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Cleveland Corp. Agrees To EPA Order To Comply With ‘Sweat Furnace’ Requirements

Release Date: 3/31/2005
Contact Information:

CONTACT: William Omohundro, (312) 353-8254

For Immediate Release
No. 05-OPA034

CHICAGO (Mar. 31, 2005) — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 has issued an administrative consent order to Cleveland Corp. that requires the company to comply by April 24 with EPA regulations related to its voluntary conversion of a furnace that burns clean scrap to a sweat furnace that can burn contaminated scrap at its salvage yard at 42810 N. Greenbay Road, Zion, Ill.

Compliance with the order will resolve EPA allegations that Cleveland failed to meet certification requirements for its furnace. After Cleveland converts from a clean-scrap furnace to a sweat furnace, the company will have to meet additional regulatory requirements to limit hazardous emissions.

Cleveland engages in aluminum recovery at the facility and has used its clean-scrap furnace to extract aluminum from aluminum scrap. When Cleveland begins to use its sweat furnace to extract aluminum from contaminated scrap, the company will use an afterburner to control emissions of hazardous dioxins and furans.

There is evidence that dioxins may cause liver damage and probably cause cancer in humans, and furans may cause cancer in humans.