Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard & ADEQ Director Steve Owens announced that Honeywell International, Inc. will pay a $500,000 penalty under a consent judgment with ADEQ for hazardous waste violations in Mohave County.

In Sept. 2005, ADEQ inspectors discovered that the Honeywell Aircraft Landing Systems facility in Kingman, an FAA-certified repair & overhaul station for aircraft wheels & brakes, was operating 2 natural gas-fired hazardous waste thermal treatment units without the required hazardous waste treatment permit.

"I am committed to enforcing hazardous waste laws," Goddard said. "These laws protect our communities, & I will continue to seek penalties from companies that violate these laws."

Owens stated, "Arizona's hazardous waste laws & regulations were established for protection of the public & the environment. This penalty reflects the serious nature of the violations at Honeywell's Kingman facility."

ADEQ issued a Notice of Violation (NOV) to Honeywell Kingman on Nov. 15th, 2005, for thermally treating its hazardous waste without a permit, failing to submit signed manifests, failing to properly label each container & tank as hazardous waste, failing to inform employees of proper handling & emergency procedures & failing to comply with personnel training requirements.

ADEQ also found that Honeywell was underreporting its hazardous waste, inaccurately classifying it as solid waste by using an incorrect regulatory level for cadmium, an element that may irritate the digestive tract, cause kidney disease & damage the lungs. Cadmium stays in the body & can build up from many years of exposure to low levels.

The consent judgment is subject to court approval.