Document gbZONBMYoL3nvkQMNZ0Qep6yq

UNITED STATES CKVINONMENTAt. PROTECTION AOCNCY . gAgMtNOTON. O.C. S0M OFFICIAL ilMNCU PgNALTV POM PMIVATK USC IHO AM MOUAi. OP MO MTU NIT *OlTA6l AND rcu paio P"OT|CTION ASINC Environmental News Fitzwater (202) 755-0344 Robinson (202) 755-0344 FOR RELEASE AFTER 11:00 A.M. MONDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1975 TRAIN ANNOUNCES PLAN TO CONTI OL PCBs Environmental Protectioi. Agency Administrator Russell E. Train declared today that the United States must move toward totally eliminating the use of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) as rapidly as possible and must, in the meantime, make every effort to assure hat PCBs do not enter the environment. In announcing a comprehensive action plan of regulatory and administrative actions. Train cautioned that many years may pass before a significant decline in the level of PCBs occurs. "The public should be under no illusions as to the difficulty of dealing with this problem," Train said. "We have absolutely no authority under existing law to stop or restrict uses of PCBs. Until the passage of Toxic Substances Control legislation by the Congress, we must rely heavily on voluntary actions by industry. In any event, it will not be possible to eliminate the use of PCBs overnight. Even if we could eliminate these uses immediately, we would have to face the fact that there are hundreds of millions of pounds of PCBs out there in the environment--in landfills, soils and the bottom aedimeits of rivers, lakes, and estuaries-- (more) Return this sheet If yeu do NOT wish to receive this nseterlil Q, o> If change of address is nssdsd (Indicate change. Including tie eo# CPA FORM llltttl (RCV. fr?Zt R-311 MGNS 060516 -2- which will be there for years, like a delayed-action bomb, and which we have no way to keep frcm moving into life syateme, including humans, with all that we can do, it may take many years before we are able to see a significant decline in the levels of PCBs in the environment. Never theless, we must begin at once. " PCBs threaten to destroy the commercial fishing indus tries in the Hudson River, the upper Mississippi River, the Great Lakes and along the Southern California coast. PCBs are extremely stable, fire-resistent, low-cost liquids used mainly as insulating fluids in electrical equip ment, notably in power transformers and capacitors. Train announced the following actions against PCBs: --SPA regional offices were directed, in active coopera tion with the States, to immediately establish requirements to virtually eliminate PCBs from the process wastes of all manufacturers of PCBs and of capacitors and transformers that utilize PCBs. --The leadership of the manufacturers of PCBs and the major manufacturers of transformers and capacitors were called on to develop safe and environmentally acceptable alternatives for PCBs as rapid y as possible. Train scheduled a meeting in January with repr isentatives of these manufacturers to discuss and lay out specific plana to achieve this end. --The presidents of major electric utility companies and other major users of large capacitors and transformers, such as railroads, were asked to assume responsibility for con trolling the use and disposal of their PCBs. To this end, Train invited representatives of the companies and their principal industrial associations to meet with him in January to discuss how this might be accomplished as rapidly as possible. --Regulations were proposed to control the environmental damage that results from spills of hazardous substances, including PCBs. EPA will move as rapidly as possible to finalize these regulations after a public comment period. --State Governors were asked to carefully examine and apply their authorities to deal with the PCB problem. --Selected Federal agencies were asked to immediately inventory their uses of PCBs and PCB-containing materials and to develop plans to assure adequate management and safe disposal of these materials. (more) MCNS 060S17 -3- --In addition to these stsps, Train initiated a number of other program* to find ways of eliminating the environ ment discharges from other sovrces of PCBs including paper recycling operations, the investment casting industry, and the disposal of electrical cor sumer products which contain PCBs. "With regard to all of these actions," Train said, "I would again like to caution that th<y will not lead to a quick and easy reduction of the current levels of PCBs in our environ ment and particularly in the <ommercial and sports fish taken from those waters most contaminated. Hopefully, the control of discharges will he; p arrest the rapid growth of the problem. Ultimately, however, only the elimination of PCBs will yifeld a significant and permanent solution." Prior to 1970, half the ICBs produced in the U.5. were sold for use as plasticizers :n paints, plastics and sealants, as lubricant additives, hydrai lie fluids, heat exchange fluids, and for use in carbonjess copy paper and other pro ducts. In 1970, Monsanto, the sole U.S. manufacturer of PCBs, restricted PCB sales to manufacturers of capacitors and transformers. Monsanto h.:s been making PCBs since 1929. Train said that of 700 m. 11ion pounds of PCBs produced and used in the U.S. since 1919, over half of this amount has already entered the environment. "We believe that about 100 million pounds have degraded," he said, "while about 200 million pounds are in PCB-containing products buried in landfills and 100 million pounds are present in the air, soil, water and the bottom sediments of waters, and in the body tissues of living organisms, includ ing man." The rest, 300 million pounds, are currently in use. Train said that only about 10,000 pounds are discharged annually by the Monsanto plant and 37 manufacturers of elec trical transformers and capacitors. A list of the 38 manufacturers of PCBs or electrical equipment containing PCBs is attached. *** R-311 MONS 060518 U.S. Transformer Manufacturing Industry Using PCBs Company Mam* Westinghouse Electric Corp. General Electric Company Research-Cottrell Niagara Tranaformer Corp. Standard Transformer Co. Helena Corp. Hevi-Duty Electric Kuhlman Electric Co. Electro Engineering Works R.E. Uptegraff Mfg. Co. H.K. Porter Van Tran Electric Co. Location of the Plant South Boston, Va. Sharon, Pa. Rome, Ga. Pittsfield, Mass. Finlerne, N.J. Buffalo, N.Y. Warren, Ohio Medford, Oregon Helena, Alabama Goldsboro, N.C. Crystal Springs, Miss. San Leandro, Calif. Scottsdale, Pa. Belmont, Calif. Lynchburg, Va. Vandalia, 111. Waco, Texas U.S. Capacitor Manufacturing Industry Using PCBa Company Name location of the Plant General Electric Company Westinghouse Electric Corp. Aerovox Universal Manufacturing Corp Cornell Dubilier P.R. Mallory t Co., Inc. Sangamo Electric Co. Sprague Electric Co. Electric Utility Co. Capacitor Specialists Inc. JARD Corp. York Electronics McGraw-Bdison RF Interonics Axel Electronic, Inc. Tobe Deutschmann L<bs. Cine-Chrome Lab, Inc. Hudson Falls, N.Y. Ft. Edward, N.Y. Bloomington, Ind. New Bedford, Mass. Bridgeport, Conn. Totowa, N.J. New Bedford, Mass. Waynesboro, Tenn. Pickens, S. Carolina North Adams, Mass. LaSalle, 111. Escondido, Calif. Bennington, Vt. Brooklyn, N.Y. Greenwood, S. Carolina Bayshore, L.I., N.Y. Jamaiaa, N.Y. Canton, Maas. Palo Alto, Calif. PCB Producer Company Name Monsanto Industrial Chemicals Co. Location of the Plant Sauget, 111. MGNS 060519 PCB HISTORY IN THE U.S. 400 MILLION LBS. HAVE ENTERED THE ENVIRONMENT 300 MILLION LBS. ARE NOW IN SERVICE ALL NUMBERS RJ PRESENT GROSS ESTIMATES MOMS 060520