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EPA Cites Formit Steel Company For Violating Toxic Chemical Reporting Law

Release Date: 8/25/1999
Contact Information: Roy Seneca (215) 814-5567

RED LION, Pa. -- The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency has cited Formit Steel Co. for allegedly failing to file required annual reports on the potential release of a toxic chemical that is used at its metal manufacturing plant.

The EPA alleges that the company violated the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) by failing to file required reports for 1995 and 1997 on the usage and potential release of the toxic chemical, toluene, used at the plant. EPA is seeking a penalty of $8,137 for these violations.

Toluene is a precursor of smog. Excessive exposure of toluene can cause dizziness, nausea, difficulty in breathing, and loss of consciousness. The EPA complaint alleges a reporting violation, and not an unlawful release of this chemical.

EPCRA requires companies that use more than 10,000 pounds of certain toxic chemicals to file an annual “toxic chemical release form” with EPA and the state. Companies must report both routine and accidental releases of toxic chemicals, and the maximum amounts of these chemicals at the facility and the amount contained in wastes transferred off-site.

The reports provide the basis for EPA’s annual Toxic Release Inventory, which is provided to the public and regulatory authorities to track pollution and prevent it.

The company has the right to a hearing to contest the alleged violations and proposed penalty.