SACRAMENTO - The California Air Resources Board fined Donaldson Company, Inc. $103,000 for selling illegal diesel filter systems to be used on trucks and buses in California.

An investigation by the Air Resources Board showed that Donaldson sold 103 filter systems that did not include a back pressure monitor, a device essential to the performance of both the filter and the engine of the vehicle.

“Reducing diesel exhaust is critical to safeguard the health of Californians,” said ARB Enforcement Chief James Ryden. “Any equipment that does not comply with the state’s standards cannot operate legally.”

As a corrective measure, Donaldson voluntarily mounted a service campaign to upgrade the systems sold in California with a back pressure monitor and other modifications.

Of the $103,000 paid by the company, $77,250 went to the California Air Pollution Control Fund to support projects and research to improve the state's air quality. San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District received $25,750 to support a project that retrofits school buses with diesel filters.

Diesel exhaust contains a variety of harmful gases and over 40 other known cancer-causing compounds. In 1998, California identified diesel particulate matter as a toxic air contaminant based on its potential to cause cancer, premature death and other health problems.