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So. Calif. solder manufacturer will pay for failing to submit timely toxic reports

Release Date: 06/05/2006
Contact Information: Francisco Arcaute, (213-244-1815)

LOS ANGELES - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently reached a $13,090 settlement with a southern California company for allegedly failing to submit toxic chemical reports, a violation of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act.

P. Kay Metal, Inc., located at 2448 East 25th Street in Los Angeles, allegedly failed to submit timely, complete, and correct reports detailing the amount of lead released at its facility during calendar year 2002. EPA inspectors discovered the violations during a routine inspection.

"Facilities that use toxic chemicals such as lead must follow our reporting rules so that area residents and emergency response personnel are informed of possible chemical hazards in the local environment," said Enrique Manzanilla, Communities and Ecosystems Division Director for the EPA's Pacific Southwest region. "This penalty should remind others that we are maintaining a close watch over chemical reporting practices and are serious about enforcing community right-to-know laws."

Federal community right-to-know laws require facilities processing more than 100 lbs. of lead to report releases of this chemical on an annual basis to the EPA and the state. P. Kay Metal, Inc., exceeded this threshold in 2002, and allegedly failed to submit a release report to the EPA.

P. Kay Metal, Inc., processes lead in connection with its solder bar and wire manufacturing operations. Exposure to this chemical can cause high blood pressure, digestive problems, muscle and joint pain, nerve disorders, memory and concentration problems, increased chance of illness during pregnancy, and harm to a fetus, including brain damage or death. Exposure to low levels of lead can severely harm children.

Each year the EPA compiles the information submitted to it from the previous year regarding toxic chemical releases and produces a national Toxics Release Inventory database for public availability. This TRI database includes detailed information on nearly 650 chemicals used by over 23,000 industrial and federal facilities.

For more information on the TRI program, visit: https://www.epa.gov/tri. The U.S. EPA's environmental databases, including the TRI data, can be accessed at: https://www.epa.gov/enviro.