Nick Snow
Washington Editor
WASHINGTON, DC, Aug. 25 -- ExxonMobil Corp. agreed to pay $2.64 million to settle charges that it improperly handled and disposed of polychlornated biphenyls (PCBs) at its Hondo offshore platform in the Santa Barbara Channel, said the US Environmental Protection Agency.
The company allegedly violated the federal toxic substances control act when nearly 400 gal of PCB-contaminated fluid leaked from two large electrical transformers on the platform, which is part of Exxon Mobil's Santa Ynez unit, EPA said.
Exxon Mobil also failed to ensure that workers who cleaned up the leaked fluid were provided protective clothing or equipment to safeguard against direct contact with and inhalation of PCBs, the federal agency said. It noted that the company replaced the two transformers with units that do not contain PCBs in 2005.
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