Yesterday, Connecticut’s Attorney General’s Office (AGO) announced they are filing suit against NikLyn Corp, a North Haven manufacturing company, its owner, Bruno Suraci, and several related companies, for “serial violations of Connecticut’s air pollution control regulations.”
“Bruno Suraci has flagrantly ignored environmental protection laws for over a decade, has moved and shifted unregistered and unpermitted companies to evade accountability, and continues to skirt the law,” said Attorney General William Tong. “His actions have polluted our state and exposed workers and neighbors to hazardous dust and waste. We are suing, and we’re demanding full payment of all fines owed in addition to new serious penalties to ensure full compliance with all environmental laws.”
The AGO said the state pressed suit after the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) investigated a complaint that “plumes of dust” from NikLyn Corp, located at 400 Sackett Point Road in North Haven, were coating nearby cars. DEEP inspectors found the business to have “failed to deploy an adequate containment system” for its sandblasting operations. DEEP issued notices of violation in 2023 and 2025, but the AGO states that NikLyn has continued to violate the law and remains non-compliant with air quality statutes and regulations.
The state first sued Suraci and three of his companies for violating state hazardous waste and air pollution laws back in 2013. In 2014, he was ordered to pay $743,500 in civil penalties, of which he has only paid $100,000. Per the AGO’s release, Suraci has since opened several new companies: Source One Solutions LLC, Source One Realty Holdings LLC and Source One Holding LLC. The state has accused Suraci of using these businesses to continue violating state environmental laws.
The suit’s complaint lists the various violations in detail, accusing NikLyn of: using surface coatings that “exceeded the applicable limitation on volatile organic compound (VOC) concentration” without proper permits, using solvents with impermissibly high VOC concentrations to clean its coating application equipment, and failing to take “reasonable precautions” to prevent or contain the spread of airborne particulate matter when sandblasting.
“The preceding violations resulted in excess emissions of VOC and particulate matter,” reads the complaint. “
The American Lung Association defines VOCs as “gases that are emitted into the air from products or processes,” which can irritate the eyes, nose, and throat, make breathing difficult, and cause nausea or nerve damage. Some VOCs are known carcinogens. Per the EPA, VOCs are typically industrial solvents or by-products of water chlorination, and are a common cause of groundwater contamination. When aerosolized VOCs react with nitrogen dioxide, a common air pollutant and greenhouse gas, they form ozone pollution.
DEEP inspectors visited NikLyn on April 11, 2023, and “observed fugitive dust” escaping from an open garage where employees were sandblasting, “as well as an accumulation of dust near the entrance to the garage.” DEEP issued a notice of violation to NikLyn on June 20, and re-inspected the site on March 21, 2025, when inspectors made the same observation.
“Fugitive dust was observed by Department staff to cross the property boundary near ground level for a duration of approximately one hour,” reads the complaint. “Even after activity within the building had ceased, Department staff observed that fugitive dust continued to be emitted from the open bay door intermittently with the wind.”
Inspectors also found “fine black particulate matter” in the parking lot, “large, uncovered piles of sandblasting material next to two dumpsters holding the same material,” and “sandblasting material strewn about the room” in which the sandblasting occurred, with “no apparent method of dust control or containment” despite the previous violation notice. Inspectors noted that the wind swept the unsecured contaminants away throughout their visit.
On Dec. 18, 2025, DEEP issued two more notices, and on Jan 9, 2026, conducted another site visit, which “confirmed that NikLyn was still operating at the Site despite Department staffs previous correspondence informing NikLyn that its operations were illegal until NikLyn could achieve compliance with Connecticut’s permitting and air pollution control requirements.” The complaint notes that NikLyn has still yet to apply for proper permits from the state, and “continues to operate in violation of such requirements as well as the emission control standards in state law.”
Per the suit, the state is requesting that the Hartford Superior Court order Suraci and his businesses to “immediately discontinue all noncompliant activity,” and require him to “take all action necessary” to correct the violations. Furthermore, the state seeks a civil penalty “not to exceed $25,000 per day” for each day of violation, and requests that the court order him to pay all previously owed fines.
Inside Investigator was told by a NikLyn employee that they would hear back from Suraci, but has not yet received a response.
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