EPA Enforces Hazardous Waste Air Emission Requirements at Massachusetts Facility

The EPA) has reached a settlement with Bostik, Inc. (Bostik) of Middleton, Massachusetts over alleged violations of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). As part of the settlement, Bostik will pay a fine of $122,589 and certify compliance with RCRA.

 

"Proper labeling, storage and monitoring of hazardous waste and emissions keep communities safe," said EPA New England Administrator Mark Sanborn. "EPA appreciates Bostik's work to come into and remain in compliance."

 

The proposed settlement alleges that Bostik committed five violations of the Federal Hazardous Waste Air Emission Standards under RCRA and seven violations of the federally authorized Massachusetts Hazardous Waste Regulations. The most significant violations involved failure to comply with the Hazardous Waste Air Emission Standards, including but not limited to the presence of an open-ended line emitting volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and the failure to immediately attempt to repair a VOC leak from a hazardous waste tank. The company was cooperative throughout the enforcement process and agreed to take the necessary steps to bring its facilities into compliance with RCRA.

An interactive course titled “Contamination Control Strategies for the Fire Service” focuses on updated information regarding firefighters’ risk of cancer, exposure pathways, and controls that can be used to lessen exposures. The course, which was developed by NIOSH and the Fire Safety Research Institute, also aims to help individuals understand the hierarchy of controls. FSRI recommends that individuals who are interested in completing the training have a “working knowledge of the thermal and chemical exposures associated with firefighting.” A separate short lesson on thermal and chemical exposures in the fire service is available to provide this information.

 

According to a recent email update from the National Firefighter Registry for Cancer, the course on contamination control strategies also includes a module about the NFR that may be helpful for firefighters who are interested in learning more about the registry or who haven’t yet enrolled.

 

NIOSH describes the NFR as “the largest effort ever undertaken to understand and reduce risk of cancer among U.S. firefighters.” The NFR enrollment site is now back online after it became unavailable earlier this year following reduction-in-force notices to NIOSH staff.

 

To learn more about the NFR, visit NIOSH’s website. The new training on contamination control strategies is available for free via the FSRI website and includes a certificate of completion.

The effective date for certain provisions of EPA’s risk management rule for the solvent trichloroethylene (TCE) has been postponed for the third time, the agency announced last week. EPA’s action concerns the Toxic Substances Control Act section 6(g) exemptions in the rule, which will be delayed for an additional 90 days, until Nov. 17, 2025.

 

Under the final rule, most uses of TCE, including its manufacture and processing for all consumer and most commercial products, will be prohibited within one year. But the TSCA section 6(g) exemptions permit several industrial uses to continue for longer periods under certain restrictions, including a workplace chemical protection program and controls intended to limit occupational exposure to TCE.

 

The workplace conditions required by the TSCA section 6(g) exemptions for TCE are the subject of ongoing legal challenges to the rule. While litigation is pending, EPA’s latest postponement is intended to “temporarily preserve the status quo,” according to an Aug. 20 Federal Register notice.

 

For more information, see EPA’s update on the status of the TCE risk management rule. A new notice in the Federal Register provides additional context for the EPA’s actions. Learn more about risk management for TCE on the agency’s website.

The U.S. Department of Labor has cited a Port Saint Lucie tree service contractor for allegedly exposing workers to crushed-by hazards after an employee suffered fatal injuries while operating a woodchipper at a Boynton Beach worksite in January 2025.

 

Investigators with OSHA cited Carlton’s Tree Service, Inc. with a serious violation. To address the violation, the employer will pay $16,550 in penalties and take actions to amend the hazard.

 

Learn more about OSHA, including safe work practices when operating a chipper machine. Employers may contact the agency for information about OSHA’s compliance assistance resources and for free help on complying with OSHA standards.