07/30/2010 // West Palm Beach, FL, USA // Tara Monks // Tara Monks
Los Angeles, CA – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a press release announcing that Lifoam Industries, Inc., of Vernon, California, will pay $450,000 in fines for alleged violations of the federal Clean Air Act and California state air quality laws.
The company manufactures polystyrene foam products that contain pentane, a volatile organic compound that contributes to ozone pollution, otherwise known as smog.
The settlement, entered Thursday in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, states that Lifoam Industries is now required to vent all of its manufacturing emissions through an air pollution control device.
According to Jared Blumenfeld, the EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest, “The effects of illegal air pollution in the Los Angeles basin are insidious, and local residents suffer a disproportionate impact. To protect public health and the environment, we will vigilantly track down violators and bring them into compliance.”
According to EPA, Lifoam Industries did not ensure the emissions of pentane were less than 2.4 pounds per 100 pounds of raw materials, a standard required by the Clean Air Act.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District, the organization responsible for air regulations in the Los Angeles Air Basin, allows polystyrene foam product manufacturers to meet this limit by using raw materials that release less volatile organic compounds or through the use of an adequate air pollution control device.
The EPA, the U.S. Department of Justice and South Coast Air Quality Management claim that Lifoam installed and operated air-pollution-emitting equipment without the necessary permits. The organizations also accuse Lifoam of not properly venting volatile organic compounds to air pollution control equipment.
According to the press release, “Smog can cause respiratory problems, including coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and chest pain. People with asthma, children and the elderly are especially at risk, but these health concerns are important to everyone.”
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