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Milford, Mass. Rubber Company to Pay $26,500 Fine for Clean Air Violations

Release Date: 06/05/2007
Contact Information: Paula Ballentine, (617) 918-1027

(Boston, Mass. – June 5, 2007) - The Archer Rubber Co. will pay a fine of $26,500 to settle a Clean Air Act enforcement action involving air pollution control equipment at the company's manufacturing plant in Milford, Mass. The settlement results from two equipment tests ordered by EPA at the plant in 2005 and 2006.

Archer Rubber produces various kinds of rubber-coated fabrics. Archer’s manufacturing processes generate hazardous air pollutants, primarily toluene. Prolonged toluene exposure affects the central nervous system and can cause impaired vision, dizziness and decreased motor skills. Archer’s hazardous air emissions are controlled by a special incinerator that was installed in the early 1990s as the result of an earlier EPA enforcement action.

In October 2005, EPA ordered Archer Rubber to test the incinerator to ensure it was functioning properly. The test showed that the incinerator was destroying pollutants less efficiently than required by Archer’s federally-enforceable state air permit. Consequently, EPA ordered Archer to test the incinerator again. Upon retesting, the incinerator was in compliance with the permit. The settlement assesses a monetary penalty for the incinerator test violation and a one-time emissions violation earlier in 2005.

The settlement caps EPA’s long-term efforts to ensure that Archer Rubber complies with Clean Air Act requirements. The action also sends a message to companies in Massachusetts and throughout New England to operate their air pollution control equipment in full compliance with the Clean Air Act.

More information on EPA Clean Air enforcement in New England (epa.gov/region1/enforcement/air)

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