EPA Cites Realty Company for Violating Federal Law on Notice of Lead-based Paint Hazards in Reading, Pa.

EPA Cites Realty Company for Violating Federal Law on Notice of Lead-based Paint Hazards in Reading, Pa.

PHILADELPHIA (March 26, 2012) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has cited Crespo Realty, Inc. , of Flushing, N.Y., for allegedly violating a federal law requiring the company to disclose information on lead-based paint hazards to tenants renting four Reading, Pa. properties.

The Disclosure Rule under the Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act requires sellers and landlords of residential housing built before 1978 (when lead-based paint was banned under federal law) to disclose to purchasers and tenants the presence of known lead-based paint hazards (or lack of knowledge of hazards). Landlords must provide a lead hazard information pamphlet; provide a standard warning statement in the lease on the dangers of lead-based paint; and include disclosure and acknowledgment language in leases.

According to EPA's complaint, Crespo Realty, Inc. did not provide the required lead hazard information and lead hazard disclosures in five leases in four residential properties in Reading.   EPA will propose a penalty for these alleged violations after giving the company an opportunity to respond to the complaint. However, the complaint notes that the statutory maximum penalty for violations of the Disclosure Rule is $11,000 per violation. Crespo has the right to a hearing to contest the alleged violations.

EPA is cooperating with other federal, state, and local agencies to protect tenants and homeowners from the health risks of lead-based paint. High blood levels of lead can cause permanent damage to the nervous system and widespread health problems, such as a reduced intelligence and attention span, hearing loss, stunted growth, reading and learning problems and behavioral difficulties. Young children, in particular, are most vulnerable because their nervous systems are still developing.

For more information on environmental, health, and legal issues involving lead, please visit http://www.epa.gov/lead/index.html. 

Companies Pick Up Used Packaging, and Recycling’s Cost

Excerpt from an article in

The New York Times

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Companies Pick Up Used Packaging, and Recycling’s Cost

By STEPHANIE STROM

Brushing your teeth with a yogurt container? Wiping your mouth with a coffee cup?

You might be doing both, as a result of a new trend in recycling, courtesy of the manufacturers who make the original products. A growing number of large food and beverage companies in the United States are assuming the costs of recycling their packaging after consumers are finished with it, a responsibility long imposed on packaged goods companies in Europe and more recently in parts of Asia, Latin America and Canada.

Several factors are converging to make what is known as “extended producer responsibility” more attractive and, perhaps, more commonplace in the United States.

“Local governments are literally going broke and so are looking for ways to shift the costs of recycling off onto someone, and companies that make the packaging are logical candidates,” said Jim Hanna, director of environmental impact at the Starbucks Corporation. “More environmentally conscious consumers are demanding that companies share their values, too.”

Perhaps most important, he said, “companies are becoming more aware that resources are limited and what they’ve traditionally thrown away — wow, it has value.” It is now cheaper to recycle an aluminum can into a new can than it is to make one from virgin material, and the same is becoming true for plastic bottles.

Rental Co. Faces Fine for Failing to Inform Residents of Lead Paint

Rome, New York Rental Company Faces Fine for

Failing to Inform Residents about the Presence of

Lead-based Paint and its Dangers

Contact: Elias Rodriguez, (212) 637-3664, rodriguez.elias@epa.gov

(New York, N.Y. - March 16, 2012) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued a complaint against CRM Rental Management, Inc. of Rome, N.Y. for not informing residents of its buildings about potential lead-based paint in their apartments. It is estimated that three-quarters of U.S. residential dwellings built before 1978 contain some lead-based paint. Infants and young children are especially vulnerable to lead-based paint exposure, which can cause IQ deficiencies, reading and learning disabilities, impaired hearing, reduced attention spans, hyperactivity and behavioral problems. CRM Rental Management faces over $140,000 in potential fines for 43 instances in which the company failed to properly inform residents of four buildings in New Hartford and Rome, New York about the potential presence of lead-based paint.

“Lead paint is a serious threat to children’s health and disclosure can arm families with information they need to protect their kids,” said Judith A. Enck, EPA Regional Administrator. "Rental agents, property managers and building owners are required to follow EPA lead paint disclosure requirements and make sure people are aware of potential lead hazards in homes.”

