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Fine Proposed Against Cambridge, Mass. Candy Maker for Ozone Violations

Release Date: 04/24/2006
Contact Information: David Deegan, (617) 918-1017

(Boston, Mass. – April 24, 2006) – A penalty of nearly $154,000 is proposed by EPA in a civil complaint filed against Cambridge Brands, Inc. for Clean Air Act violations.

The EPA complaint alleges violations that include the failure to repair leaks to industrial refrigerators at the company’s Cambridge, Mass. candy manufacturing facility, resulting in the release of over 200 pounds of ozone depleting refrigerant into the atmosphere. The company is a subsidiary of Tootsie Roll Industries.

In addition to failing to perform appropriate maintenance on the refrigeration equipment, EPA’s New England regional office also asserts in the complaint that Cambridge Brands failed to conduct leak repair tests and keep required service records for repairs of some units, all in violation of Stratospheric Ozone Protection regulations in the federal Clean Air Act. The penalty proposed by EPA is $153,900.

Certain types of refrigerants have been known to destroy the thin layer of ozone in the upper part of the atmosphere known as the stratosphere. Most of these refrigerants are being phased out and replaced with safer alternatives.

The stratospheric ozone layer helps protect humans from being exposed to the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays. Federal Stratospheric Ozone Protection regulations were established to limit the emissions of substances that destroy the ozone layer. These regulations provide strict rules governing the service, maintenance, repair and disposal of ozone-depleting substances.

“The ozone layer provides important protection to all of us from the sun’s harmful rays,” said Robert W. Varney, regional administrator of EPA’s New England office. “It’s important that companies and individuals who work with ozone-depleting substances follow appropriate steps to minimize the release of these materials into the atmosphere. This helps keep the ozone layer intact.”

During the past few months, EPA’s New England office has filed formal complaints and proposed penalties against several other companies for similar violations, namely: US Surgical of North Haven, Conn.; Kraft Foods of Woburn, Mass.; and Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation of Stratford, Conn.

More information on EPA New England’s Air Enforcement Program: https://www.epa.gov/NE/enforcement/air/index.html .

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