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Tucson fiberglass firm agrees to pay U.S. EPA $4,340 to resolve reporting violations
Release Date: 08/10/2009
Contact Information: Francisco Arcaute, (213) 244 1815, [email protected]
For Immediate Release: August 10, 2009
Contact: Francisco Arcaute
(213) 244-1815, Cell (213) 798-1404
[email protected]
Tucson fiberglass firm agrees to pay U.S. EPA $4,340 to resolve reporting violations
Southwest Fiberglass LLC failed to file timely reports for styrene
LOS ANGELES - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has reached a $4,340 settlement with Southwest Fiberglass LLC of Tucson, Ariz., for allegedly filing late toxic chemical reports, a violation of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act.
Southwest Fiberglass LLC, located at 4798 South Julian Avenue, failed to timely file reports for styrene used at its facility during calendar years 2004, 2005, and 2006. EPA inspectors discovered the violations during a routine inspection.
“Southwest Fiberglass LLC and other companies that use toxic chemicals such as styrene must follow our reporting rules so that area residents are informed of possible chemical hazards in the local environment,” said Enrique Manzanilla, Communities and Ecosystems Division director for 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 25,000 lbs. of styrene to report releases of these chemicals on an annual basis to EPA and the state. Although Southwest Fiberglass LLC exceeded these thresholds in 2004, 2005, and 2006, it failed to file on-time release reports to EPA for any of these years.
Southwest Fiberglass LLC processes styrene in connection with its fiberglass manufacturing operations. Exposure to this chemical can irritate the skin, eyes, and respiratory system. Severe exposure can affect kidney function.
Each year EPA compiles the information submitted to it from the previous year regarding toxic chemical releases and maintains a national Toxics Release Inventory database for public availability. This TRI database includes detailed information on more than 650 chemicals used by over 23,000 industrial and federal facilities.
For more information on the TRI program, please 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.
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