(New York, N.Y.) Drew University has agreed to pay $145,000 to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for failing to properly manage hazardous waste at its Madison, N.J. campus. In 2007, the university had self-reported violations to EPA and corrected the violations.

“EPA’s self-audit policy is intended to help institutions recognize violations of federal environmental laws and take action to correct them,” said EPA Regional Administrator Judith Enck. “We expect institutions that conduct their own audits to maintain compliance with the regulations. Drew’s failure to do so is not consistent with this policy.” During its 2009 investigation, EPA discovered that Drew University had:

• • Haphazardly stored dozens of containers of paint, wood stains, enamels and adhesives in a manner that failed to minimize releases to the environment. These containers were being stored outside and on the ground, some of which were in close proximity to residential housing and a pond. Many containers were open and could have easily spilled their contents or leaked into the ground.
  • Failed to properly identify discarded materials such as mercury, sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, formic acid, and nitric acid as hazardous wastes.
  • Stored hazardous waste without a permit authorizing and regulating such storage.

After EPA issued a complaint to Drew, the university agreed to pay a $145,000 fine for the violations, and comply with applicable federal and state laws and regulations governing the management of hazardous waste. For more information on how EPA regulates hazardous waste, visit www.epa.gov/region02/waste/csummary.htm. Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter at twitter.com/eparegion2 and visit our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/eparegion2

Contact Information: John Senn, (212) 637-3667, senn.john@epa.gov John Martin, (212) 637-3662, martin.johnj@epa.gov

Check out the 2009 EPA Clean Water Act Trends Map and Annual Noncompliance Report

This interactive site provides basic information about Clean Water Act direct dischargers, such as:

• number of permits issued
• how frequently sampling data is reviewed to determine if violations occurred
• frequency of violations
• frequency of formal enforcement actions.

You can choose to view information about major (larger) facilities or non-major (smaller) facilities and choose a map theme using the “Select Data to Map” menu. Mousing (or hovering) over a state gives statistics to the right of the map. Clicking on the state will bring you to a map and more detailed state information. Read more…

(Boston, Mass. – Mar. 9, 2011) – Oxford Aviation, Inc., of Oxford Maine , a company that refurbishes and refinishes airplanes, has resolved a case involving EPA allegations that the company violated hazardous waste requirements.

Following a Sept. 2009 EPA inspection of the Oxford facility, EPA alleged that Oxford violated the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act by failing to adequately determine the contents of hazardous waste containers. In addition, according to EPA, Oxford failed to perform various requirements, including conducting a hazardous waste determination of its wastes from its chemical conversion coating operation; adequately training employees with hazardous waste management responsibilities; conducting and documenting daily inspections of hazardous waste containers; and properly labeling and managing containers of hazardous waste.

Oxford was very responsive to EPA’s requirements once the issues were raised with them. The company has certified to EPA that it is now in compliance with the federal hazardous waste law and has agreed to the payment of a $5,000 penalty. Additionally, as a result of the enforcement action, Oxford has voluntarily eliminated at least two hazardous waste streams from its processes, including chromium (a heavy metal) and methyline chloride (a chemical solvent).

More information: Enforcing hazardous waste requirements in New England http://www.epa.gov/region1/enforcement/waste/index.html

Contact Information: David Deegan, (617) 918-1017

Follow EPA New England on Twitter: http://twitter.com/epanewengland

(Atlanta, Ga. – July 27, 2009) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalized a case involving alleged violations of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) against YKK (USA), Inc. (YKK), a zipper manufacturer with facilities in Macon, Ga. In accordance with the Consent Agreement and Final Order (CA/FO) filed July 22, 2009, YKK has agreed to pay a penalty of $240,000 to resolve several alleged violations of RCRA and the Georgia Hazardous Waste Management Act (GHWMA). The alleged violations include failure to prepare manifests for hazardous waste containers and failure to meet certain conditions for a permit exemption relating to storage, labeling, marking, inspection and recordkeeping.

On May 29, 2008, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (GAEPD) inspected an EZ Emission facility in Rex, Ga., after receiving a complaint from the owner about unknown containers stored there. During the inspection, GAEPD discovered approximately nine containers marked “Hazardous Waste” and affixed with YKK’s shipping labels. GAEPD further discovered that the containers had been placed at this location by a hazardous waste vendor used by YKK. Upon this discovery, YKK immediately arranged for these containers to be removed to a properly-permitted location. As part of GAEPD’s investigation concerning the discovered wastes, GAEPD inspected a private residence on June 12, 2008 owned by the vendor, and discovered approximately seven containers affixed with YKK’s shipping labels. This residential location was also the vendor’s business address supplied to GAEPD.

A RCRA compliance evaluation inspection (CEI) of YKK’s Ocmulgee Park and Chestney Site facilities was conducted by EPA and GAEPD on August 6, 2008 to determine compliance status and to investigate the circumstances associated with the discovery of YKK’s wastes. Based on the previous discovery of YKK’s wastes and the CEI, EPA issued a Notice of Violation to YKK on February 4, 2009 identifying alleged violations of RCRA. On February 26, 2009, upon discovery, YKK immediately notified EPA and GAEPD that additional containers of wastes affixed with YKK’s shipping labels were stored by the vendor at a self-storage facility in Macon, Ga. that had been rented by the vendor. EPA inspected the self-storage facility the following day, and confirmed that approximately 57 containers of YKK’s wastes were left in storage. YKK arranged for these containers to be removed to a properly-permitted location pending further investigation. YKK has certified that all alleged violations have been corrected as part of the CA/FO.

RCRA was enacted by Congress in 1976. RCRA’s primary goals are to protect human health and the environment from the potential hazards of waste disposal, to conserve energy and natural resources, to reduce the amount of waste generated, and to ensure that wastes are managed in an environmentally sound manner.

