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U.S. EPA fines B.F. Goodrich $16,609 for violations at Santa Fe Springs plant

Release Date: 2/15/2005
Contact Information: Francisco Arcaute, U.S. EPA, (213) 244-1815, Cell: (213) 798-1404

SAN FRANCISCO -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today fined the B.F. Goodrich Corporation $16,609 for federal hazardous waste management violations at its Santa Fe Springs, Calif. facility.

During a Nov. 18, 2003 inspection at the company's facility at 9920 Freeman Ave., EPA inspectors discovered that Goodrich had failed to make a hazardous waste determination on cadmium-contaminated waste; failed to prepare and submit a 2001 biennial report; failed to properly close hazardous waste containers; and stored hazardous waste without a permit.

"Improper hazardous waste management puts the surrounding community at risk," said Jeff Scott, Waste Management Division Director for the EPA's San Francisco office. "This settlement sends a message to the regulated community that the EPA is committed to aggressively enforcing safe hazardous waste handling requirements."

Cadmium mainly accumulates in the kidneys. At high levels it can reach a critical threshold and can lead to serious kidney failure. Recent studies determined that there is limited evidence for carcinogenicity of cadmium to humans and sufficient evidence for carcinogenicity to animals.

B.F. Goodrich has since rectified all violations at the Santa Fe Springs facility, where it specializes in the repair and overhaul of commercial aircraft wheels and brakes.

The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act protects communities from the hazards of waste disposal; helps conserve energy and natural resources by recycling and recovery; seeks to reduce or eliminate waste and cleanup of waste that may have been improperly disposed.

For more information on Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, visit:
https://www.epa.gov/osw/mission.htm