THE U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA) TOEDAY ANNOUNCED THAT E.I. DUPONT DE NEMOURS AND COMPANY DUPONT)) HAS AGREED TO SETTLE ALLEGED CLEAN AIR ACT VIOLATIONS AT DUPONT'S WASHINGTON WORKS FACILITY, LOCATED IN WASHINGTON, WOOD COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA.
A PROPOSED SETTLEMENT, INVOLVING DUPONT, THE UNITED STATES, AND THE STATE OF THE WEST VIRGINIA, WAS FILED TODAY IN FEDERAL DISRICT COURT IN CHARLESTON, WEST VIRGINIA BY THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE. UNDER THE TERMS OF HE PROPOSED CONSENT DECREE, DUPONT HAS AGREED TO PAY A CIVIL PENALTY, AND IMPLEMENT SEVERAL SAFEGUARDS TO LIMIT EMISSIONS OF HAZARDOUS AIR POLLUTANTS (HAPs), INCLUDING VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS (VOCs) SUCH AS FORMALDEHYDE, METHANOL AND ACETAL. VOCs CONTRIBUTE TO THE FORMATION OF GROUND-LEVEL OZONE, WHICH IS A MAJOR COMPONENT OF SMOG AND CAN CAUSE OR AGGRAVATE RESPIRATORY DISEASE. OZONE ALSO CAUSES DAMAGE TO FORESTS AND CROPS, FABRIC AND EXTERIOR COATINGS SUCH AS OIL AND ACRYLIC LATEX, OIL COATINGS AND AUTOMOTIVE FINISHES. SOME KNOWN OR SUSPECTED EFFECTS OF EXPOSURE TO HAP's INCLUDE CANCER, REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH PROBLEMS, AND BIRTH DEFECTS.
THIS ENFORCEMENT ACTION IS PART OF EPA'S NATIONAL INITIATIVE TO REDUCE EMISSIONS OF HAPs BY ENFORCING COMPLIANCE WITH THE CLEAN AIR ACT'S LEAK DETECTION AND REPAIR (LDAR) REGULATIONS. EPA HAS DETERMINED THAT LEAKING EQUIPMENT SUCH AS VALVES, PUMPS AND CONNECTORS ARE THE LARGEST SOURCE OF EMISSIONS OF HAZARDOUS AIR EMISSIONS FROM CHEMICAL MANUFACTURERS AND P