Background
Aerocraft Heat Treating Co., Inc. conducts metal-heating treatment, cooling, cutting, and grinding operations. The facility is located at 15701 Minnesota Ave., Paramount, CA, and is subject to the permitting requirements and rules and regulations of the South Coast AQMD.
After an intensive investigation in November 2016, South Coast AQMD determined that Aerocraft and a nearby facility, Anaplex Corp., were sources of elevated levels of hexavalent chromium emissions. At Aerocraft, South Coast AQMD inspectors found hexavalent chromium in the dust collected in several different locations within the facility. Finding elevated levels of hexavalent chromium at Aerocraft was surprising, since the processes conducted at this facility were not previously known to generate large amounts of hexavalent chromium emissions. The carcinogenic substance was also found within Aerocraft’s equipment for cooling its metal heat treating operations.;
On Dec. 16, 2016, the independent South Coast AQMD Hearing Board approved an administrative order, known as a Stipulated Order for Abatement, compliance with which would likely result in Aerocraft’s operations not causing a public nuisance in violation of South Coast AQMD’s Rule 402. Aerocraft voluntarily agreed to the Hearing Board’s order.
Aerocraft was also required to develop health risk assessments and risk reduction plans under the state’s AB2588 Air Toxics Hot Spots program to ensure the facility reduces the total emissions of toxic air contaminants so that the community health risks from the facility are below the thresholds established by South Coast AQMD.
To date, Aerocraft has been required to temporarily shut down all operations emitting hexavalent chromium on four occasions to comply with the Order for Abatement. Under the order, the facility cannot resume operations of any equipment with the potential to emit hexavalent chromium until South Coast AQMD has determined that the average of the three most recent samples of hexavalent chromium, collected over about one week, were at or below 1.0 nanograms per cubic meter.
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