Response from Affinia Group Relative to USA Today Article Concerning Gaston County Area Schools

Wednesday, 10 December 2008

Affinia Global Filtration, which manufactures WIX brand filters in Gaston County, issued the following statement in response to an article appearing in USA Today. Attribute to Keith A. Wilson, President, Global Filtration, Affinia Group Inc.:

“WIX has been a member of the Gaston County community for nearly 70 years, and the safety of our employees, children and families is of paramount importance to us. Our company is deeply committed to environmental stewardship and is in compliance with all local, state and federal regulations.

“We want to reassure everyone that they should have no concerns over WIX operations in Gaston County.

“While our Gaston County plants do employ some of the chemicals mentioned in the USA Today article, our use of these chemicals does not endanger the local environment. These compounds are incorporated into our filtration products using industry best practices. Extensive environmental protection systems safeguard our employees and the community. “In cases in which we report emissions, our numbers are incredibly small and far below federal regulatory concern.”

“We regret that USA Today chose not to contact our company for comment or clarification of the statistics from EPA. It is our understanding that the statistics reported by USA Today reflect the use of certain compounds, not necessarily their emission to the environment.”