Pasco company mishandled ‘toxic waste.’ State takes action

A Pasco seed company has been fined after a pesticide waste spread that potentially exposed people and the environment, according to state officials.

Syngenta Seeds, which has a 40-acre campus east of the Tri-Cities Airport on Industrial Way, was fined $20,000 by the Washington State Department of Ecology under a settlement agreement reached this month.

“When dangerous waste is mishandled, the chances are higher for people and the environment to be exposed to toxic chemicals,” said Karen Wood, section manager for Ecology’s hazardous waste and toxics reduction program.

Last March, state inspectors noticed the spread extending at least 30 yards beyond a fenced waste area at Syngenta.

The waste is classified by the state as an “extremely hazardous toxic waste” and a “persistent dangerous waste.”

Syngenta coats the seeds it sells with a red solution that contains a mixture of pesticides and fungicides.

Each batch of seed can have a different coating based on where it will be sold across the world.

Syngenta, a Switzerland-based business, opened a 130,000-square-foot plant in Pasco at the Port of Pasco Processing Center in 2009. It has several buildings connected by conveyor belts.

The company said then that it would process sweet corn, watermelon, squash, melon, broccoli, pepper, tomato and spinach seeds.

The coated seeds are dried and red dust from the process is moved through a ventilation and vacuum system to drums stored on an outdoor concrete pad inside a fenced area.

State inspectors observed the spread of the red dust, both on soil and grass and near the side entry to the plant, according to the settlement agreement between the company and the Department of Ecology.

The visible waste apparently did not spread beyond the plant’s campus.

Syngenta said that a problem happened on March 21 when a gate on a dust collector would not close the last half inch because of some trapped material.

Inspectors also found other problems during a March visit, according to the settlement agreement.

“Proper handling and disposal is crucial,” Wood said.

Drums of waste inside the plant and in the outdoor storage area were not properly labeled, according to the settlement agreement.

Two containers of waste were not closed as required. One was a wide pan of red pesticide rinse waste and another was a drum with only a rag stuffed into its opening.

The company had other violations, including no plan to submit a written report to the Department of Ecology within 15 days of a spill and no written staff training plan available.

Syngenta now is in compliance with state regulations.

“We have improved our administrative processes and addressed Ecology’s concerns,” said Casey Young, site manager for the Syngenta Seeds Pasco operation, in a written statement.

“Adhering to environmental regulations to protect health and safety is a priority for Syngenta,” the statement said.

Syngenta Pasco officials declined to speak with the Herald about the issue.

A fine of $30,000 was planned initially, but Syngenta entered a settlement agreement that reduced the penalty by a third.

As part of the settlement, Syngenta waived its right to appeal. The Department of Ecology said that could save state taxpayers from potentially costly litigation.

This story was originally published February 26, 2018 at 2:56 PM with the headline "Pasco company mishandled ‘toxic waste.’ State takes action."