$66,000 Fine Proposed for Mobil Violations

State health officials are proposing a $66,000 fine against Mobil Oil Corp. for violations of hazardous waste disposal laws at its Torrance refinery. Mobil has not decided whether to accept the penalty or contest it, a company spokesman said.

Inspectors in November found that the company had not disposed of a five-inch blanket of caustic soda that was eating through a concrete pad. In addition, a pipe was leaking the caustic material onto the ground. Inspectors also found that Mobil had sent more than 450 truckloads of dirt contaminated with lead and chromium to landfills without analyzing the level of toxicity, as required by federal regulations.

Last July, Mobil settled a suit filed by the Department of Health Services, agreeing to pay a fine of $125,000 for several other violations and to make up to $225,000 in improvements in the handling of hazardous wastes at the refinery.

Violations cited in that case included charges that Mobil had improperly disposed of oil-contaminated dirt and lacked adequate space and emergency communications equipment in waste storage areas.