Newport company to pay $81,855 fine over toxic chemical reporting violation

Oct. 26, 2015 4:48 PM PT

A Newport Beach-based company that develops pesticides and herbicides will pay an $81,855 fine for failing to report that it imported more than 25,000 pounds of three toxic chemicals, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

In 2011, American Vanguard Corp. used two of its subsidiaries, AMVAC Chemical Corp. and GemChem Inc., to bring in chemicals that are commonly used in agricultural products, according to the EPA. The three chemicals in question were trichloroethanal, phosphorothioic trichloride and 2,4-dichlorophenol.

The law requires companies that import such chemicals in bulk to report them to the EPA. According to federal officials, American Vanguard failed to do so by the 2012 deadline.

The EPA said Friday that the fine settles the government’s case against the company.

Jeremiah Dobruck

Jeremiah Dobruck was a public safety reporter for the Daily Pilot. He first came to the Pilot as an editorial intern in 2009. After a handful of other media-related jobs, he was hired full-time at the Pilot as a copy editor in 2012. He holds a bachelor’s in journalism from Cal State Fullerton. He left the Daily Pilot in 2016.