Lead poisoning remains one of the most prevalent threats to children's well-being but it is also one of the most preventable. Under federal law, families have the right to know whether there are any potential lead-paint hazards in a prospective home, and must be informed about the harm lead can inflict on small children. Pregnant women and children younger than age six are among the most vulnerable to adverse health risks from lead-based paint.

EPA regulations require real estate management companies and property owners that sell or rent housing built before 1978 to provide renters or buyers with a form that contains a warning about the dangers of lead-based paint and discloses information about its presence. People renting or buying an apartment or home must verify that they received the required warning and disclosure information, including the EPA pamphlet, Protect Your Family from Lead in Your Home. Prospective purchasers have a 10-day opportunity to assess the property for risks for the presence of lead-based paint.

The complaint against CRM Rental Management alleges that the company failed to provide residents with lead-based paint warning and disclosure statements, making them aware of records or reports that would alert them to potential lead-based paint hazards, and secure required signatures verifying that the required information was received.

In collaboration with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Centers for Disease Control, EPA operates the National Lead Information Center, including a toll-free hotline that can be reached at 1-800-424-LEAD (5323).

For more information on lead and the risks posed by lead paint, visit: http://www.epa.gov/lead.

Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/eparegion2 and visit our Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/eparegion2.

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News Release from EPA

Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Contact: Donna Heron 215-814-5113 / heron.donna@epa.gov

Pennsylvania Company Settles Toxic Chemical Reporting Violations at Nazareth, Pa. Facility

PHILADELPHIA (February 21, 2012) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced that Essroc Cement Corporation has agreed to pay a $82,000 penalty to settle alleged violations of toxic chemical reporting requirements at its manufacturing facility located at 401 West Prospect St., Nazareth, Pa.

According to EPA, Essroc failed to submit three years of required reports on a regulated toxic chemical (lead) which was processed at this facility.

EPA cited the company for violating the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA). This law requires companies that manufacture, use or process more than a threshold amount of listed toxic chemicals to file an annual toxic chemical release form with EPA and the state. These reports are used to compile the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) -- a publicly available EPA database, searchable by zip code, that contains information on toxic chemical releases and waste management activities.

The multi-establishment Nazareth, Pa., plant processes lead as part of the manufacturing process for bulk and packaged cement. Lead and lead compounds are regulated under EPCRA due to the public health effects of ingestion or inhalation of lead, particularly among children, including damage to the nervous system. According to EPA, a June 2011 inspection revealed that Essroc did not submit annual reports for lead for three years (2006 through 2008) when the Nazareth facility processed lead in amounts in excess of 130,000 pounds annually -- significantly exceeding EPCRA’s 100 pound reporting threshold. (This settlement involves alleged reporting violations, not unlawful releases of toxic chemicals.)

The settlement penalty reflects the company's cooperation with EPA in resolving the alleged violations, and its compliance efforts. As part of the settlement, the company did not admit liability for the alleged violations, but has certified compliance with applicable EPCRA requirements.



In a separate matter, the United States recently announced a $1.7 million settlement of alleged Clean Air Act violations at six Essroc facilities nationwide, including the Nazareth plant.
See press release at: http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/d0cf6618525a9efb85257359003fb69d/48aa8dd28f3ab133852579750077751e!OpenDocument.

For more information on TRI and the TRI searchable database, go to: www.epa.gov/tri.

For more information on lead and its health effects, go to: See http://www.epa.gov/lead/index.html.

EPA Awards Innovative Plating Company

News Release from EPA Region 9:

For Immediate Release: January 25, 2012

Media Contact:  Nahal Mogharabi, mogharabi.nahal@epa.gov    

EPA Awards Innovative Plating Company in Clovis for Significant Reductions of Toxic Chemicals

Zero Discharge Facility Reduces 9,000 Pounds of Lead and Hex-chrome, Protects Workers, Public Health

SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today recognized Valley Chrome Plating for its achievements in environmental and worker protection under the National Partnership for Environmental Priorities (NPEP) program.  The plating company, located in Clovis, Calif., successfully substituted lead anodes and hexavalent chromium with less harmful alternatives. These advancements have resulted in the reduction of these harmful chemicals by 9,000 pounds—significantly protecting the environment and worker exposure.

“This is a great example of how a company can protect its employees and the environment while growing its business and providing important local jobs,” said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “Removing thousands of pounds of lead and chromium-six from its products ensures a safer environment for Valley Chrome Plating’s workers and the community.”

