Motorola, Inc., Siemens Corp. and GlaxoSmithKline will collectively pay a $500,000 civil penalty for system failures that led to the release of trichloroethylene, TCE, into the public drinking water system in Scottsdale, Arizona, the Justice Department and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today. Trichloroethylene is a colorless liquid which is used as a solvent for cleaning metal parts. The federal Agency for Toxic Substances says, "Drinking or breathing high levels of trichloroethylene may cause nervous system effects, liver and lung damage, abnormal heartbeat, coma, and possibly death." Given the serious nature of these incidents, the EPA and the Justice Department demanded the significant penalties provided for under the Superfund law for each groundwater violation as well as demanding penalties for inaccurate reporting of the incidents to the regulator. 

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