UMass Med School Fined By MassDEP

The University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester has been fined $23,000 by the state for its failure to meet reporting requirements when a refrigerant chemical leaked last September.

According to Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), what was eventually determined to be about 1,500 pounds of Freon was released into the air through a broken valve stem on a chiller at the school's power plant facility on Sept. 23, 2011. UMass was supposed to have reported the leak to MassDEP within two hours, but didn't until Sept. 26.

MassDEP said the Freon immediately evaporated upon contact with the atmosphere, "impacted the indoor air at the facility and migrated outside the building."

Freon is a chemical used in air conditioners, freezers and other appliances that has been blamed for thinning the Earth's ozone layer when released. In a statement, UMass said part of its current $50 million investment in power generation and power plant upgrades include newer technologies that will eliminate the use of Freon-types of refrigerants and improve efficiencies.

UMass has only been required to pay $18,500 of the fine. The remainder of the amount has been suspended, pending compliance with a consent order.

MassDEP said UMass voluntarily "initiated steps to help ensure the violations would not be repeated, and also provided outreach to the local emergency response community" following the leak. UMass said it worked with MassDEP to improve its existing contingency plans for preventing and managing such incidents, including training and education for staff and responders, including the Worcester Fire Department and Worcester Local Emergency Planning Committee.

"The violations at the facility were unfortunate and serious," said Lee Dillard Adams, acting director of MassDEP's Central Regional Office in Worcester. "The preventative and educational actions taken by UMass Medical School are greatly beneficial and will assist other facilities and the emergency response and planning community."