Local News in Brief : Hughes Aircraft Sued by AQMD

Air quality regulators have accused Hughes Aircraft of releasing excessive amounts of solvents and thinners into the atmosphere from a manufacturing plant in El Segundo.

In a lawsuit filed in Torrance Superior Court, the South Coast Air Quality Management District asks for penalties of up to $25,000 a day for violations of district rules over an eight-month period from July 6, 1987, to March 4, 1988. The agency alleges that the chemicals came from spray booths at the plant where Hughes makes weapon guidance systems and other military equipment.

The booths are used to spray solvents and thinners on electronic circuit boards and aerospace components, AQMD spokeswoman Jacqueline Switzer said. When combined with sunlight, the organic compounds create ozone pollution, Switzer said.

Hughes declined to comment.