GASTONIA, N.C. — Jon and Marquita Redlinger live across the street from Powder Coating Services Inc. in Gastonia in the same house they've raised three children and four grandkids.
"I've been here for over 20 years," said Jon Redlinger.
Which is why they were so concerned when Eyewitness News showed them a long list of hazardous waste violations state inspectors say they found inside PCSI.
"It's pretty alarming, ya know?" Jon Redlinger said.
State officials said an anonymous complaint led them to inspect the facility in 2011.
During that visit, investigators said they noticed a corrosive chemical solution flowing from under a wall and out into the grass and toward a creek below.
"I'm on well water, so if any of that stuff is seeping into the ground, it might get into the pool of water where I'm getting my well water from, ya know?" Jon Redlinger said.
PCSI officials deny any hazardous material was released from the plant and said further tests of the water and soil near the facility prove that.
State officials said PCSI did fail to adequately train employees to handle hazardous waste and failed to make an emergency communication device immediately available to workers.
The North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources fined the company more than $18,000.
PCSI told Eyewitness News they are now 100 percent compliant and are proud of the company's record.
"The mission and goal of our program is to protect human health and the environment," said Mike Williford with DENR.
Williford oversees the compliance branch at the DENR.
He said chemicals that make up hazardous waste can be extremely harmful through contact with the eyes, nose or mouth.
The Environmental Protection Agency said human exposure to some of these chemicals can be fatal.
"It could be corrosive, ignitable, reactive," Williford said.
Williford said some companies cut corners with hazardous waste to avoid paying costly fees that can range in the thousands.
"There's a certain element out there that doesn't want to pay for disposal," Williford said.
Now shuttered and empty, Truck Equipment Manufacturing in west Charlotte was fined more than $84,000 in 2010 by DENR for storing nearly four dozen containers of chemicals without labels and dates.
"They failed to do weekly inspections. They also failed to make arrangements with police, fire and hospitals," Williford said.
The failure to notify emergency officials was also a problem at Bostic Packaging in Monroe, according to state investigators.
In May 2012, the state ordered Bostic to pay more than $15,000 for not posting emergency information or the location of fire extinguishers.
Inspectors said multiple containers of waste weren't properly closed or labeled, and that many hadn't been inspected for leaks or spills.
People could be living next to a business that generates hazardous waste and not even know it. It can be anything from a local body shop to a paint company to a manufacturer. State officials said they only have the resources to inspect about 7 percent of these types of companies each year
For the residents who live near these businesses -- the fact so many may be flying under the radar is frightening.
"They need to make to sure they do it correctly, or else they shouldn't be in business, because it's not fair, it's not right," said Marquita Redlinger.
The owner of Bostic Packaging sent Eyewitness News a statement that read, "As a startup company, we have met all the obligations that are required by the NCDENR."
WSOC
