Veterans Medical Center in Perry Point to Pay Environmental Penalty

PHILADELPHIA – The Perry Point Veterans Administration Medical Center will pay a $9,865 penalty to settle a lawsuit alleging underground storage tank violations. The medical center includes both a hospital and nursing home in Perry Point, Md.

The agreement announced today resolves underground storage tank claims against the medical center discovered in a comprehensive inspection by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in March 2004. At the time of the inspection, the facility had a non-functioning leak detection system for a 4,000-gallon gasoline underground storage tank and its piping, and also for a 550-gallon waste oil underground tank in the boiler plant and its piping.

EPA’s mid-Atlantic region has a duty to inspect federal facilities for environmental compliance. In addition, as a partner in Hospitals for a Healthy Environment, EPA encourages health care providers including federally-run medical centers to reduce waste and eliminate mercury from their operations. Other partners include the American Hospital Association, American Nurses Association and Health Care Without Harm. Hospitals for a Healthy Environment aims to improve environmental performance in the health care sector and offers a website filled with tools for hospitals, including a comprehensive list of mercury reduction resources and a step-by-step approach to minimizing waste. See http://www.h2e-online.org.