Trial Begins Over Abandonment of Hazardous Chemicals

The former owner of a Sun Valley company where fumes from a chemical fire injured 56 people in 1985 went on trial in San Fernando Superior Court this week for illegal storage and disposal of hazardous chemicals.

Marianne Pratter, former owner of Research Organic and Inorganic Chemical Co., has pleaded not guilty to charges she failed to remove several containers of dangerous chemicals from the building after the April 14, 1985, fire. The fumes sent 56 firefighters, police officers and news personnel to hospitals for treatment and required a $140,000 cleanup by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Health officials determined that Pratter had abandoned material that was toxic, flammable and reactive at the 9068 De Garmo Ave. site when she moved to a site in Orange shortly after the fire. The chemicals remained until August, 1985, prompting a criminal investigation by the district attorney’s office, Deputy Dist. Atty. Joseph Charney said.

The materials included cylinders of a highly reactive flammable rocket fuel oxidizer, as well as a barrel containing highly toxic arsenic, Charney said.

Health officials have testified at Pratter’s trial, which began Monday, that she ignored orders to clean up the materials. The chemicals were used for university research, Charney said.

Pratter, who is free on $10,000 bail, faces a 3-year prison sentence and a $50,000 fine if convicted, Charney said.

Pratter also owned a chemical distribution firm in New Jersey, which was the site of a toxic-gas leak in 1983 that cost the state $1 million to clean up. She pleaded guilty in March, 1984, to charges of reckless storage of hazardous materials and creating a risk of widespread injury, and was sentenced to 3 years probation, 5 months of community service and fined $15,000 .