to 1996, you might have a claim for monetary damages. Some
of this very important information was originally conveyed here in
this forum back in 1996.
According to a Maryland Freedom of Information release obtained from the Department of
Labor, Licensing & Regulation, a formal complaint was filed under the Maryland
Occupational Safety and Health (MOSH) Act in July 1996 against Shimadzu Scientific
Instruments alleging health and safety violations. The complaint asserted that Shimadzu
employees were not provided with "required material safety data sheets (MSDS) or
'right-to-know' training and materials." In addition, Shimadzu employees were
provided with "insufficient training in the use of the hazardous materials with which
they work." As a result of these troubling revelations, the State of Maryland (MOSH)
demanded a formal written response from Shimadzu Scientific Instruments within 15 business
days.
On August 1, 1996, Mr. Gerry Carder (on behalf of Shimadzu Scientific
Instruments) noted among other things that:
...."We [last] held Hazcom training for all employees in 1991, but did not
continue with annual training because the supervisors were supposed to do the Hazmat
training during new employee orientation. Apparently, some of the supervisors let this
training slip through the cracks."
As one can readily see, Shimadzu Scientific Instruments admitted to a blatant lapse of
5 years in the proper indoctrination of several employees on matters related to hazardous
materials (HAZMAT) health and safety training. You, the Shimadzu employee (and customer)
have always had the "right-to-know" when working with hazardous materials
supplied by Shimadzu Corporation and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. Shimadzu Scientific
Instruments had an absolute obligation under both State and Federal law to disclose that
you were using hazardous materials. The real question is did Shimadzu tell you what
they were required to tell you? If they didn't, then Shimadzu was negligent (pure and
simple). In retrospect, it would appear that corporate profits were a higher priority at
Shimadzu then your personal health and safety!
Credible reports have surfaced that current and former employees in the Special
Manufacturing department housed at 7100 Riverwood Drive (formerly Quality Assurance
department housed at 7102 Riverwood Drive) worked directly with hazardous materials
without utilizing any safety equipment or precautions whatsoever. Maybe you were/are one
of these employees who was exposed to HAZMAT before Shimadzu agreed to stop packing
analytical columns back in 1996. Because some of this hazardous material was packed into
stainless steel columns under pressure in an open air environment, it is plausible that
employees in other departments (and ordinary visitors) were also exposed to these
hazardous materials with the ventilation system being the common carrier for starters. The
column packing material which has been definitively identified as hazardous is a suspected
carcinogen. This means that exposure to this high probability carcinogen is potentially
capable of causing cancerous lesions and/or tumors.
If you have experienced any symptoms including, but not limited to: frequent headaches,
unexplained dizziness, muscle tremors, repeated coughing, persistent sore throat, pain
during swallowing, red watery eyes, excessive sneezing, nosebleeds, difficulty in
breathing, skin irritations, rashes or you know of an employee(s) or visitor(s) who has
suffered these or any other unexplained symptoms/illness(es), then you owe it to yourself
and your co-workers to come forward or risk forfeiture. Your claim could result in a
tangible stake for monetary damages. If any Shimadzu official states otherwise, then be
sure to inquire about their one-sided (Shimadzu-sided) motivations. Don't delay, the clock
is running on your potential claim!
Anyone who believes that they were knowingly or unknowingly exposed to HAZMAT in the
Shimadzu workplace or who would like to offer other tangible evidence of value/benefit to
your fellow co-workers is strongly urged to forward email to: shimadzu-sux@bigfoot.com
along with a return email address*. If you believe that Shimadzu has/will level with
you completely, you're being very naive. Think about it.... in the past 2 years, did
Shimadzu admit to any wrongdoing whatsoever with regard to potential liability for
violating the "right to know" law or has there been a deafening corporate
silence about this matter altogether? Did Shimadzu advise you that you had the right to
sue for damages following your unknowing exposure to HAZMAT? Has Shimadzu told you the
whole truth and nothing but since day one? If you answered NO to any of the above
questions, then file your claim promptly. Act now or risk forfeiting your prospective
claim forever!
* If you need an email address, then visit the local public library and use one of the
computers connected to the internet (ask a librarian for help if you have any questions).
Go to the www.hotmail.com domain and register as a new user for a free email
account. You will need to supply a unique user name (like your firstname-lastname)
along with a password (be sure to write down both). Once registered, your email address
will be firstname-lastname@hotmail.com and this will allow you to compose and send
email upon login. If you send us email, please check back for updates.
n.b. Another aspect of this release are reports that Shimadzu neglected
to forward MSDS information to customers who purchased analytical columns, total organic
carbon (TOC) catalyst and other Shimadzu consummables containing hazardous materials. If
you purchased analytical columns, TOC catalyst or any other hazardous consummables of any
kind from Shimadzu prior to August 1996 and the relevant MSDS sheets were not forwarded to
your site, please take the time to tell us about your experiences. Shimadzu had an
absolute obligation to make this important information available to you.... it was not an
optional exercise! If they didn't and someone at your work site was exposed inadvertantly
or otherwise to these hazardous consummables, then Shimadzu is culpable!
n.b. Shimadzu may inform prospective claimants that you are covered under a workmen's
compensation claim as administered by Tokio Marine and Fire Insurance Company. While this
may be true, you will not be fully rewarded especially when it comes to the possible
awarding of compensatory and punitive damages. Shimadzu had direct knowledge of their
obligations to employees (and customers alike) to disclose potential exposure/contact with
hazardous materials. Quoting Mr. Carder, a "slip through the cracks" means that
concerns for your health and safety took a back seat to making money. All of the available
evidence suggests that corporate profits: 1) outweighed the risks to customer and employee
health, and 2) were a higher priority at Shimadzu then your personal safety!
n.b. Please be cautious and extremely wary of any corporate statements/positioning from
Shimadzu administrators with respect to the contents of this release. Shimadzu officials
see lawsuit in capital letters written all over this disclosure. There can be little doubt
that Shimadzu will try to distance themselves from the information contained herein
including any potential liability. Question Shimadzu's authority and motivations if they
attempt to thwart or dismiss this matter and any proposed actions. You will undoubtedly
witness desperate corporate attempts to protect Shimadzu's collective butt.... please let
us know!
n.b. Shimadzu was directed by MOSH to post a copy of the original complaint letter dated
July 22, 1996 along with their official corporate response dated August 1, 1996. Both of
these letters were supposed to be readily accessible to all Shimadzu employees. If you did
not see these letters anywhere in the Shimadzu workplace, request a copy from the Human
Resources Department. If Mr. Carder has conveniently misplaced his original copies, then
write to the Department of Labor, Licensing & Regulation at: 501 St. Paul Place,
Baltimore, MD 21202-2272 and request a copy of MOSH Case 1603 under the Maryland Freedom
of Information Act. Questions??? Email us at shimadzu-sux@bigfoot.com
n.b. Don't let Shimadzu management snow you! If Shimadzu was responsible for causing you
injury of any kind, let them be financially responsible for your losses including pain and
suffering! If you are unsure about possible exposure to HAZMAT in the Shimadzu workplace,
file anyway to preserve your rights and your potential claim. It was a Shimadzu management
decision that resulted in the flagrant lapse of health & safety training for employees
over a period of 5 years. How much money did Shimadzu save during this time? Let them pay
for their callous and willful mistakes.... PLEASE FILE YOUR POTENTIAL CLAIM PROMPTLY BY EMAIL!
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This page was last 
12/31/00