A Duluth-based company, 1 LLC, was fined $13,600 for improperly containing sandblasted material on a construction site. The sandblasted material was deposited on a parking ramp next door to the construction site. After testing by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), the material was found to have higher lead levels than the state rules allow. While this involved short-term exposure, limiting any exposure to lead when possible is critical to protecting human health and the environment. Crews washed the affected structure three times without fully removing the contamination, prompting crews to seal coat the parking ramp in order to mitigate the problem. Subsequent testing by the MPCA staff found that the lead levels were below the state hazardous lead levels.
MPCA rules and regulations are designed to protect human health and the environment by limiting pollution emissions and discharges from facilities. When companies do not fully comply with regulatory requirements, the resulting pollution can be harmful to people and the environment.
When calculating penalties, the MPCA considers how seriously the violations affected or could have affected the environment, and whether they were first-time or repeat violations. The agency also attempts to recover the economic benefit the company gained by failing to comply with environmental laws in a timely manner.