Chester plant fined $750K for air pollution violations

A chemical plant in Chester will pay a $750,000 penalty for nearly six years worth of air quality violations as part of a settlement reached with the Department of Environmental Protection.

PQ Corp. makes materials and chemicals with various applications, from fuels to road construction to consumer products like toothpaste, as well as sulfuric acid for refinery operations. The Chester plant produces sodium silicate for use in hair dye, cleaning products and water treatment systems.

The fine covers violations of the Pennsylvania Air Pollution Control Act, including emissions limits and failure to submit emissions reports on time.

The DEP found the plant violated hourly emissions limits for either nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, particulate matter or some combination of the three for multiple days every quarter between July 2013 and December 2018. Those pollutants are known to exacerbate respiratory problems like asthma.

Read more: https://www.phillytrib.com/news/local_news/chester-plant-fined-k-for-air-pollution-violations/article_9d5793fc-e058-514b-b335-e9a445de30ea.html