Document RjxaXzebvGZw1j8RQ22ZQQvyB

87-1C AIR CONDITIONING, HEATING & REFRIGERATION NEWS WKIY. 22,000 FEB 2 1976 fTM] /goo ......... Mo.ns^mto states intention to phase out production of PCBs ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- Monsanto Co hr has announced its inten tion to phase out production of polychlorinated .biphenyl. (PCB) dTelectnc insulating fluids, the nonconductors of direct electrical current necessary in most power generating equipment. Monsanto manufactures 27 mil* lion lb of PCBs per year, which it sells to less than 40 domestic eapacitor and transformer manufac turers. PCBs have been linked to severe human ailments, including chloracne, a skin disease, and liver problems. The fluid is resistant to degradation by natural forces, and thus presents a major con tamination problem. Its advantages include chemical stability, fire resistance, and elec* trical insulating properties. Monsanto does not have a time table for the phaseout yet, but aid it "will be in a planned and orderly manner." The company also said it will close its PCB manufacturing unit in Sauget, 111., "at soon as we arc satisfied that the electrical power supply industry's needs for usa ble, acceptable alternate dielectric fluids have been met." In 1970, Monsanto voluntarily tftiftr 5. )'Uvm ) 1 HONS 03133 HONS 032134 us trying to bring some order to 3,000 union locals and more than a million conduction workers, it was a tragedy that it waa vetoed." >S.^ it Monsanto states-- 1 K'oHltittK il fmiti /'(ijji (hii'l ' stopped selling the chemicals to j all but those manufacturers of j closed electrical systems, for . which a viable alternative did not j exist. That move reduced its an* j nual PCB production more than 50%. j It has also instituted controls in its manufacturing to minimise en* ; vironmenta) impact, and haa been . working for a number of years on non*PCB products to replace PCB . fluids in capacitors and trans formers. ' The substitutes are currently being evaluated by electrical man ufacturers in the U. S. In related developments: [ Dow Chemical Co! and Me* j Graw-Edlson Co. have developed "an environmentally and electriI cally acceptable capacitor fluid," I Dow XFS-4169L, or butylated J monochlorodiphenyloxide, for use 1 in high voltage power capacitors. That product ia also being eval uated by the electrical Industry. The Michigan State House of Representatives passed, by a 101-2 vote, a bill which will even tually halt manufacturers' sales of PCBe for uses that state offi cials say would lead to water pol lution. These uses include wax casting in the automobile industry, and hydraulic heating systems for apartments, factories, and o/fics buildings. Electrical industry ap plications are exempt from the HONS 032135 MOMS 032136