State environmental officials have ordered Sherwin-Williams to respond to alleged air-pollution violations at its Rochester plant in New York after nearby western Pennsylvania residents described odors around their homes as "pure chemicals" and nail polish remover.
The action takes the form of a consent order and agreement between the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the paint company over conditions at its facility.
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Under the agreement, Sherwin-Williams has 30 days to pay $124,700 in civil penalties, KDKA-TV reported. DEP said the company violated Pennsylvania's Air Pollution Control Act and must also address several problems, including a missing thermal oxidizer, which KDKA described as an emissions-control device meant to destroy harmful volatile organic compounds, or VOCs.
@cbspittsburgh The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and Sherwin-Williams entered into a consent order and agreement after the DEP found violations of the Air Pollution Control Act at the company's manufacturing plant in Rochester, Beaver County. Earlier this year, KDKA spoke to families who said the air smelled overpoweringly of "pure chemicals" like nail polish remover, even inside their homes, and their air purifiers were constantly showing "red" for air quality. A KDKA-TV News investigation found that the DEP had issued a violation to the plant in January for failing to install a thermal oxidizer — an air pollution control device designed to destroy harmful volatile organic compounds, or VOCs. The DEP's consent order says Sherwin-Williams has 30 days to pay a total of $124,700 in civil penalties. The order also requires resolutions to violations related to the missing thermal oxidizer and other violations.
♬ original sound - KDKA
According to KDKA, the order also covers issues involving source construction, missed monitoring and testing requirements, and problems with control equipment. If those issues are not corrected, the company could be fined $1,000 per day for each violation.
People who live near the plant told KDKA the smell was getting into their houses and making the air painful to breathe. One resident told the outlet, "It hurts to breathe, and sometimes your eyes burn."
Similar complaints have appeared online under KDKA's post. One commenter wrote, "Yup I went down there yesterday and that smell is ridiculous," while another added, "It actually smells like spray paint and nail polish remover."
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KDKA reported that residents said the odors were not occasional but part of everyday life. Families also said their air purifiers kept showing "red" on air-quality readings.
What's being done?
DEP said the consent order is meant, as KDKA reported, to impose penalties for past violations and set firm consequences for future ones. The agreement stays in effect until regulators decide the company has completed all required corrective actions.
The company must also bring its equipment into compliance and meet monitoring requirements that should already have been in place.
Some residents are pursuing their own response as well. KDKA reported that Rochester residents Todd Mackall and Ruby Petitt were seeking legal action, suggesting some neighbors are not waiting to see whether the company follows through.
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