Sherwin-Williams to pay $124,700 penalty after Beaver County residents say air smells of "pure chemicals"

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the Sherwin-Williams Manufacturing Company entered into a consent order and agreement after the DEP found violations of the Air Pollution Control Act at the company's manufacturing plant in Rochester, Beaver County.

Back in March, KDKA Investigator Meghan Schiller spoke to families who said the air smelled overpoweringly of "pure chemicals" like nail polish remover, even inside their homes, and their air purifiers were constantly showing "red" for air quality. A KDKA-TV News investigation found the DEP had issued a violation to the plant in January for failing to install a thermal oxidizer — an air pollution control device designed to destroy harmful volatile organic compounds, or VOCs.

The DEP's consent order says Sherwin-Williams has 30 days to pay a total $124,700 civil penalty. The order also requires resolutions to violations related to that missing thermal oxidizer, and other violations including:

• Failure to install and operate air cleaning devices in a timely manner.
• Air contaminant source construction/installation without proper plan approval.
• Missed required startup notifications.
• Failure to perform required monitoring and recordkeeping under permit and plan approval conditions.
• Issues tied to required control equipment startup timelines and stack testing.

"Protecting Pennsylvanians' air, land, and water is our top priority, and this agreement holds Sherwin-Williams accountable for previous violations and sets strict penalties for any future violations," said DEP Secretary Jessica Shirley in a press release. "Our enforcement actions will protect Pennsylvania air quality by ensuring the facility follows permit requirements, monitoring rules, and timely operation of emission control equipment. This consent order requires Sherwin-Williams to return to full compliance and complete critical control upgrades and performance testing."

In a statement provided to KDKA-TV News, a company spokesperson for Sherwin-Williams said, "This Order is the culmination of a collaborative, multi-year process between Sherwin-Williams and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) focused on advancing facility improvements and supporting continued investment in the site. As some of this work has encountered delays and other unique challenges, Sherwin-Williams has worked diligently with the PA DEP throughout the process and remains committed to completing these improvements and operating the facility responsibly."

The spokesperson also added that the plant's original thermal oxidizer had been damaged during shipment, which caused delays in bringing it online. They say the thermal oxidizer is expected to be installed by the end of October.

The DEP says that, in addition to the $124,700 penalty, Sherwin-Williams will be fined $1,000 per day per violation if it does not meet any of the DEP's deadlines to fix its issues.

You can read the full consent agreement on the DEP's website.