LAWSUITS NEWS & LEGAL INFORMATION
Waste Water Violations
Cambridge, OH: (Apr-08-08) The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) brought charges against Colgate-Palmolive Co., alleging that the company had hazardous waste violations at its manufacturing facility located at 8800 Guernsey Industrial Blvd., Cambridge, OH. The suit claimed that the company collects and removes rain water that accumulates in the secondary containment area around bulk chemical tanks at its facility.
The violations were discovered when a truck driver from Zemba Brothers, who was transporting the water, sampled liquid from the top of the facility's collection area and found the liquid to be neutral. Not known to the driver, a leak of sodium hydroxide (lye) had contaminated the mixture and the heavier contaminated water sank to the bottom. He then filled the truck and took it to the landfill that was supposed to receive the water. The landfill was closed for the day and the driver took his truck back to the terminal, thereby leaving the water in the tanker. While sitting overnight, chemical reactions began when the cleaner water and heavier water contaminated with sodium hydroxide were put into the aluminum tanker. The chemical reaction caused the tank to rupture, releasing its contents and necessitating a cleanup.
The suit accused the company of causing hazardous waste transportation to an unpermitted facility; failing to properly evaluate wastes to determine if the wastes contain hazardous material and failing to properly package, label and placard a hazardous waste shipment and label universal waste lamps. As part of a settlement reached, the company agreed to pay Ohio EPA a $14,200 penalty to resolve allegations. Officials claimed that the penalty includes $11,360 to Ohio's hazardous waste cleanup fund and $2,840 to Ohio EPA's clean diesel school bus program for the purpose of installing diesel particulate filters on public school buses. [ZANESVILLE TIMES RECORDER: COMPANY AGREES TO PAY $14,200 IN SETTLEMENT]
Published on Apr-9-08
The violations were discovered when a truck driver from Zemba Brothers, who was transporting the water, sampled liquid from the top of the facility's collection area and found the liquid to be neutral. Not known to the driver, a leak of sodium hydroxide (lye) had contaminated the mixture and the heavier contaminated water sank to the bottom. He then filled the truck and took it to the landfill that was supposed to receive the water. The landfill was closed for the day and the driver took his truck back to the terminal, thereby leaving the water in the tanker. While sitting overnight, chemical reactions began when the cleaner water and heavier water contaminated with sodium hydroxide were put into the aluminum tanker. The chemical reaction caused the tank to rupture, releasing its contents and necessitating a cleanup.
The suit accused the company of causing hazardous waste transportation to an unpermitted facility; failing to properly evaluate wastes to determine if the wastes contain hazardous material and failing to properly package, label and placard a hazardous waste shipment and label universal waste lamps. As part of a settlement reached, the company agreed to pay Ohio EPA a $14,200 penalty to resolve allegations. Officials claimed that the penalty includes $11,360 to Ohio's hazardous waste cleanup fund and $2,840 to Ohio EPA's clean diesel school bus program for the purpose of installing diesel particulate filters on public school buses. [
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