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U.S. EPA fines Azusa pharmaceutical company $9,400 over hazardous waste storage

Release Date: 9/27/2005
Contact Information: Dean Higuchi, 808-541-2711, [email protected]

LOS ANGELES - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has fined Norac, Inc. $9,400 for violating federal hazardous waste regulations.

"Hazardous wastes can cause serious environmental damage -- local residents can be harmed and communities polluted," said Jeffrey Scott, director of the EPA's Waste Management Division for the Pacific Southwest region. "It is essential that companies comply with hazardous waste regulations in order to protect human health and prevent impacts to the environment. The EPA will continue to ensure that facilities who generate and manage hazardous waste do so in accordance with the law."

In January, the EPA inspected Norac and based upon that inspection, the EPA alleges that Norac committed the following hazardous waste violations, in violation of the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act:

-Storing hazardous waste without a permit;
-Incomplete contingency plan;
-Storing ignitable wastes less than 50 feet from the property line;
-Failure to maintain an alarm in the waste storage area;
-Failure to maintain adequate training records.

Norac Inc. operates a pharmaceutical development facility at 405 South Motor Avenue in Azusa, Calif.

The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act oversees how to safely manage and dispose of huge amounts of waste generated nationwide.

For more information on the RCRA program, please visit:
https://www.epa.gov/compliance/basics/cleanup.html#rcra

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