Kemira Group Settlement
(Washington, DC - January 24, 2013) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it reached a settlement with two subsidiaries of the Kemira Group for violations of chemical and pesticide laws.
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Overview of Company
Kemira Chemicals, Inc. and Kemira Water Solutions, Inc. are both subsidiaries of Kemira Group, a global chemical company with U.S. headquarters in Atlanta, Ga.
Violations
The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) Consent Agreement and Final Order (CAFO) resolves FIFRA violations, including the sale and distribution of an unregistered pesticide, the sale and distribution of misbranded pesticides, as well as pesticide production reporting violations.
The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) CAFO resolves 27 violations of TSCA’s Inventory Update Reporting (IUR) regulations (40 C.F.R. § 710.53) discovered as a result of a January 2012 inspection of Kemira Water Solutions headquarters. The IUR regulations require manufacturers and importers of certain chemical substances included on the TSCA Chemical Substances Inventory to report the production volume and location of each facility producing these chemical substances.
Health Effects and Environmental Benefits
The sale and distribution of unregistered or misbranded pesticides can cause serious illness in humans and be harmful to the environment. Under the terms of the agreement, Kemira Chemicals, Inc. has corrected the violations alleged in the CAFO.
The purpose of the TSCA IUR program is to collect quality screening-level, exposure-related information on chemical substances and to make that information available for use by EPA and, to the extent possible, to the public. The IUR data are used to support risk screening, risk assessment, priority setting and management activities and constitute the most comprehensive source of basic screening-level, exposure-related information on chemicals available to EPA. Kemira did not submit the required IURs for the 2006 reporting period in 27 instances as required by the regulations. Kemira has since submitted the required information to the Agency.
Civil Penalty
Kemira Chemicals, Inc. will pay a civil penalty of $301,600 under the FIFRA Consent Agreement and the TSCA Consent Agreement requires Kemira Water Solutions, Inc. to pay a civil penalty of $503,110.
For more information, contact:
Morgan Rog
Waste and Chemical Enforcement Division
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Ave, NW (MC 2249A) Washington, DC 20460
202) 564-7109
rog.morgan@epa.gov
Kim Wilson
Waste and Chemical Enforcement Division
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Ave, NW (MC 2249A)
Washington, DC 20460
(202) 564-5607
wilson.kim@epa.gov