Pictured behind a police cordon are five 55-gallon black drums of unspecified material labeled “radioactive.” The image is part of a 230-page Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality report about the Smitty’s Supply site in Roseland, Louisiana, which was inspected after a fire in August partially destroyed the site.
In areas still safely accessible, inspectors saw 250 damaged containers, more than 200 spills and more than 300 unlabeled or unidentified containers, including the black drums.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency later identified and secured five devices containing radioactive material at the site, an EPA spokesperson told Lube Report.
“None of the devices containing radioactive materials were breached and the radioactive material did not escape its housing after scanning the devices for radioactivity,” the EPA said. “As there was no risk of exposure to the public from the five devices containing radioactive materials, EPA continued response operations.”
The EPA’s emergency response team collected more than 11.7 million gallons of liquid waste, of which 8 million were removed from the Tangipahoa River and nearby ponds.
In the aftermath of the fire, Smitty’s faced multiple lawsuits stemming from the incident. Litigation has included claims related to property damage, business interruption and alleged environmental impacts, according to court filings. The company is also suing its boiler maintenance contractor, which Smitty’s claims is responsible for the events leading to the blaze.
The EPA designated Smitty’s a “Significant Noncomplier” before the blaze. Then in November, EPA and Louisiana’s Department of Environmental Quality filed a lawsuit to hold Smitty’s “accountable for unlawfully polluting the nation’s and the state’s waters, and to require the defendant to take all appropriate measures to prevent future spills or discharges.”
Last week, the Independent Lubricant Manufacturers Association in a press release described the conditions at the site as “a black eye for our industry.” The organization said the company’s “apparent, egregious disregard for safety and regulatory compliance” was “deeply disturbing.”
“This situation underscores why accountability and transparency matter so deeply in our industry,” ILMA’s CEO Holly Alfano told Lube Report. “We will not look the other way when actions by one company put workers, communities and the reputation of responsible manufacturers at risk.”
The company, which did not respond to requests for comment, is not an ILMA member.