In 2009, the company eliminated the use of hexavalent chromium and replaced it with the more environmentally friendly trivalent chromium. That same year, Valley Chrome also replaced its lead anodes with safer graphite anodes. The switch to graphite and trivalent chromium has eliminated 3,000 pounds of lead waste and 6,000 pounds of hexavalent chromium from its waste stream.

In addition to altering the materials used its truck bumpers and accessories; Valley Chrome discharges zero wastewater to the public sewers through recycling and the underground plumbing that captures roof run-off from the facility for re-use. This system collects up to 100,000 gallons of rain water that is then used by the facility as part of its cleaning and finishing processes. Valley Chrome also installed ion exchange waste reduction systems in its manufacturing and plating operations, further reducing pollution associated with trivalent chromium as well as nickel plating.

These innovations saved this family-owned company thousands of dollars in waste treatment costs, hauling fees and reduced energy consumption and still allowed the company to compete in the global market.

Hexavalent chromium is associated with irritation to the skin, nose, eyes and throat and more serious complications. Lead is a toxic metal used in plating tanks as anodes. Lead is tied to  a range of health effects, including behavioral problems, learning disabilities, seizures and death. Children six years old and under are at most risk.

NPEP was a voluntary program fostering partnerships between regulatory agencies and manufacturers, commercial companies, and other facilities to reduce the use and release of highly toxic chemicals. NPEP officially ended in 2011. The NPEP partnership encouraged innovative thinking about conservation of our natural resources and ways to substitute, reduce, reuse and recycle..

Today’s announcement was part of Regional Administrator Jared Blumenfeld’s two day “Whistle Stop Tour” of San Joaquin Valley. For more information on his overall visit, today’s event and photos, please visit: http://www.epa.gov/region9/mediacenter/sjv-tour/

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EPA Releases New Water Pollution Tool

News Release form EPA Headquarters:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 25, 2012

EPA Releases New Tool with Information about Water Pollution Across the U.S.

EPA to host webinar on how to use tool to access information on pollutants released into local waterways

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the release of a new tool that provides the public with important information about pollutants that are released into local waterways. Developed under President Obama’s transparency initiative, the Discharge Monitoring Report (DMR) Pollutant Loading Tool brings together millions of records and allows for easy searching and mapping of water pollution by local area, watershed, company, industry sector, and pollutant. Americans can use this new tool to protect their health and the health of their communities.

“Transparency leads to greater accountability and better information about pollution in our nation’s communities,” said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “By making the data we collect available in easy to use tools, we are keeping Americans informed about the health of the environment in their neighborhoods.”

Searches using the DMR Pollutant Loading Tool result in “top ten” lists to help users easily identify facilities and industries that are discharging the most pollution and impacted waterbodies. When discharges are above permitted levels, users can view the violations and link to details about enforcement actions that EPA and states have taken to address these violations.

Facilities releasing water pollution directly into our nation’s waterways, such as wastewater treatment plants or industrial manufacturers, must receive a permit to discharge under the Clean Water Act. Each permit sets specific limits for how much can be discharged. It also requires the permittee to frequently sample their wastewater discharges and report the data to their state or EPA permitting authority.

A link to the new tool can be found on EPA’s Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO) website, which provides information about inspections, facility compliance, and state and federal enforcement actions. EPA has also released several new ECHO features, including a search for criminal enforcement cases and web developer tools that make it easy to tap into ECHO reports and maps.

Information about the webinar:

WHAT: A webinar to demonstrate how to use the new Discharge Monitoring Report (DMR) Pollutant Loading Tool.

WHO: Members of the media, non-profit organizations, industry, business, and citizens interested in learning how to use the tool are encouraged to participate.

WHEN: Thursday, January 26, 2012, 10 a.m., Eastern Time

HOW: To participate, please use the following dial-in numbers.

Audio Contact Instruction:

(1) Dial the toll-free dial-in number: (866) 358 1366

(2) At the recorded prompt, enter the Conference Code (2025661014) and the "#" sign, using the telephone keypad.
(3) Wait for the Leader to join and the conference to begin.
(4) To disconnect, hang up the telephone.

To access the Webinar use GoToWebinar link: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/192410536

*** YOU MUST REGISTER IN ADVANCE TO ACCESS THE WEBINAR***

DMR Pollutant Loading Tool: http://www.epa.gov/pollutantdischarges

ECHO: http://www.epa-echo.gov/echo

More information about new features in ECHO: http://www.epa-echo.gov/echo/recent_additions.html