American Ecology Fully Resolves Federal Investigation of Oak Ridge

["Sandy Perle" <sandyfl@EARTHLINK.NET>]

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American Ecology Fully Resolves Federal Investigation of Oak Ridge

Sakaguchi calls for support in helping A-bomb survivors abroad

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American Ecology Fully Resolves Federal Investigation of Oak Ridge, 

Tennessee Subsidiary



BOISE, Idaho--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 8, 2002--Steve Romano, President 

and Chief Executive Officer of American Ecology Corporation 

(Nasdaq:ECOL), announced that subsidiary American Ecology Recycle 

Center (AERC) of Oak Ridge, Tenn. has fully resolved a longstanding 

investigation by the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern 

District of Tennessee and other federal agencies.



Today, attorneys representing AERC entered a guilty plea in United 

States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee to a 

single felony count of storing hazardous waste without the necessary 

permit at the subsidiary's Oak Ridge facility from 1997 to 2000. AERC 

also paid a $10,000 fine. The plea agreement recognizes the company's 

recent, voluntary contributions of $12,500 to the Tennessee Wildlife 

Resources Agency and $12,500 to the Tennessee Valley Authority Police 

to support environmental training and enforcement.



"The past, improper management of these materials was an unacceptable 

departure from American Ecology's commitment to the highest standards 

of compliance with environmental regulations," Romano stated, adding 

"Today's plea agreement resolves all outstanding matters regarding 

these past practices."



AERC purchased the Oak Ridge facility from Quadrex Corporation in 

1994. In the months previous to purchasing the facility, a fire in a 

treatment process area at the facility resulted in the creation of 

contaminated liquid, which became AERC's responsibility with the 

acquisition. In 2000, AERC entered a Consent Agreement, paid a 

related $100,000 civil penalty to the U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency for storing hazardous material without a permit, and obtained 

the required permit. The waste was properly removed and disposed of 

in December 2000.



"The senior managers responsible for the Oak Ridge subsidiary when 

this problem arose are no longer employed by the company," Romano 

added, concluding, "The final resolution of this long-standing legal 

matter demonstrates the Company's commitment to addressing 

environmental and regulatory issues in a responsible fashion."



American Ecology Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides 

radioactive, PCB, hazardous and non-hazardous waste services to 

commercial and government customers throughout the United States, 

such as nuclear power plants, steel mills, medical and academic 

institutions and petro-chemical facilities.

------------------



Sakaguchi calls for support in helping A-bomb survivors abroad



NAGASAKI, Aug. 9 (Kyodo) - Health minister Chikara Sakaguchi on 

Friday called for support in assistance the government plans to 

provide A-bomb survivors who live overseas in the face of criticism 

from South Korean and other survivors' groups.



''We cannot proceed unless we first find out how many survivors live 

in each country. This assistance program is just the beginning. I'd 

like to call on you to support it,'' Sakaguchi said after a ceremony 

commemorating the 57th anniversary of U.S. atomic bombing of 

Nagasaki.



The survivors' groups have criticized the government's plan to 

provide aid to A-bomb survivors living overseas to receive medical 

treatment in Japan under the Atomic Bomb Victims Relief Law. They 

have called the program too restrictive in scope and application.



The groups have also called for altering the standards used to 

certify A-bomb survivors, saying they are ''mechanical and unsuited 

to 

the realities.''



''I understand the survivors' feelings, but the certifying process 

must be scientific and objective,'' Sakaguchi, minister of health, 

labor 

and welfare, said. ''We aren't making the process especially rigid.''



Commenting on efforts to help second-generation survivors, who are 

excluded from receiving aid under the relief law, Sakaguchi said 

only that he will continue to offer health checkups for them.



The checkups are meant to ''study the causal relationship between 

illnesses arising from aging and the effects of radiation,'' he said.



An estimated 5,000 atomic bomb survivors live abroad without any 

relief, with an estimated 2,200 in South Korea, 900 in North Korea, 

1,000 in the United States and 180 in South America, according to the 

health ministry.



The ministry began a new relief program for overseas A-bomb survivors 

in June under which it shoulders their travel expenses for visits to 

Japan for medical treatment.



It has come in for criticism, however, partly because the program 

requires the survivors, many at advanced age, to make a long distance 

journey overseas.

-------------------------------------------------

Sandy Perle

Director, Technical

ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Service

ICN Plaza, 3300 Hyland Avenue

Costa Mesa, CA 92626



Tel:(714) 545-0100 / (800) 548-5100  Extension 2306

Fax:(714) 668-3149



E-Mail: sandyfl@earthlink.net

E-Mail: sperle@icnpharm.com



Personal Website: http://sandy-travels.com/

ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Website: http://www.dosimetry.com/



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