C.A.I. also agreed to pay a $100,000 penalty to settle allegations of environmental violations at the plant. Environmental regulators said that the plant was mixing ink overnight without proper ventilation and lacked detectors to warn about buildup of dangerous vapors.
Environmental officials said the financial settlement helps offset the public cost of removing hazardous waste from the site and sends a message that companies with lax safety standards will be penalized.
“This case demonstrates that a failure to implement basic safety mechanisms and follow obligations under the law can have dire consequences,’’ Curt Spalding, regional administrator of the EPA’s New England office, said in a statement.
“The extent of damage from this explosion shows why it is so important that facilities follow basic chemical safety practices,’’ Spalding said. “Companies that fail to comply with laws that protect public health and our environment will be held accountable.’’
C.A.I. and the Arnel Co., another firm that ran the factory, stored and used considerable quantities of flammable substances at the plant in the manufacturing of solvent-based ink, paint, thinners, and industrial coatings, according to the EPA.
State and federal investigators concluded that the explosion resulted from a buildup of chemical vapors inside the plant that ignited from an unknown source.
The companies did not acknowledge wrongdoing in the settlement.
But the EPA said C.A.I. and Arnel violated the Clean Air Act, a federal law that requires companies to take measures to prevent and minimize the effects of accidental releases of extremely hazardous substances.
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