MIDLAND, Mich. (AP) — Dow Chemical Co. has agreed to pay an $82,834 fine and perform two community service projects to resolve an Environmental Protection Agency complaint alleging four chemical leaks, Dow and EPA officials said Friday.
The EPA said Dow failed to notify emergency authorities about four leaks at a Midland facility between November 1997 and May.
The chemicals released — methyl chloride, vinyl chloride and ethylene oxide — could potentially cause cancer in people exposed to them, EPA spokesman James Entzminger said.
Entzminger said one of the leaks was caused when a hole developed in a piping system, while another happened when an operator opened an incorrect valve. Two others occurred during cleaning and transport of equipment.
Eric Grates, media relations manager for Dow Chemical in Michigan, said the company didn't report the leaks because it thought the amounts were lower than reporting rules require.
Grates said once officials discovered they were wrong, they reported the leaks, but were sanctioned by the EPA for late reporting.