UMass Med School Fined By MassDEP
The University of Massachusetts Medical School has been fined $23,000 by the state for its failure to meet reporting requirements when a refrigerant chemical leaked last September, and the incident promoted the school has worked to prevent similar issues from occurring again.
According to Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), what was eventually determined to be about 1,500 pounds of Freon was released into the air through a broken valve stem on a chiller at the school's power plant facility on Sept. 23, 2011. UMMS was supposed to have reported the leak to MassDEP within two hours, but didn't until Sept. 26.
MassDEP said the Freon immediately evaporated upon contact with the atmosphere, "impacted the indoor air at the facility and migrated outside the building."
Freon is a chemical used in air conditioners, freezers and other appliances that has been blamed for thinning the Earth's ozone layer when released. In a statement, UMMS said part of its current $50 million investment in power generation and power plant upgrades include newer technologies that will eliminate the use of Freon-types of refrigerants and improve efficiencies.
UMMS has only been required to pay $18,500 of the fine. The remainder of the amount has been suspended, pending compliance with a consent order.
MassDEP said UMMS voluntarily "initiated steps to help ensure the violations would not be repeated, and also provided outreach to the local emergency response community" following the leak.The school said that outreach included having about 15 members of the Worcester Fire Department attend a training session "to review the equipment, spill response plan and notification procedures associated with aqueous ammonia," which is a component of the new pollution reduction system bring installed as part of the school's power plant expansion.
UMass said it also recently made a presentation to the Worcester Local Emergency Planning Committee titled "Threats, Vulnerability & Preparation for Emergency Management" and worked with MassDEP to improve its existing contingency plans for preventing and managing such incidents.
"The violations at the facility were unfortunate and serious," said Lee Dillard Adams, acting director of MassDEP's Central Regional Office in Worcester. "The preventative and educational actions taken by UMass Medical School are greatly beneficial and will assist other facilities and the emergency response and planning community."
UMMS said it took the voluntary measures because it's committed to promoting environmental stewardship and sustainability, as proven by it's upcoming power plant upgrades.
"As a public institution and a leading education provider in the region, UMMS wishes to demonstrate to the MassDEP and the regulation community that it views the matter seriously and has taken steps to prevent its reoccurrence," a statement from the school said.
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