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U.S. EPA settles with Modesto company for chemical reporting violations for $39,270

Release Date: 3/18/2005
Contact Information: Lisa Fasano, 415-947-4307

     SAN FRANCISCO   The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced that it has settled a case with Custom Marble & Onyx of Modesto, Calif. for $39,270 over its violation of the federal Emergency Planning and Community-Right-to-Know Act.

    Custom Marble & Onyx, located at 201 Winmoore Way, failed to submit timely, complete, and correct reports regarding the amounts of styrene processed at its facility.  EPA inspectors discovered the violations during a routine inspection in 2004.

     "When a company fails to report information like this to the EPA and the state, it deprives a community of its right to know about the chemicals being released into the environment," said Enrique Manzanilla, the EPA's Cross Media Division director for the Pacific Southwest region. "This penalty should remind others about the importance of chemical reporting practices and that we are serious about enforcing community right-to-know laws."

    Federal community right-to-know laws require facilities processing more than 25,000 lbs of styrene to report their releases of the chemical to the EPA.  Custom Marble & Onyx exceeded this threshold from 2000 through 2002, but failed to submit reports to the EPA for any of those years.  

    The facility processes styrene in connection with its bathroom fixtures manufacturing operation.  Exposure to styrene vapors may affect the nervous system, resulting in effects such as depression, concentration problems, muscle weakness, tiredness, nausea, and eye, nose, and throat irritation.

     Federal law requires certain facilities using chemicals over specified amounts to file annual reports of chemical releases with the EPA and the state.  The reports estimate the amounts of each toxic chemical released to the environment, treated or recycled on-site, or transferred off-site for waste management.  Information is then compiled into a national database and made available to the public.
 
    Each year the EPA publishes a report entitled the Toxics Release Inventory Public Data Release, which summarizes the prior year's submissions and provides detailed trend analysis of toxic chemical releases.
 
    For more information on the program visit:  https://www.epa.gov/tri.  The U.S. EPA's environmental databases, including the Toxics Release Inventory data, can be accessed at: https://www.epa.gov/enviro.

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