TWO COMPTON METAL-FINISHING COMPANIES FINED BY EPA
By Allison Jean Eaton
The Environmental Protection Agency has cited and fined two Compton industrial companies for violating federally mandated hazardous waste restrictions. The EPA has been conducting surprise inspections of metal finishing companies over the past two years in various communities in Los Angeles and Santa Clara counties to ensure their compliance with the law.
Bowman Plating Company, located at 2631 E. 126th St., and AAA Plating and Inspection, located at 424 Dixon St., were among nine companies found to be in violation of the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act during the unannounced EPA visits.
The act requires companies to properly manage hazardous waste to prevent harm to human health and the environment.
According to the EPA, metal finishers generate hazardous wastes including acids and sludges that contain heavy metals such as chromium, cadmium, and lead; spent plating solutions containing metals or cyanides; flammable liquids; and both alkaline and acidic corrosive liquids. These wastes have been shown to have serious and even deadly implications in terms of public health.
Chromium has been linked to lung cancer, chronic bronchitis and sinusitis. Cadmium can cause kidney disease and has been inconclusively linked to lung cancer, as well. In animals, cadmium has been found to cause certain fetal malformations. Lead causes a host of adverse health effects, including neurotoxicity, developmental delays including a decreased IQ in children, hypertension, impaired blood synthesis and male reproductive impairment.
Of the nine companies, Bowman received the highest fine of $48,500. AAA was fined $19,800.
