Scrap metal firm gets cease and desist order

Springfield-Green, Missouri â€" Springfield, Missouri scrap metal recycling company Springfield Iron and Metal has been issued with a “cease and desist” order over the company’s use of hammermill shredding equipment. Issued on May 16, the order was given by the Springfield-Green County Health Department as a result of investigations into possible contaminants released by the hammermill equipment. Complaints from residents living near the recycling company site prompted the investigation. Director of Health Kevin Gipson said of the incident, “We take seriously our charge to protect public health. We know this type of operation releases pollutants into the air, but without the proper permits in place, we have no knowledge of the type and amount of pollutants that are actually being released.” Springfield Iron and Metal operates a sixty-ton-per-hour hammermill metal shredder. The equipment processes metals for recycling. The company receives several truckloads of scrap metal, including appliances and vehicles, each day, as well as many other types of metal items. The items the company receives are processed into metals which can be recycled. However, many of the scrap items contain contaminants which can contaminate the air during the hammermill process. Possible contaminants include gasoline in fuel tanks, as well as transmission and motor oils, Freon in appliances, and lead and asbestos. Robert Westfall, a co-owner of the Springfield Iron and Metal company, disagrees with the County Health Department, which claims the company has not done due diligence in ensuring its machinery and processes are safe. Westfall says “We have a stack of permits that would choke a mule. Meanwhile, they have not taken any data or produced any tests. They have just made assertions and assumptions.” The “cease and desist” order means that the company must shut down its hammermill for sixty days. However, Westfall says this won’t be as bad as it could be for the company, as some downtime had been previously scheduled to move some inventory off the site. Westfall claims that the company’s emissions are lower than state-required minimal standards, and he is confident that Springfield Iron and Metal will be permitted to restart their hammermill after the company’s scheduled downtime. In addition to the sixty day downtime, the “cease and desist” order requires than the company take any and all steps that are necessary to ensure that airborne contaminants released during processing are kept to minimum levels, and must not exceed the State Air Pollution Control Program’s allowable emission levels. The County Health Department says that the company does not currently hold a county air permit, and won’t be permitted to operate the hammermill until it obtains one. (Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News)