"U.S. production of short-chain chlorinated paraffins has ceased under a settlement agreement between the Environmental Protection Agency and Dover Chemical, EPA announced on Feb. 7. These substances are persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic, according to the agency."

"'By halting production of short-chain chlorinated paraffins, this settlement will reduce undue risks to human health and the environment,' says Ignacia S. Moreno, assistant U.S. attorney general for the environment and natural resources.

Under the deal, Dover Chemical, based in Dover, Ohio, will also pay $1.4 million to settle allegations that it produced a variety of chlorinated paraffins of shorter and longer carbon chains without notifying EPA. The agency alleges that the company failed to submit premanufacture notices for these compounds as required under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the federal law that governs chemical manufacturing.

But Dover Chemical, which has made chlorinated paraffins since before TSCA was signed into law in 1976, says it filed appropriate paperwork for its products with EPA decades ago. According to a statement from the company, EPA claims that the company's 1978 submittals did not describe its chlorinated paraffins in sufficient detail."

Cheryl Hogue reports for Chemical & Engineering News February 8, 2012. [2]