FISKEVILLE, R.I. — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it will seek more than $375,000 in penalties against Fiskeville, R.I.-based Arkwright for violations of the violations of the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, or RCRA.
Arkwright, a subsidiary of Chicago-based OCE-USA Holding, Inc., manufactures photographic film and paper.
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According to a statement issued by the EPA’s New England office, wastes generated from Arkwright’s manufacturing process contained volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that evaporate readily into the air. Emission of VOCs into the air results in the formation of ground-level ozone, or smog — high concentrations of which can cause difficulties in breathing, especially for children, asthmatics and people with lung ailments.
VOCs also are known to be toxic to the nervous system, liver, kidneys, reproductive systems and aquatic life, EPA said.
EPA discovered VOC emission problems during an inspection of the Fiskeville plant last September. The agency said it did not find company records or other evidence that the company had made efforts to control VOC emissions since government regulations took effect in December 1996.
The company agreed to pay the state of Rhode Island $23,000 in March 2000 in relation to other RCRA violations, EPA said.
An EPA spokesman told PBN the agency will seek the $376,483 in penalties related to the violations at an EPA administrative hearing at the agency’s regional headquarters in Boston. The date for the hearing has not yet been scheduled, he said.
