01/31/2012: South San Francisco Food Processing Factory Will Pay Nearly $700,000 in Penalties,

http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/1c6b8ee238fd17d185257996005b892f[10/16/2015 4:04:46 PM]

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South San Francisco Food Processing Factory Will Pay Nearly

$700,000 in Penalties, Spend $6 Million to Update Refrigeration

System Safety

Release Date: 01/31/2012

Contact Information: Media Contact: Mary Simms simms.mary@epa.gov

Upgrades at South San Francisco Salami Factory Following Hazardous Ammonia Cloud that Left 17 Hospitalized

WASHINGTON – South San Francisco food processor Columbus Manufacturing Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary

of Columbus Foods LLC, has agreed to pay a penalty and make significant upgrades to settle Clean Air Act

violations, the Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today. The case

stems from two releases of anhydrous ammonia that occurred in 2009 at its manufacturing facility located in

South San Francisco, Calif. 

The releases were the result of Columbus’ failure of its general duty of care to identify hazards and to maintain

a safe facility and its failure to comply with regulatory requirements for process safety management under

Section 112(r) of the Clean Air Act. 

“This settlement appropriately penalizes Columbus for violations of the Clean Air Act that resulted in two illegal

releases of poisonous gas that put the community at risk, including one release that caused the hospitalization

of people in the affected community,” said Ignacia S. Moreno, Assistant Attorney General of the Environment

and Natural Resources Division at the Department of Justice. “Today’s agreement will prevent future violations

of the Clean Air Act safety standards by requiring Columbus to upgrade its refrigeration technology and

emergency notification system.” 

“Columbus is responsible for letting plumes of poisonous gas escape into the open air,” said Jared Blumenfeld,

EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “Our goal is to safeguard neighbors and workers by

requiring critical improvements to the company’s plant to prevent these industrial accidents from happening

again.” 

As part of the consent decree announced today, Columbus will pay a penalty of $685,446 and spend

approximately $6 million converting its refrigeration system to a safer technology that uses glycol and ammonia.

The company will also improve its alarm and ammonia release notification procedures. 

The first accidental ammonia release, in February 2009, sent 217 pounds of poisonous gases into the

atmosphere. Six months later in August 2009, the plant again released an ammonia cloud, this time

approximately 200 pounds of anhydrous ammonia was released into the atmosphere. 

The August incident resulted in the evacuation of all facility employees and several neighboring businesses.

Nearly 30 people from the downwind Genentech campus sought medical attention and 17 individuals were

hospitalized. One person remained hospitalized for four days. In addition, off-ramps from Highway 101 and

several local streets were shut down as a result of the release. 

EPA took action following the August 2009 incident, ordering Columbus to complete initial upgrades to its

ammonia refrigeration system, including the replacement of safety relief valves and components with any signs

of corrosion, and the proper labeling of all its piping. In 2011, the company paid $850,000 in fines to San Mateo

County as a result of the incident. 

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01/31/2012: South San Francisco Food Processing Factory Will Pay Nearly $700,000 in Penalties,

http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/1c6b8ee238fd17d185257996005b892f[10/16/2015 4:04:46 PM]

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Last updated on Friday, October 16, 2015

Anhydrous ammonia is considered a poisonous gas. Exposure to its vapors can cause temporary blindness and

eye damage, and irritation of the skin, mouth, throat, respiratory tract and mucous membranes. Prolonged

exposure to anhydrous ammonia vapor at high concentrations can lead to serious lung damage and even death.

Anhydrous ammonia is one of the listed extremely hazardous substances to which Section 112(r) of the Clean

Air Act applies.

Enforcement of the general duty of care and of the regulatory requirements under Section 112(r)(1) and (7) of

the Clean Air Act is critical to ensuring that industry focuses on the safety of the public and the environment. 

For more information, including a copy of the consent decree lodged in the U.S. District Court for the Northern

District of California, please visit: 

www.epa.gov/region9/superfund/emerprep.html

Photos taken at Jan. 31 announcement

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