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EPA reaches agreement with American Greetings on clean-air violations

Release Date: 10/27/2006
Contact Information: William Omohundro, (312) 353-8254, omohundro.william@epa.gov

CHICAGO (Oct. 27, 2006) - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 has reached an agreement with American Greetings Corp., One American Road, Cleveland, Ohio, on alleged violations of EPA regulations to protect stratospheric ozone.

The agreement, which includes an $84,854 penalty, resolves EPA allegations that American Greetings sold or distributed, or offered to sell or distribute, in interstate commerce a type of plastic party streamer or silly string propelled by an ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbon.

When CFC refrigerants deplete the stratospheric ozone layer, dangerous amounts of cancer-causing ultraviolet rays from the sun strike the earth. Production of some of these chemicals was stopped in 1995, and federal law strictly controls their use and handling.

Information on EPA Region 5's air enforcement program is at https://www.epa.gov/region5/air/enforce/index.html. Potential environmental violations may be reported at https://www.epa.gov/compliance/complaints.