Held v. Kaltex North America, Inc.

The parties involved in the case Held v. Kaltex Home, Inc., et al. executed a Consent Judgment on July 15, 2014.  In this matter, citizen enforcer Anthony Held, Ph.D., P.E., alleged that Kaltex North America, Inc. and Revman International, Inc. (collectively “Revman”) sold vinyl/PVC pillows containing the heavy metal lead in the State of California without providing the requisite health hazard warnings. 

As part of the agreement, Revman agreed not to sell any pillows in California after seven days after the Alameda County Superior Court approves the Consent Judgment, unless the pillows contain no more than 100 parts per million of lead when analyzed using state or federally approved testing methodologies.  Should Revman provide written certification that all pillows qualify as reformulated within 60 days of the Court approving the Consent Judgment, Held agreed to waive a portion of the civil fine that would otherwise be applied.

The Consent Judgment required settlement payments of $61,000, divided therein between civil penalties, 75% of which are paid to California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, and compensation to whistleblower Held and his counsel for their successful enforcement of this matter in the public interest.