Largest Fine Is $6,200 : 13 Area Firms Hit With Air-Pollution Penalties

Thirteen San Fernando Valley and Santa Clarita Valley companies paid a total of $11,650 in air-pollution penalties in June, according to the latest monthly report of enforcement actions of the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

The largest penalty, $6,200, was paid by Holga Metal Products Corp., an office furniture manufacturer in Van Nuys. Without admitting guilt, Holga made the payment to settle a complaint accusing the firm at 7901 Woodley Ave. of emitting excessive solvent vapors for several weeks last fall during a metal-coating operation and of failing to keep proper records of its use of coatings. The vapors contribute to formation of ozone, a lung irritant.

A $1,600 settlement was reached between the air district and Contempo Enterprises Inc. of Sun Valley, which was cited in February for operating spray-painting equipment without required permits.

Keysor-Century Paid $1,000

Keysor-Century Corp., a Saugus firm that manufactures phonograph record discs, paid $1,000 to settle a complaint stemming from the release last Oct. 16 of an estimated 145 pounds of vinyl chloride, a cancer-causing substance, from the company’s plant on Springbrook Avenue.

According to the violation notice, air-district officials learned of the release through an anonymous complaint. They determined that vinyl chloride was vented to the air after maintenance workers mistakenly closed valves that supply water to a plant cooling system. The falling water level caused temperature and pressure to rise, causing a discharge of vinyl chloride through a relief valve.

Company and air-district officials said the company since has installed an audible alarm to warn of a drop in cooling water.

A Keysor-Century official said the gas venting lasted “only a couple of seconds” and posed no threat to health. Vinyl chloride exposure has been linked to a rare form of liver cancer in chronically exposed workers, but an official with the state Department of Health Services said that a single, brief release of the chemical would quickly dissipate and pose no significant health risk.

Air-district officials said the $1,000 payment represented the maximum penalty for a single violation of an air-district rule. They said similar violations occurred at the plant several years ago. The other 10 firms were issued fines ranging from $75 to $700, totaling $2,850.

According to the monthly report, the air district--which regulates air quality in Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside Counties and part of San Bernardino County--collected just over $97,000 in penalties in June.