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Chamberlain Manufacturing Corp. Settles PCB Violations at Scranton Army Ammunition Plant

Release Date: 11/30/2004
Contact Information: Bonnie Smith, 215-814-5543

Bonnie Smith, 215-814-5543

PHILADELPHIA – Chamberlain Manufacturing Corp. has settled a case involving alleged violations of federal regulations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) at the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant in Scranton, Pa. In a consent agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the company has agreed to pay an $135,000 penalty to resolve alleged violations of regulations designed to protect public health and the environment from this toxic substance.

Chamberlain, a wholly owned subsidiary of Elmhurst, Ill.-based Duchossois Industries, Inc., operates the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant which manufactures ammunition for the U.S. Army. A June 2002 EPA inspection of this facility revealed several violations of EPA regulations of PCBs and PCB-containing equipment. The alleged violations included failure to timely dispose of PCB waste, failure to conduct required quarterly inspections of 34 PCB transformers at the facility, failure to properly label a PCB transformer entrance, inadequate marking of a PCB transformer and a PCB transformer entrance, failure to maintain required PCB annual documents, and improper storage of combustible materials near two PCB transformers.

As part of the settlement, Chamberlain neither admitted nor denied the alleged violations. The company cooperated with EPA’s investigation, and has certified that it currently is in compliance with applicable PCB regulations.

PCBs, a probable human carcinogen, were once widely used as a nonflammable coolant for transformers and other electrical equipment. In 1976, Congress enacted the Toxic Substances Control Act, which strictly regulated the manufacture, use and disposal of PCBs. For more information on the health effects, regulations, and cleanup of PCBs, visit https://www.epa.gov/opptintr/pcb/.