August 9, 2010 - The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is proposing civil penalties ranging from $54,000 to $91,000 against 11 companies for alleged violations of Department of Transportation Hazardous Materials Regulations.

Boston Scientific Corporation of Natick, Mass, was fined $91,000 for allegedly offering a fiberboard box containing medical-grade silicone fluid, a flammable liquid, to DHL for transportation by air from Alajuela, Costa Rica, to Boston Scientific headquarters, Oct. 23, 2009.

The shipment was undeclared. DHL employees at its Cincinnati sorting hub discovered the leaking package.

Kemet Electronics Corporation of Simpsonville, S.C. was fined $58,000 for allegedly offering a fiberboard box containing silver paint, a flammable liquid, to UPS for transportation by air from Brownsville, Texas to Simpsonville, Aug. 20, 2009.  The shipment was undeclared.  UPS workers at the Louisville sorting hub discovered the leaking package.

MSI Aircraft MTC SVS International, GMBH of Ruesselsheim, Germany, was fined $56,000 against for allegedly offering a fiberboard box containing a fuel control unit, to FedEx for transportation by air from Ruesselsheim to Miami, May 22, 2009.  The shipment was undeclared.  A fuel control unit containing jet fuel is considered a hazardous material. FedEx employees at Fort Lauderdale discovered the shipment was leaking.

Federal Express of Memphis, Tenn., was fined $65,000 for allegedly accepting a fiberboard box containing an unspecified toxic, corrosive liquid classified as a poison, for transportation by air from Oxford, Ala., to Chino Calif., April 1, 2010.  An FAA hazardous materials special agent identified the mislabeled shipment before it could be loaded on an aircraft.

Vitacost of Lexington, N.C., was fined $54,000 for allegedly offering a fiberboard box containing a flammable liquid and non-hazardous material for transportation by air from Lexington to Boca Raton, Fla., Jan. 29, 2010.  The shipment was undeclared.  UPS workers at the Louisville sorting hub discovered the leaking package.

Cardinal Health of Madison, Miss., was fined $91,000 for allegedly offering a fiberboard box containing skin care products containing alcohol, a flammable liquid, to DHL for transportation by air from Madison to St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Sept. 11, 2009.  The shipment was undeclared.  DHL workers at the Cincinnati sorting hub discovered the leaking package.

PSS Medical of Lubbock, Texas was fined $54,000 for allegedly offering a fiberboard box containing ammonium nitrate, a corrosive material, to UPS for transportation by air from Lubbock to Las Cruces, N.M., Dec. 31, 2009.  The shipment was undeclared.   UPS workers at the Louisville sorting hub discovered the package while sorting packages for shipment and delivery.

In all instances, the companies allegedly offered the hazardous material for transportation (or, in the case of Federal Express, accepted it) when it was not packaged, marked, classed, described, labeled or in condition for shipment as required by regulations.

Companies have 30 days from receipt of the FAA?s notice of proposed civil penalty to respond to the agency.