Local News in Brief : Firm Halts Nickel Plating

The South Coast Air Quality Management District has closed down nickel-plating operations at Plato Products Inc. in Glendora after acetic acid from the plant drifted over a neighboring elementary school. The plant will not be able to resume nickel plating until AQMD officials are satisfied that it can control the emissions, said Doug Newton, the district’s senior enforcement manager.

The plant has been prohibited from operating its nickel-plating tank since Friday, when foul-smelling fumes from acetic acid--the prime ingredient in vinegar--wafted over nearby Arma J. Shull Elementary School across the city line in San Dimas. Students and teachers complained of minor eye and throat irritation, but no one had to be sent home, Principal Parker Sutton said.