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Ocean Protein LLC Pays nearly $22,000 for Failure to Properly Report Hazardous Chemicals

Release Date: 01/19/2010
Contact Information: Suzanne Powers, EPA EPCRA Program, (360) 753-9475, [email protected]; Tony Brown, EPA Public Affairs, (206) 553-1203, [email protected]

Company agrees to spend nearly $9,000 for hazardous material training and equipment for the City of Hoquiam Fire Department.

(Seattle, Wash. – Jan. 19, 2010) Ocean Protein, LLC has settled with the Environmental Protection Agency and agreed to pay a $13,166.00 penalty for violating the federal Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA). The company failed to properly report the storage of Sulfuric Acid at its fish waste processing facility located in Hoquiam, Wash.

Ocean Protein failed to file Emergency and Hazardous Chemical Inventory Forms with local emergency response entities in Washington. The company, located at 518 22^nd St. Hoquiam, Wash., produces fish meal, fish oil, and bone meal from fish wastes using sulfuric acid, among other chemicals.

"Community safety and preventing chemical accidents are a top priority for EPA,” said Edward Kowalski, Director of EPA’s Office of Compliance and Enforcement in Seattle. "We’re committed to reducing the likelihood and severity of accidental chemical releases by enforcing the law and creating a level playing field for industry.”

In addition to the penalty, Ocean Protein agreed to provide over $8,800 for training and equipment to the City of Hoquiam Fire Department that will improve the department’s capabilities in responding to hazardous materials emergencies in a safe and effective manner.

Sulfuric acid is a clear, colorless, odorless liquid that is very corrosive and can cause severe burns. It is harmful if inhaled, ingested, or comes in contact with skin.

Facilities that store significant quantities of certain hazardous chemicals are required to submit an inventory of each chemical to the State Emergency Response Commission, the Local Emergency Planning Committee, and the local fire department. Emergency responders rely on this information for their safety and to help protect nearby residents during an emergency, such as a fire or earthquake. Citizens can also access the information to find out what chemicals are being stored and used in their neighborhoods.

For information on EPA's Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act, visit https://www.epa.gov/compliance/civil/epcra/epcraenfstatreq.html

For more about toxic effects of Sulfuric Acid (NIOSH GUIDE): http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/sulfuric-acid/