Sulfur Dioxide Release Leads to $106,000 in EPA Fines

US EPA reported this week that a Carson, California facility that produces sulfuric acid for refineries will pay a $106,000 civil penalty following a release of sulfur dioxide that hospitalized eleven people working at neighboring sites.

According to EPA, the company released 65,049 pounds of sulfur dioxide over a five-hour period in 2013. The facility:

• Failed to stop operations when alarms sounded;
• Did not properly train employees to respond to the alarm;
• Failed to conduct a pre-startup safety routine; and
• Did not report the release to appropriate authorities quickly enough.

The first three bullet points above are violations of the Clean Air Act, while the failure to report is a violation of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA). 


EPCRA requires facilities to immediately report the release of a hazardous substance or extremely hazardous substance when the amount released exceeds the substance’s reportable quantity if the release can expose people outside the facility boundary to the hazardous chemical. [49 CFR 355, Appendix A]

Because employees at neighboring facilities were affected by chemical exposure due to this release—some complained of respiratory pain and eye irritation—the facility should have reported the release immediately. 

For more about reporting requirements for chemical releases, read Release Reporting Requirements—EPCRA vs. CERCLA.

Environmental Training for California EHS Pros

When you manage environmental compliance in California, you deal with a complex web of State, Federal, and local requirements.  When the nationally trusted Complete Environmental Regulations Workshop comes to San Jose and Los Angeles, the training will cover EHS issues unique to California—California Air Resource Boards and ambient air quality standards, California water standards, Hazardous Materials Business Plans (HMPB), Prop 65, and key basics of California’s unique Title 22 hazardous waste management rules.

Sign up now! The workshop comes to San Jose on October 31–November 1 and Los Angeles on November 3-4.

Don't work in California? The Complete Environmental Regulations Workshop is presented nationwide and covers your responsibilities under major EPA programs like the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, EPCRA, TSCA, FIFRA, CERCLA/Superfund, and more. Learn what you need to know to identify the rules that apply to your site, ask the right questions on the job, and keep your facility in compliance with EPA rules. See the full schedule for the rest of 2016 here.

Tags: EPCRA, release reporting