WASHINGTON – Honeywell International Inc. pleaded guilty today in federal district court in Benton, Ill., to one felony offense for knowingly storing hazardous waste without a permit in violation of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Honeywell was also sentenced today to pay a criminal fine in the amount of $11.8 million.

“The defendant’s illegal storage practices put employees at risk of exposure to radioactive and hazardous materials,” said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “Today’s plea agreement and sentencing shows that those who try to circumvent the law and place people’s health and the environment at risk will be vigorously prosecuted.”

“Today, Honeywell must account for its knowing violation of a federal law that protects the public from exposure to hazardous waste containing radioactive material,” said Ignacia S. Moreno, assistant attorney general for the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice. “All companies who generate hazardous waste must have a permit to store the waste and, when granted a permit under RCRA, must fully comply with its requirements or they will be prosecuted.”

Honeywell, a Delaware corporation with corporate headquarters in Morristown, N.J., owns and operates a uranium hexafluoride (UF₆) conversion facility in Massac County, Ill., near the city of Metropolis and the Ohio River. Honeywell is licensed by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to possess and otherwise manage natural uranium, which it converts into UF₆ for nuclear fuel. The Metropolis facility is the only facility in the United States to convert natural uranium into UF₆.

At the Metropolis facility, air emissions from the UF₆ conversion process are scrubbed with potassium hydroxide (KOH) prior to discharge. As a result of this process, KOH scrubbers and associated equipment accumulate uranium compounds that settle out of the liquid and are pumped as a slurry into 55-gallon drums. The drummed material, called “KOH mud” and consisting of uranium and KOH, has a pH greater than or equal to 12.5.

In November 2002, Honeywell shut down part of the wet reclamation process it used to reclaim the uranium from the KOH mud, knowing that previously accumulated drums of KOH mud and any additional drums of KOH mud generated thereafter would have to be stored onsite until such time as the wet reclamation process was restarted. Honeywell also knew that, because the pH of KOH mud generated at the facility was greater than or equal to 12.5, it is classified as corrosive hazardous waste under regulations issued pursuant to RCRA. Therefore, Honeywell needed, but did not have, a RCRA permit to store any drums of KOH mud at its facility longer than 90 days.

In July 2007 Honeywell requested a modification of its RCRA permit from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) so that it could store drums of KOH mud. IEPA issued Honeywell a modified permit in July 2008, allowing Honeywell to store drums containing KOH mud only in a KOH container storage area designed to contain any spills, leaks, or precipitation that accumulates in the drum storage area. By September 2008 Honeywell had accumulated more than 7,000 drums of KOH mud. In April 2009, EPA special agents conducted a search warrant and found nearly 7,500 illegally stored drums containing waste that was both radioactive and hazardous. Honeywell began storing the KOH mud drums in compliance with the terms of its RCRA permit in approximately March 2010.

In accordance with the terms of the criminal plea agreement, Honeywell will serve a five-year term of probation. As a condition of probation, Honeywell must comply with the terms of the interim consent order entered into with the Illinois Attorney General’s Office and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, filed on April 21, 2010, and any subsequent revisions, which imposes a schedule for the processing of KOH mud. As a further condition of probation, Honeywell must implement a community service project in the community surrounding the Metropolis facility, whereby Honeywell will develop, fund, and implement a household hazardous waste collection program and arrange for proper treatment, transportation, and disposal of this waste collected during at least eight collection events over a two year period, at a cost of approximately $200,000.

http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/2467feca60368729852573590040443d/def2f68123e736b38525785000721a93!OpenDocument

Contact Information: Stacy Kika, kika.stacy@epa.gov, 202-564-0906, 202-564-4355

For more information on EPA’s criminal enforcement program:
http://www.epa.gov/compliance/criminal/index.html

If your procedures require you to move glass from the freezer to a hot place, remember to allow the temperature to ramp up slowly and you will minimize lab mishaps and chemical spills.

Prevent Emissions from Chemical Waste with ECO Funnel

Unique product eliminates evaporation of chemical waste into the surrounding environment. ECO Funnel is a funnel with a lid that attaches to most common waste containers, and prevents air pollution while helping you comply with the storage and disposal requirements of the EPA. ECO Funnel™ is manufactured in the San Francisco Bay Area. Watch product video…

OSHA 29 CFR 1910.106(a)(29) states that: “Safety can shall mean an approved container, of not more than 5 gallons capacity, having a spring-closing lid and spout cover and so designed that it will safely relieve internal pressure when subjected to fire exposure.”

Remember that all stir bars are not made alike and to always use stir bars that are compatible with the chemicals you are using!

Bookmark this excellent interactive chemical compatibility chart from Cole Parmer where you can cross reference the chemicals you are using with compatible plastics and metals.

DO NOT LEAVE WASTE CONTAINERS OPEN

How a lab fire typically starts:
You need three components to start a fire: Oxygen, Fuel, and Heat. The potential for lab fires a very real problem facing lab managers and chemists today; the only way to prevent the possibility of fire is to remove one or more components from the cycle.

Since one cannot remove oxygen from a lab, and sparks are accidental and therefore hard to predict, the simplest solution would be to remove the “fuel” component by preventing flammable chemical fumes from evaporating into the surrounding environment.

How? Avoid leaving waste containers open — don’t leave them open on a bench top, don’t leave them open in a fume hood!. ALWAYS cap and close a waste container except when you are pouring in waste.

OSHA and EPA regulations prohibit open waste containers, but even if you aren’t subject to regulation, the health and safety of lab personnel is at stake if you do not take this risk seriously. Chemical fumes can be both dangerous to the health of workers and highly flammable, a huge safety risk that can –and has — caused serious explosions and lab fires.