Feds Probe Santa Clarita Plastics Firm

A Santa Clarita plastics company under federal investigation for allegedly illegally discharging toxic chemicals and exposing its workers to hazardous materials is shutting down a major component of its operations.

Keysor Century Corp., once a prominent producer of vinyl records, will cease the production of polyvinyl chloride resin by the end of the month, attorney Manny Abascal said Monday.

In a search warrant affidavit in February, FBI agents said that the family-owned company was making resin beyond its capacity, causing equipment to malfunction and release “dangerous amounts” of the byproduct vinyl chloride, which has been linked to liver cancer.

The affidavit also contended that company officials knew that data measuring environmental exposure and emissions for regulatory agencies had been falsified. The FBI’s investigation is ongoing, a spokeswoman said.

Keysor Century filed for bankruptcy in March. But Abascal said the company will continue with other aspects of its plastics production.