Taking Off the Gloves on Toxic Wastes : Fine for Disneyland and El Toro Base’s Superfund Listing Should Raise Awareness

Sadly, Orange County is showing alarming signals of the threat posed by toxic wastes. In recent days, huge fines or serious charges have been lodged against various businesses or institutions, some of them stalwarts, for problems related to the storage or disposal of such waste.

Three weeks ago Disneyland, embarrassed by a blemish on its clean image, paid the largest toxic-waste fine ever assessed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for having hired a company that illegally disposed of its hazardous materials.

Last week, the owner and manager of two electronics companies described as the most polluted industrial sites in the county faced prosecution on 11 felony counts of illegal dumping and storing of toxic wastes.

Also last week, the EPA cited Marine Corps air stations in Tustin and El Toro for sloppy, illegal handling and storage of hazardous materials.

The listing of the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station as an EPA Superfund target and one of the nation’s worst toxic-waste sites has been a troubling distinction for some time. The Marines’ latest citations, while not suggesting an immediate threat to public health, show a potential problem because of poor record-keeping and maintenance.

The Marines are good neighbors in Orange County, but increasingly they find themselves questioned by neighbors about their suitability for residential environs. They would do well to bring the stations into compliance.

As for Disneyland, it’s clear that the federal government wanted to make an example of a nationally known institution, proud of its reputation for cleanliness. The message is out: The federal government intends to assume nothing and will hold any business responsible for how the disposal of hazardous waste is carried out across state lines.

The prosecution of the electronics companies points up a particularly disturbing problem. Inspection records at the county environmental health office show that chemicals dumped at Griffin Electronics Inc. and Cedko Electronics Inc. in Santa Ana contaminated soil and cement to the point where they turned bright green. Yet the companies allegedly ignored repeated cleanup orders issued by the health office since early 1984.

These citations address different problems, but all suggest a theme: It is time to pay more attention to the ticking time bomb of toxic waste before irreparable damage is done to the overall environment.