The U.S. Department of Commerce today announced that Atotech USA Inc., (Atotech) of Rock Hill, South Carolina, agreed to pay a $14,000 civil penalty to settle charges that it exported chemicals to Hong Kong in violation of the Export Administration Regulations (EAR).

The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) charged that in 2001, Atotech exported Econo-Chrome 140 S Chromate, a toxic chemical containing potassium bi-chromate and sodium fluoride, to an end-user in Hong Kong without the required Department of Commerce license. Econo-Chrome 140 S Chromate is a controlled export under the EAR for chemical and biological, chemical warfare, and antiterrorism reasons.