Control of PCB's at the local governmental level.

Details

• Personal Author:
  McCloskey FX
• Description:
  The role of local government in the regulation of polychlorinated- biphenyls (1336363) (PCBs) was described, based on the case of local environmental dumping of PCBs by the Westinghouse Corporation from 1957 through 1976 in Bloomington, Indiana. Fluid containing high levels of PCBs used in transformers and capacitors produced by Westinghouse was discharged directly into an interceptor sewage line leading to the Winston-Thomas sewage treatment facility. Testing by the EPA and the Indiana State Board of Health in 1976 revealed a PCB concentration of between 2 and 6 parts per million (ppm) in effluent fRom, William N.estinghouse's main sewer and a concentration of between 200 and 500ppm in dried sludge at the city sewage treatment plant. PCB concentrations in effluent entering a creek near the treatment plant and in fish in the creek ranged as high as 40 parts per billion. Related problems discussed included the contamination of milk by cows exposed to silage and water with high PCB content, the use of contaminated sludge as a soil conditioner for vegetable gardens and grazing lands, elevated PCB levels in tissues from sewage plant workers, the cost and environmental considerations of disposing the contaminated sludge, and economic and political pressures used by Westinghouse to limit local environmental and economic controls.
• Subjects:
  Accidents, Occupational Epidemiology Hunting Morbidity Mortality Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Chlorinated-hydrocarbons Electrical-industry Environmental-exposure Environmental-pollution Industrial-emissions Industrial-wastes Toxic-materials Waste-disposal
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Conference/Symposia Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  Indiana ; Missouri ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 5 ; OSHA Region 7
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  271-278
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00184911
• Citation:
  Occupational safety and health symposia 1977. Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, DHEW (NIOSH) Publication No. 78-169, 1978 Jun; :271-278
• CAS Registry Number:
  1,1′-Biphenyl, chloro derivs. (CAS RN 1336-36-3)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1978
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  Occupational safety and health symposia 1977
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:30e0e9a817089957e5bca637452523ab5e41e6b363599a86bf77b60dc64b1ff8e300bf9eb6df30582b47070fa1054fb7006a3ddd2a34fd073a6ab8116458aca3
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/180193/cdc_180193_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.11 MB ]