Is My Drywall Chinese? - HB Litigation Conferences

Total Pollution Exclusion (cont’d) (cont d)
This insurance does not apply to:
Pollution
(1) “Bodily Bodily injury” injury or “property property damage” damage which would not have
occurred in whole or part but for the actual, alleged or threatened threatened
discharge, dispersal, seepage, migration, release or escape of
“pollutants pollutants” at any time.
(2) Any loss, cost or expense arising out of any:
(a) Request, demand, order or statutory or regulatory
requirement that any insured or others test for, monitor, clean
up, remove, contain, treat, detoxify or neutralize, or in any
way respond to, or assess the effects of “pollutants pollutants” or
(b) Claim or suit by or on behalf of a governmental authority for for
damages because of testing for, monitoring, cleaning up,
removing, containing, treating, detoxifying or neutralizing, or
in any way responding to, or assessing the effects of,
“pollutants. pollutants.”
Cases Interpreting the Pollution
Exclusions
Pipefitters Welfare Educ. Fund v. Westchester
Fire Ins. Co., Co. , 976 F.2d 1037, 1043 (7th Cir.
1992):
“The The terms ‘irritant irritant’ and ‘contaminant,
contaminant,’ when
viewed in isolation are virtually boundless, for
there is virtually no substance or chemical in
existence that would not irritate or damage some
person or property. . . . Without some limiting
principle, the pollution exclusion clause would
extend far beyond its intended scope, and lead
to some absurd results.”
results.
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