Document aJg7wj73kd5zedqXxGZVxJVxe
HUNTINGTON, W. VA.
HEMID-DISPATCH D.4VU1
DEC 2 0 1978
'
ERA Pegs
Cost
Of PCB Ban
DEC 29 #7 0**
!EPA Ban To Cost Nation's Consumers
aukLUTON. w.v. (UTV -lk rill Wll|i MW IV
" i ON N ibnAwitoK
Mto m*A m Miik mkMmt;
Storltof to Prtnury, ike IliiMI kvmro > MlVCklvrlviltA kipbesyl ^CBitKeUrlikuMA.
ArmAlu U U< EfeUNMtal Pr*Uiin Attna, Mk cut mA pwcr taiiMn kcdlwr awal <AU A IN mMM I* nmt la ac Hrllk PCI, nukknA bp ArMmtifwiHi eiwil caaetr tad atm Amum in Mtonk, anal ke pkaata aw
wtolng Machinery by ^BRA aMtWa UMa Wood.
MMtaayteestf 122,111 wifi to tomeatdao tiolifn.
*** town m trerywtore Ire te Uac ArrUc to Mi to a data
states," she said. "industries used to tap old
PCB to the waterways Md It vu dispersed la the eir. It also node ft* wiy loto the food ehain. There'! Just oo way to get rid ef It"
ENFORCEMENT will be tid ed by the Mining Safety and Health Administration, another federal agency.
"We use PCB estettlvety In both surface and deep mtotos," noted Herk Hamm of Con solidated Coal Co. "We're looking at all ways we too meet this problem."
"I aaytik coal Mvttry *01 kaaa la acoWcaca anUir karA la HI Ika acv rrgal<UMi7` adinA
Ckarlra Janat, part owner of AMkcratCealCO.
7ke problem la gotaf Is be. fWUac Ike public to pay for lbe. How Bach moan expenae Iran conplyInc wltk aew Iowa cao w* aboarb?T'
Ika SPA believes Oat man ftaw U) MDtoa pouoAs of lha ekemleal have ben used by MAaatry aloce Moaaawa CO.. Krai proAncvA k to Ike early
Prow tkal amoust, at laaat 191 BlUtoa sotnida an HU) to
eat. ato aukm poooAi have ban tartoerated, and the rest baa bee* AlaperaeA to Ika.
HONS 0U*05
Million
Prom AP, VPl Otspotchos CHARLESTON -- A boa on a enrdMfeaic lubricant widely wed to mtatog machinery and electrical transformers cook) cost the coal and power industries nearly $50 million, according to the Environmental Pro tection Agency. The EPA ban -- which goes into ef fect in February -- will forbid the use of polychlorinated biplienyl t PCB), which has been used at - lub ricant in mining equipment for some 6* ysrs The \isunis fluid was used widely because it has a very high he^* tolerance needed for use In the roa` industry. And consumers will probably end up (raying the g3 million it s going to cost the coni industry to halt use of the lubricant, according to industry spokesmen. "We use PCB extensively in both surface and deep mining." said llerk Hamm of Consolidated Coal Co. *`Wc*rt looking at all ways wc can meet this problem " "1 say the coal Industry wilt have to acquiesce pretty hard to fit the new regulations." said Charles Jones, part owner of Amherst Coal
Co. "The problem is going to be getting
the public to pay (or ihe.'v.' he added. "How much more expense from complying with new l.-ms can we absorb'*"
ROBIN WOODS of the EPA'* pub lic information office said ;l>c ban will carry fines of up to S2S.CNW a day for noncomphancc under the Toxic Substance Control Art. EPA officials said they expect the Mining Safety and Health Administration to assist with enforcement
EPA official* said they disenerrd
as early ns 1972 that the subt-uue was found to cause cancer and nerve
damage to laboratory animals. In ad
dition. there It oo effective way to
dispose of the substance
The federal agency said It esd
mates that siore Monsanto CO. fiM
produced PCB in'*the early" ICO*,
more than 1.26 billion pounds of tin
tcxic substance has been used by in
dustry At least 750 million po nd> h
still in use. and six million pounds
ha* been incinerated. the ty eflrr-
live mean* of disposal The rest his
been dispersed into the envirrmeir in
"It's shown uo everyuhtr* ii.uii
kc in the Arctic tomofur. milk in a
duxen stales " Ms Rood
'In
dustnes used to dump o?o I ' U in th*-
waterways and it wa* cUs'Ctscd in
the air. U also tna-k- its way into th
food chain. There'sjust iw> way to get
rid of it."
PCB, which has been pol l unde' the names Ashard and Pyrurvi! must be out of use in mining machin ery by 19(91 under proposed revising in the law. lYcscntlj. coal com panies art required to store the fluid in specially constructed drums There are two disposal station* in th* country -- in Houston. Tea . an t Bridgeport. N J Neither h.i* been
approved by the EI'A. . Electricaltran-turinmcontaining tlvo substance may remain in use u* til the wear out. said EPA cnvli mmental engineer Hal Snyder "They can stay up as long as they don't re quire maintenance because hey are safe containers a* Irtg as people aren't working on them. Re retrying to avoid premature retirement of equipment when possible.''
He said several West Virginia bused mining companies have al
ready begun cnnvn ting to other type* of lubricant*, such as mineral or silicone oils