EPA and Vita Craft of Shawnee, Kan., Settlement to Achieve Zero Emissions of the Hazardous Air Pollutant PCE

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EPA Region 7 News <noreply-subscriptions@epa.gov>  Aug 3 at 1:39 PM
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7
11201 Renner Blvd., Lenexa, KS 66219

Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Nine Tribal Nations

EPA and Vita Craft of Shawnee, Kan., Settlement to Achieve Zero Emissions of the Hazardous Air Pollutant PCE

Contact Information: Mark Hanson, 913-551-7788, hanson.mark@epa.gov

Environmental News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Lenexa, Kan., Aug. 3, 2016) – As part of a settlement with EPA, Vita Craft Corporation of  Shawnee, Kan., will install equipment to completely eliminate emissions of the hazardous air pollutant perchloroethylene (PCE) from its facility, which is beyond what the company is required to do by law.

Following an EPA inspection in September 2015 that revealed the facility’s PCE emissions were in excess of the regulatory threshold, Vita Craft approached EPA with a proposal to address the findings by eliminating PCE emissions entirely.

“This is a unique settlement where the company proposed to go beyond what is required by law to improve air quality in the local community,” said EPA Region 7 Air and Waste Management Division Director Rebecca Weber. “The result of today’s settlement is a great example of how government and business can come together to protect human health and the environment.”

While facilities are permitted to use and emit PCE up to an annual limit, Vita Craft, a manufacturer of high-end metal cookware, elected to modify its manufacturing process by installing an aqueous degreaser, which will result in zero PCE emissions to the surrounding community. EPA estimates this equipment will eliminate more than eight tons of PCE emissions annually.

This agreement is part of Region 7’s recent air toxics initiative and community air protection strategy, which focuses on facilities that emit hazardous air pollutants, and ensures compliance with regulatory requirements and limits for emissions of pollutants.  Under the agreement filed today, the new equipment is scheduled to be installed in October 2016.

PCE is a solvent commonly used as a degreasing agent in metal manufacturing and is a hazardous air pollutant under the Clean Air Act.  Breathing high levels of PCE for a brief period may cause dizziness or drowsiness, headache, and incoordination. Exposure for longer periods to low levels of PCE may cause changes in mood, memory, attention, reaction time, and vision.

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