Company fined after spewing cat litter fumes

Normerica penalized more than $90K

A cat litter mishap has cost an Ontario company more than $90,000.

Cat litter manufacturer Normerica Inc. was convicted and fined under the province’s Environment Protection Act after failing to report a pollutant spill that spewed noxious fumes into the environment, affecting nearby community members for more than a month.

In a court bulletin issued Wednesday, the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks said the company spilled roughly 200 litres of Clean Burst, a scent product used in cat litter.

The spill on Aug. 10, 2019, was allegedly caused by a burst drum of Clean Burst at Normerica’s plant in Brantford.

For more than a month, several nearby community members informed the ministry of the odour. Some described it as bearing a “cleaning product scent” and said it caused eye and throat irritation.

A neighbouring business also reported a foamy substance with a “soaplike odour emerging from a sewer drain,” the ministry said.

Clean Burst, classified as a combustible liquid, may cause allergic skin reactions, nausea, vomiting and asthmalike symptoms if inhaled.

Despite the complaints, Normerica maintained that the fumes likely did not originate from its plant.

It was only after an inspector met with Normerica’s plant manager on Sept. 11 that the company advised officials of the Aug. 10 spill and reported it to the ministry’s Spills Action Centre.

“Laboratory analysis of three samples obtained by the ministry on Sept. 11, 2019, from the storm sewer outfall and the catch basin on plant property confirmed the presence of components of Clean Burst in all three samples,” the ministry reported in the court bulletin.

“A search of ministry records confirmed that no spill was reported from Normerica’s plant between August 10, 2019, and September 10, 2019.”

Normerica was convicted April 13 in a Brantford court. The company was fined $75,000 for the Environment Protection Act violation, plus an additional victim fine surcharge of $18,750. It has one year to pay.

Minerals Technologies, which acquired Normerica in 2021, said in a statement to the Star that the incident occurred before it took ownership of Normerica.

“We worked with the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks who has investigated and determined that there were no adverse impacts to water from the spill, and we have agreed to pay the fine,” said Jennifer Albert, communications director of Minerals Technologies, in the emailed statement.

“Minerals Technologies is committed to safe and responsible environmental practices under its ownership.”