IRVINE : Pollution Guideline Violations Alleged

A firm that manufactures printed circuit boards potentially faces hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines and penalties for allegedly violating pollution guidelines, according to a lawsuit filed this week by the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

The lawsuit claims Helix Circuits Corp., doing business as PC World, was warned in March about health and safety code violations that resulted in excessive emissions but failed to take corrective action.

A representative for Helix Circuits could not be reached for comment. The company is in the 16600 block of Armstrong Avenue in Irvine.

Allen D. Mednick, senior deputy district prosecutor for the AQMD, said the excessive emissions are problematic but are not cause for alarm.

Alleged violations range from operating equipment without proper permits to disregarding strict record-keeping requirements to improperly storing materials that emit pollutants, according to the lawsuit.

“I don’t think the types of emissions we’re dealing with here are toxic or at the level where people have to be overly concerned,” Mednick said.

The violations carry maximum fines ranging up to $25,000 per day for each violation, according to the lawsuit.

Mednick said the lawsuit was filed as a last resort after negotiations with the firm broke down. Similar cases settle with only a fraction of the potential fines being levied, Mednick said.

“We’re still hoping for a settlement,” said Mednick, who said he is aware that the pollution monitoring agency has been criticized for harming business, but stressed that the lawsuit only aims to curb further pollution. “We’re not in the business of putting legitimate businesses out of business.”