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EPA CITES NASHUA MANUFACTURER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS

Release Date: 10/08/1996
Contact Information: Alice Kaufman, EPA-New England Press Office, (617) 918-1064

BOSTON - Worthen Industries, Inc. of Nashua, New Hampshire faces a $111,675 environmental penalty for violations of federal hazardous waste management laws, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's New England regional office announced today. Worthen, located at 3 East Spit Brook Road in Nashua, manufactures adhesives for use in food wrap, footwear, automotive, and other industrial applications, and generates wastes that are considered hazardous under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).

"Environmental laws are a community's safeguard that toxic chemicals are managed safely. When a company fails to follow rules for good management, it amounts to a breech of confidence with the public and community," said John P. DeVillars, administrator for EPA's New England office.

EPA cited the company for numerous violations. According to EPA, Worthen failed to:

• properly date and mark containers of hazardous waste;
• keep containers of hazardous waste closed and sealed, except to add or remove waste;
• inspect (at least weekly) areas where containers of hazardous waste are stored;
• maintain adequate personnel training records for employees involved in hazardous waste management;
• have an adequate contingency plan for handling accidents at the facility;
• maintain adequate aisle space between containers of hazardous waste in storage;
• make proper determinations and correctly label hazardous wastes so that wastes that are restricted from land disposal as properly handled.