Illinois chemical shipper settles $115,000 export penalty

The U.S. Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security announced Oct. 3 that Nalco Co. of Naperville, Ill., agreed to pay a $115,000 civil penalty to settle charges that it made 13 unlicensed exports in violation of the Export Administration Act.

Chemicals that are controlled for antiterrorism and chemical weapon reasons can be very dangerous if they fell into the wrong hands, said Darryl W. Jackson, Commerce's assistant secretary for export enforcement, in a statement. Therefore, exporters need to be vigilant of where their products are being sent and who they are being sent to.

BIS said the allegations involved exports of items containing the chemical solution triethanolamine (TEA) to Angola, the Bahamas, and the Dominican Republic between April 2003 and September 2006.

TEA is a commodity, that depending on its composition in various solutions, can be used as a precursor for toxic agents and is controlled by the United States for chemical/biological, antiterrorism and chemical weapons reasons, BIS said.

Nalco voluntarily self-disclosed these illegal exports to BIS. 

Source: American Shipper