Document ExR0qVzen2aVBp6RwRKo2ekKb
S A L C T H I C
A p ril 10, 1970
D ivision G eneral M anagers - Sales D ivisions Departm ent G eneral M anagers - D om estic O perations
Gentlem en:
R ecently there have been indications that polychlorbyphenyls have beer/ found at so m e poin ts in m a rin e , aq u atic and w ild life en viron m en ts. While quan tities cf th ese m a te r ia ls a r e re la tiv e ly sm all, it is receivin g the kind of co n cern that h as a r ise n with DDT and other p o llu tan ts. M onsanto C h em ical Com pany is the so le su p p lier to G en eral E le c tric of v ario u s g rad es of this m a te ria l under the trad e n am es of A ro cio r fo r e le c tric a l use in ca p a cito rs and tran sfo rm e rs, P ydraul fo r hydraulic u se s, and Therm inols as heat tra n sfe r agen ts. The m a te ria ls a re also known a s A sk a re ls, or by our registered tradem ark, Pyranol,
M on san to h a s been rev iew in g p ro c e d u re s to be su re that th ese m a t e r ia ls do not find th eir w ay into the land o r w ater environm ent. The Com pany is in re c e ip t of a le tte r dated F e b ru a ry 18, 1970 fro m M onsanto e x p re ssin g its concern (copy attached).
task
In o rd e r to d e a l with th is force consisting of Robert 5 .
problem , Ames as
the Cha
Executi irm an,
ve Ch
O ffic arles
eJ.a
ppointed M eloun,
a
and L eo n ard C. M aier, J r . w hose D ivision s account fo r 98 percen t of the
C o m p an y 's u sa g e . The ta sk fo rc e reco m m en d s that two im m ed iate ste p s
m ust be taken:
1 .- C ontrol of the d isp o sitio n of P y ran o l, P y d rau l, T h erm in ols and related m a te rials at a ll G eneral E lectric locations, and
2. A p p ro p riate n o tificatio n to c u sto m e rs p u rch asin g equipm ent and a p p a r a tu s co n tain in g P y r a n o l, (T ak e no actio n on Lins until fu rth er a d v ise d by the ta sk f o r c e .)
Environm ental con trol at G eneral E le ctric location s having any of th ese m a te ria ls eith er for u se in m an u factu re of G en eral E le c tric products o r in any ap p a ratu s o r equipm ent u se d fo r su ch m an u factu re, c o n sists of con trollin g the d isp o sa l of sc ra p , s p ills , failed ap p aratu s, and drum resid u e. Scrap P yran ol, P ydraul and T h erm in ols should be d isp osed of by contain m ent in d ru m s and sto red , o r sn ippin g the d ru m s, at c o st, to M on san to 's W. G . K r u m m r ic h P lan t a t S a u g e t, I llin o is , atte n tio n S u p e r v is o r , D ept. 246. M on san to w ill c h a rg e 3 fo r e ach pound of s c r a p P y ra n o l, P y d ra u l and T h e rm in o ls. M onsanto intends to held the m a te ria l in d ru m s o r in a s t o r a g e tan k pen din g the in s t a lla tio n ox an in c in e r a to r .
7-bcnri jK ian
774153
M a te ria ls which have becom e contam inated with polychlorbyphenyls such as F u lle r's earth, saw dust, rags, solid insulations from failed apparatus, e t c . , should be con tain ed and sto r e d . In no event sh ou ld polychlorbyph enyls o r m a te ria ls contam inated with the sam e be put into any w ater sy stem or land fill.
It is recom m en ded that the m an ager of any d o m estic G E facility which produ ces produ cts containing F y ran o l, or which includes plant equipment containing it (such a s tra n sfo rm e rs or cap a cito rs in its. substation or test fa c ilitie s), or which provid es se rv ic e on equipm ent containing it (such a s m ost S erv ice Shops), or which a c ts a s sellin g agent fo r it, re c e iv e this inform ation and e stab lish con trols a s ap p ro p riate. The n e c e ssa ry sp e c ia l attention of G en eral M an ag ers of s a le s d iv isio n s to o v e rse e com m unication to ap p ro p riate Sales M an agers, and of G eneral M anagers of m ultiple location departm ents to com m u n icate to lo cal plant m a n a g e rs, is req u ested .
The task force is p rep arin g on a Com pany b a sis an appropriate n otificatio n to be sen t to G e n e ra l E le c tr ic c u sto m e rs a d v isin g them of th is situ atio n . T h is le tte r w ill be review ed with the P roduct D epartm ents concerned p rio r to its being issu e d .
The ta sk fo rce w ill continue to review the situ ation and w ill m ake recom m en dation s for solvin g th is p roblem on a lon g-ran ge b a s is .
V ery truly yours,
A ttach m en t
cc: M em bers, C orporate O perations Office D ivision G eneral M anagers
R. B . A m es, Chairm an C. J . M eloun L . C. M aier, Jr .
PYRANOL TASK FORCE
774154