The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Justice have announced that Dover Chemical Corporation has agreed to pay $1.4 million in civil penalties for the unauthorized manufacture of chemical substances at its facilities in Dover, Ohio, and Hammond, Ind.
Dover violated the Toxic Substances Control Act by manufacturing short-chained, medium-chained and long-chained chlorinated paraffins without first submitting a pre-manufacture notice to the EPA at least 90 days before manufacturing such a substance. Dover Chemical produces the vast majority of the chlorinated products sold in the United States.
As part of the settlement, Dover Chemical has ceased manufacturing short-chain chlorinated paraffins, which have persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) characteristics. PBTs pose a number of health risks, particularly for children, including genetic impacts, effects on the nervous system and cancer.
The consent decree requires Dover to cease manufacturing short-chained chlorinated paraffins and provide proper pre-manufacture notices to the EPA for any other chlorinated paraffin it wishes to manufacture. This settlement will end the manufacturing of short-chained chlorinated paraffins in facilities in the United States.
Short-chained chlorinated paraffins are persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic to aquatic organisms at low concentrations. They can remain in the environment for a significant amount of time and can accumulate in animal tissues, increasing the probability and duration of exposure. Even relatively small releases of these chemicals from individual manufacturing, processing or waste-management facilities have the potential to accumulate over time to higher levels and cause significant adverse impacts to the environment.
Short-chained chlorinated paraffins have been measured in a variety of environmental media including air, sediment, surface waters and wastewater. Short-chained chlorinated paraffins have also been measured in a variety of biota, including freshwater aquatic species, marine mammals, and avian and terrestrial wildlife. In addition, short-chained chlorinated paraffins have been detected in samples of human breast milk from Canada and the United Kingdom, as well as in a variety of food items from Japan and various regions of Europe.
For more information, visit www.epa.gov.