U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Justice and the state of Ohio have reached an agreement with United States Steel Corp. on alleged clean-air and clean-water violations by the former USS/Kobe Steel Co. facility in Lorain, Ohio.

The agreement resolves a complaint filed at the same time that USS/Kobe failed to comply with limits on particulate emissions in the state's plan to implement the Clean Air Act. It also resolves allegations that USS/Kobe discharged pollutants in violation of limits in its effluent discharge permit issued by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.

For its environmental project, U. S. Steel will remove and dispose of electrical transformers containing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). In addition to spending $294,000 to remove the transformers, the company will spend additional money to buy and install replacement transformers.

The consent decree was lodged Wednesday, Sep. 21, in U.S. District Court in Cleveland, Ohio, and is subject to a 30-day comment period.

Inhaling high concentrations of particulates can affect children, the elderly and people with heart and lung diseases the most. Exposure to PCBs can have adverse health effects including skin irritations and rashes. In addition, PCBs are considered a probable cancer-causing agent in humans.