Environment

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FYI on PCBs and the EPA: Acronyms Worth Your Attention

FYI: The EPA's (Environmental Protection Agency) rules about land contaminated with PCBs (Polychlorinated Biphenyls) have changed.

What are PCBs?

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) in Atlanta describes PCBs as liquid or solid mixtures of chlorinated compounds. Since they are good insulators and are non-flammable, PCBs were once used as coolants and lubricants in heat transfer, hydraulic and electrical equipment. PCBs are no longer manufactured because they are harmful to human and animal health.

During their manufacture, use, and disposal, PCBs leaked into the air, water and soil. They can travel long distances as a vapor in the air; therefore, they can be deposited miles from where a leak or spill occurred. In the water, PCBs bind to bottom sediments and organic particles, which are then eaten by small organisms and fish. PCBs accumulate in fish and other aquatic animals, making them more toxic than the water itself. Further, PCBs bind to soil, so any plant or animal raised on that soil will harbor the toxins.

Where are PCBs?

Humans are exposed to PCBs in a variety of ways. People who live or work near hazardous waste sites have the highest exposure to PCBs, but these toxins affect all of us. The ATSDR says that most of us have low levels of PCBs in our bodies. We can eat them, drink them, or breathe them in. PCBs are most often transmitted through drinking water and animal products (including fish and shellfish).

What are the effects?

PCBs cause cancer. Animals and humans exposed to high levels of PCBs often develop rare liver cancers and malignant melanoma. Serious non-cancer effects have also been reported. PCBs affect the immune system, nervous system, endocrine system, and reproductive system. For example, studies have linked PCBs with Epstein Barr, learning disabilities, thyroid problems, skin rashes, and low birth rates for babies born to mothers who have been exposed to the toxin.

Are there protections?

The Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 prohibited the manufacturing, processing, and distribution of PCBs. However, PCBs are still with us. They don't break down easily, so, after 27 years, PCBs are still in our air, water, and soil.

Therefore, food companies must monitor their products for these chemicals. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) limits baby foods and foods made from animal products to 0.2-3 parts of PCBs per million parts of food. In addition, the EPA limits our drinking water to .0005 milligrams of PCBs per liter of drinking water.

In 1978, the EPA banned the sale of properties contaminated by PCBs. The ban was intended to prevent the toxins from spreading. If these sites were to be redeveloped, especially as farmland or neighborhoods, the chemicals could spread, increasing public health risks.

EPA regulations required contaminated sites to be cleaned up before being sold.

Rule changes

The Bush administration has decided to lift the ban on these polluted lands. According to a memo obtained by USA Today, the EPA plans to reinterpret existing laws in order to allow contaminated lots to be cleaned up after being sold.

Because the EPA is giving a "new interpretation" to existing law, it is not required to solicit the public for comment.

By reinterpreting the 1978 rule, the administration is attempting to encourage development, and thus, the economy. Currently, many owners of the PCB-contaminated lands do not have the funds for cleanup. They are stuck with toxic land that they cannot use, cannot sell, and cannot clean.

The rule change may actually encourage cleanup, because buyers who have the money and desire to clean up PCBs will be able to do so. The standards for cleanup have not changed.

The pros and cons

In the best-case scenario, abandoned lands will be transformed into productive, PCB-free properties that generate jobs and tax revenue.

In the worst-case scenario, toxic lots will be redeveloped without cleanup, causing the spread of PCBs, and therefore cancer and other health problems.

The results depend upon the diligence of the EPA.

It will be more difficult for the EPA to monitor PCB cleanup after properties are sold. The old rules required a check-up of sorts, prior to the closing on a PCB-polluted property. Without this safety feature, it is possible that smaller properties will go unchecked.

Problem of interpretation

If the EPA is allowed to simply reinterpret existing law, how can the public stay abreast of environmental regulations? Although it is easier and swifter to re-read the rules instead of formally changing them, the public is left out when the EPA gives "new interpretations" to laws.

Now that the public is aware of the regulation shift, the administration is expecting some response. Let Bush know whether or not you support the rule change. To work out your thoughts on the matter, discuss it with other WomenMatter readers in our online forums.

Posted on: 9/5/2003

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