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U.S. EPA fines Azusa plastics firm $150,000 for air violations

Release Date: 10/5/2005
Contact Information: Dean Higuchi, 808-541-2711, [email protected]

LOS ANGELES - As part of a recent settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Advance Foam Plastics, Inc., a manufacturer of expanded polystyrene foam, will pay $150,000 for air pollution violations, at its Azusa, Calif. facility.

Under the terms of this settlement, Advance Foam Plastics Inc. has terminated manufacturing operations, surrendered its South Coast Air Quality Management District permit to operate and will pay the penalty.

"Companies like Advance Foam Plastics must comply with all Clean Air Act emission rules to prevent volatile organic compounds from contributing to air pollution," said Deborah Jordan, the EPA's Air Division director for the Pacific Southwest region. "Emissions from the polystyrene manufacturing process must be controlled, captured and reduced to protect air quality."

Volatile organic compounds react with other pollutants such as NOX in the presence of sunlight to form ozone, or smog.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District, which has jurisdiction over air permits in the Los Angeles Basin, requires that manufacturing and storage emissions be limited to no more than 2.4 lbs of volatile organic compounds per 100 lbs of raw materials used in the process or be controlled through the use of an adequate air pollution control device. Advance Foam Plastics, which produces expanded polystyrene foam used in the building industry, failed to demonstrate that the emissions were below the emission limit and failed to demonstrate that its air pollution control device was adequate.

For more information on the EPA's Air Office, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/region09/air/index.html

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