Fertilizer producer Perfect Blend has been fined $32,000 by the Washington Department of Ecology for air quality violations including releasing excess particle pollution into the air. At high concentrations, small particles can cause respiratory problems for people.

Perfect Blend produces an organic-based, pathogen-free fertilizer primarily from chicken manure near Othello in Adams County. The company’s production process requires pollution control equipment to adequately protect human health and air quality.

Ecology inspectors observed emissions above the allowable limits from the exhaust of Perfect Blend’s pollution control equipment in 2013. The company previously failed multiple tests of the equipment, demonstrating that air pollution limits couldn’t be met with the current operating procedures.

As a result, Perfect Blend was ordered to reconfigure the equipment and improve operation and maintenance to more effectively capture particle pollution.

Follow-up inspections by Ecology staff found that the facility had not met the conditions of the order because the equipment had not been adequately altered. The company again failed to meet pollution limits outlined by permit during required testing in February 2014.

The company may appeal the penalty to the state’s Pollution Control Hearings Board within 30 days.