Firm Hit by Record Fine Over Wastes

A fine said to be the largest in state history for a hazardous waste law violation has been levied against a Vernon metal treating company that pleaded no contest to criminal charges filed by the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.

Only hours after county prosecutors filed charges Wednesday against Lindberg Corp., which generates cyanide and perchloroethylene waste in its metal heating and stripping business, the company agreed to a plea settlement that includes $250,000 in criminal penalties and what officials believe may total more than $500,000 in clean-up costs.

Officials of the state Department of Health Services said the fine against Lindberg Corp. was the largest ever levied in California.

“Hazardous waste laws are very new, and from that perspective, this is a stiff penalty,” said Barry C. Groveman, special assistant district attorney and head of the environmental crimes unit for Los Angeles County. The fine should serve as a warning to others who might be tempted to do similar acts, he said.

In the complaint that was filed in Hawthorne Municipal Court, the Vernon company was charged with 11 misdemeanor counts of illegal storage of hazardous waste, including heavy metals and barium, and one count of illegal disposal of cyanide.

The charges follow an investigation spurred by information from a former employee, who alleged that 7 to 10 years ago Lindberg Corp. buried numerous drums of hazardous waste on its Vernon property, located at 2900 Sunol Drive.

The Los Angeles County Toxic Waste Strike Force confirmed the allegations with several other former Lindberg employees and on June 20 served a search warrant for excavation of the property, Groveman said.

The excavation, still in progress, has so far uncovered 13 buried drums, at least two of which have been confirmed to contain hazardous waste, officials said. Laboratory results for the other drums--described as rusty, deteriorated barrels, some of which collapsed upon removal--are expected in a week.

“Buried drums of waste are like ticking time bombs waiting to go off,” Groveman said. “We gained tremendously by resolving this matter quickly and moving on to take care of the other wastes that may be on the property.”

Groveman said resolving the complaint quickly allows health investigators access to company records and employees who might help officials locate other wastes that might be dumped at the site. If the case was still in court, company officials might feel reluctant to release information for fear of self-incrimination, he said.

Groveman said no other charges will be filed against the company, because of its cooperation. No threat to public health or safety has as yet been found as a result of the buried drums.

Lindberg Corp. attorney Donald Etra said the company pleaded no contest, not because it was guilty of the violations, but because it wanted to resolve the matter quickly and cooperate in cleaning up any hazardous waste that might be discovered on its property.

“The company has not condoned any violations of health and safety or environmental statutes,” Etra said. “No current employee or manager had any knowledge of anything being buried prior to execution of the warrant on June 20, and we support any attempt to uncover such violations.”