Chinese Factory in South Carolina Fined $460k After Dozens of Air and Hazardous Waste Violations

(Photo : Chris LeBoutillier / Unsplash)
Air and hazardous waste violations resulted in $460k in fines against a Chinese factory in South Carolina.

The Chinese factory in South Carolina was fined over $460,000 after accruing 38 air and hazardous waste violations.

$460k in Fines for Air and Hazardous Waste Violations

A Chinese manufacturing company, once praised for generating hundreds of job opportunities in Richland County, has recently incurred a hefty fine exceeding $460,000 owing to multiple severe environmental violations at their Shop Road facility.

The SC Department of Health and Environmental Control has imposed some of its highest fines in recent years on China Jushi USA, and according to agency data, many of the issues started soon after the plant's opening.

According to records, DHEC claims it found more than three dozen infractions of air and hazardous waste regulations at the manufacturing plant.

As pef an enforcement order, the department took immediate action and temporarily suspended a company's air permit due to the severity of the air pollution offenses.

The organization claimed that the lack of air pollution controls and a rise in some air pollutants, such as sulfur dioxide, necessitated the immediate measure.

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, exposure to sulfur dioxide can make it harder for persons with asthma, particularly children, to breathe. It can cause tree death and contribute to the creation of acid rain in high quantities.

Based on the decision made following inspections in August and September of last year, the DHEC concluded that immediate action was required to address the threat that China Jushi's operations posed to the public's health, safety, and welfare in the absence of adequate air pollution controls.

Hundreds of Jobs

When China Jushi informed the department that repairs had been done, the emergency suspension was quickly lifted.

In 2016, China Jushi, a company with its headquarters in Zhejiang, China, began construction on a $300 million fiberglass manufacturing facility.

About two years after that, the business began with 400 employees. When the plant was expanded, it was intended to double the workforce.

The first occupant of the industrial park on Shop Road nearby Interstate 77 in Richland County was China Jushi.

When China Jushi's placement near Columbia was announced, then-Commerce Secretary Bobby Hitt claimed it was the largest economic development news in Richland County since the early 1980s, Richland County reported.

Dozens of Violations

A number of inspections at the factory over the past few years led to the department's enforcement proceedings.

In total, DHEC discovered 17 infractions of the hazardous waste regulations, resulting in a $57,000 penalty. Records revealed that the agency discovered 21 more infractions of the laws governing the management of air pollution, which resulted in a $410,000 punishment.

One of the air pollution infractions included a company that produced more soot than was permitted for more than 200 days between early 2020 and mid-2022.

According to DHEC data, China Jushi also violated nitrogen oxide limits and failed to control air pollutants that were fleeing the factory.

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Nitrogen oxide is a lung irritant that helps to create smog and acid rain. According to the government, the company did not conduct a series of air pollution control tests while also having equipment that was not properly maintained.

The fact that personnel lacked enough training in handling hazardous material was another issue raised by DHEC.

According to the media relations department of DHEC, employees were unable to determine what substances or risks were included in unmarked containers. Because they weren't provided a copy of the contingency plan, first responders could not be aware of the dangers inside the facility in the event of an emergency.

Additionally, China Jushi neglected to check that areas were compliant with rules governing hazardous waste, neglected to place "No Smoking" signs in areas with flammable garbage and to ensure that leaking batteries were controlled, the DHEC said via The State.