Release Date: 11/23/2015 Contact Information: Chris Whitley, 913-551-7394, whitley.christopher@epa.gov

Environmental News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Lenexa, Kan., November 23, 2015) – EPA Region 7 has reached a settlement with the current and former owners of the Toastmaster small appliance manufacturing facility in Macon, Mo., to address trichloroethylene (TCE) contamination on and around the property.

Spectrum Brands, Inc., the successor corporation to Toastmaster, Inc.; and Compton’s LLC, which purchased the 10-acre facility in June 2012 and currently operates a retail outlet business in its main building, will be responsible for taking a series of actions at the site, according to an administrative settlement agreement and order on consent, filed by EPA in Lenexa, Kan.

Under the settlement, the two companies and EPA have agreed that Compton’s LLC will perform work to address threats to public health, welfare or the environment posed by hazardous substances at the site, located at 704 S. Missouri Street in Macon. If Compton’s LLC does not perform the work as agreed, Spectrum Brands, Inc., would retain joint and several liability for the work. The work will include:

· Installation of a vapor mitigation system in the plant’s former manufacturing building. · Conducting sub-slab and indoor air sampling at adjacent residences. · If sampling indicates a need, the installation of vapor mitigation systems in residences to eliminate direct exposure to TCE vapors. · Monitoring the effectiveness of any vapor mitigation systems that would be installed as part of the agreement.

EPA expects that the work outlined by the settlement could take a year or more to complete.

Exposure to TCE vapor may cause developmental effects such as congenital heart defects, central nervous system defects and small birth weight, among other health risks.