Document bayLpqXB7zged0NBzkZ3Q5ry

PCB 1 polychlorinat ed biphenyl: They were making "mud pies" with it in Kensington last week. They're bat tling over it in Glouces ter County. First pro duced in 1929, it has been used in everything from envelopes to elec trical transformers, paints to carbon paper. But it has also become an insidious poison, perhaps the world's most persistant pollu tant - a 'miracle' inven tion turning on its ere-, ator. MOMS 011092 to 5 Vi -a 53 5* Insidious chemical contaminates life ! (. State Actions r_,------ DeliberatePCB Spill Brings Arrests There was something in the hoi, August air that got to people. They complained of nausea, weakness, diz ziness, and irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat. The complaints poured in from the residents of rural areas in eastern North Carolina. State and local health officials were perplexed. Then someone mentioned dnd the illness might he linked to a stain that had recently appeared alongside roadways in the area. Vege tation within the stained areas was dying, it was noticed. Someone else remembered helping a driver with his truck that was stuck one night. It had contained a protruding pipe for dis charging liquid. Officials of the North Carolina Nat ural Resources and Community De velopment Department tested the stained areas and found that the oily substance on the roadsides contained a highly toxic PCB (polychlorinated biphenyl). White, crystalline PCB'sare not easily biodegradable. They havt been used since 1929 but have been lightly controlled by the Federal Gov ernment since the late I960's when laboratory tests linked them with liver cancer, acne, dizziness, and cramps. PCB's have been mixed in oil, mainly by utility companies, for use at an insulator for electrical trans formers and capacitors. And that's what was killing the plant life along the Carolina math. Specifically, it was identified as Arochhr 1260. un insu lator manufactured by Monsanto Co. It un found that some 210 miles of rotulways in 15 counties were contam inated by the substance. Spray that had escaped into the air was causing the human mimems. Once the prob lem was pin/winied. health officials set out ur inform residents about PCB 's and the consequences ofthe spill, while police officials went to work to track down the polluters. Authorities knew that the trans former fluid normally is disposed of at three federally approved dumping sites in the country, the closest one being a landfill operation at Livings ton, Alabama. The cost of dumping a 55-gallon drum there is S5S, but doesn 't include the expense of getting the drum to the site. With that knowledge, authorities began to suspect that someone was trying to save money by spraying it around the countryside to dispose of if. Nine Sfcifc Bureau of Investigation officers were assigned to the case. They begun to check area transformer sal vage firms--firms that buy up old transformers for scrap metal. One is the Ward Transformer Co. ofRaleigh. But Ward s records showed it had paid a New York Slate hauling firm to take the PCB fluid off its hand* HONS 011094 The trail ended when attention turned to the New York firm. Trans former Sales Co., owned by Robert J. Burns of Allegany. New York. Bums was unable to explain to the satisfac tion of the investigators what his firm had done with the fluid. He and his two sons were charged with dumping the oil. They pleaded guilty in Janu ary in the Federal court at Raleigh. Sentencing is pending. Also charged in the case is Robert Earl Ward 111 and his son. of the Ward Transformer Co. Authority say the Wards conspired with the Burns firm to arrange for dumping some 15,000 gallons of the PCB fluid along the rural roads. According to the charges, the Burns hauling firm mis paid $1.70 a gallon to dispose of the joily substance, but 70 cents of tins was kicked back to the Wards. The Wards have pleaded not guilty to the charges, brought in Federal grain/ pirv indictments. To calm fears about the spills and FtM Ctmrnmer I /4;"W 'V to educate residents on the extent of the problem, officials from the State Department of Human Resources and Agriculture as well as county health personnel hand delivered notices to die affected areas. People were ad vised to avoid walking on the contam inated strips and to wash off their feet, shoes, and any clothing that came in contact with the oily suhstunce. The residents were also told that tests would be made by request on any individuals who believed they had been exposed to the PCB. Assurances were given that there was no immedi ate danger from the spill. It was pointed out that the chemical was trapped in the soil and that it would probably be 2 to 3 years before n mi grates to any extent. However, they were warned to keep livestock from grazing in the exposed areas. Some gardens were plowed under because of contamination. The Food and Drug Protection Di vision of the State Department of Ag riculture found contamination of up to 219,000 parts per million in grass at the stained sites. However, the ex posure to vegetation dropped off dra matically just outside the contaminated areas. Wells tested within a few feet of some sprayed areas showed no PCB concentrations. State and FDA offi cials are watching closely to see if farm crops have been affected. Of lin gering concern was the powdnhty of dust migrating from the affected urtus into other areas. Also of continued concern is what to do with the contaminated soil. At one point, officials proposed remov ing the sot! from the sprayed ureas-- some 10,000 truckloads--and dispos ing of it at excavation sites in the State, but residents near all the pro posed sites voiced strong opposition. Subsequent consideration was given to finding a method of treating the soil to confine the PCB. If that isn t feasi ble, the 10,000 truckloads will proba bly have to be taken to the Alabama disposal site. The cost could run into millions of dollars. }4 t Aim! tV79 ' I'llA Consumer HOMS 011095