ED78.20: Term Paper -2

1. ED78.20: Term Paper -2 Instructor: Prof.C. Visvanathan

2. Group members: Mr. Nguyen Quang Hung 102310 Miss Dang Thi Ngoc Ha 102325 Mr. Vu Minh Hai 102321 Miss Tisanin Apibunyopas        102909 Miss Nuntakan Kanaratanadilok 102911 Miss Wilawan Kanitchaidecha   102912 Mrs. Mary Rose R. Agustin  102938

3. Pollutant Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) General Information Sources Technology Current Status Issues

4. GENERAL INFORMATION Some facts about PCBs http://www.wsn.org/cwac/pcbfacts.html This site gives an overview of what Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB ) is all about. It discusses the substance’s physical properties and industrial uses. This site will give the reader a general perspective on PCBs history ( its manufacture and consequent stop of manufacture ), its ill effects on health, extent of contamination and the current scenario in some parts of USA.

5. Html file: http://www.uic.edu/sph/glakes/pcb/whatarepcbs.htm This site gives an overview of what Polychlorinated Biphenyl is all about. It discusses the substance’s physical and chemical properties and industrial uses. Pdf file:http://www.epa.gov/grtlakes/lakemich/lmlamp2000/LM%20appendix%20b.pdf The physical and chemical properties and the different forms of polychlorinated biphenyls can be found in this website. Existence of PCBs in air, water and biota are also discussed.

6. Pdf file:http://reports.eea.eu.int/environmental_issue_report_2001_22/en/issue-22-part-06.pdf This document tells about the origin of PCB, the properties and applications of PCBs in the past several years. It discusses the growing evidence of persistence, presence and toxicity and the effect of PCBs to the human life, environment and animals. Action of governments to phase out PCBs use is also cited.

7. http://reports.eea.eu.int/EMEPCORINAIR3/en/BPCB.pdf PCBs, although banned or tightly restricted in almost all industrial and commercial uses because of their persistence and high toxicity, remain a major cause of contamination in the waters of the Great Lakes. Most of the Great Lakes -- as well as many inland lakes -- have fish consumption advisories as a result of PCB contamination.

8. SOURCES OF PCBS • 1.INDUSTRIES • http://reports.eea.eu.int/EMEPCORINAIR3/en/BPCB.pdf • This document covers emissions to atmosphere from electrical equipment containing PCBs. It covers emissions which result from existing electrical equipment containing PCBs. • http://www.chem.unep.ch/pops/indxhtms/cspcb04.html • These websites refer to the sources and inventory of PCBs in United States.

9. ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENTS http://reports.eea.eu.int/EMEPCORINAIR3/en/BPCB.pdf http://www.chem.unep.ch/pops/indxhtms/cspcb02.html These documents cover emissions to atmosphere from electrical equipment containing PCBs such as: Power capacitors, Transformers. It also touches details on how PCbs enter the environment. An important finding from this paper is that 90% of PCB emissions arise from leaks from transformers and capacitors. An inventory on the estimated number of electrical equipments with PCBs and the potential of PCBs leak from these equipments are discussed.

10. Html file:http://www.chem.unep.ch/pops/indxhtms/cspcb02.html This website refers to the sources and inventory of PCB in United States including: Capacitors, Transformers, Plasticizer uses, Hydraulics and lubricants, Carbonless copy paper, Heat transfer fluids, Petroleum additives, Miscellaneous industrial uses. Amount of PCB stored and disposal in United States . The ways PCB releases in to the air environment, water and soil.

11. OTHER SOURCES • Html files: • http://www.chem.unep.ch/pops/indxhtms/cspcb06.html • This document discusses about the sources of PCBs emission. Municipal waste combustion, hazardous waste incineration, and medical waste incineration account for a significant portion of reported national PCB emissions to air. Additional sources of PCB emissions included treatment, storage, and disposal facilities and landfills; hazardous waste sites; steel and iron reclamation facilities (e.g., auto scrap burning); accidental releases (PCB spills and leaks, and transformer fires); and environmental sinks of past PCB contamination. It was noted that PCB levels in indoor air are often much higher than in outdoor air.

12. Pdf file: http://www.epa.gov/earth1r6/6en/a/pcb/03-presentations/pcb-contaminated-paint-kdobias5-21.pdf This document refers to the PCBs contamination in paints. http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/press/releases/press07202004.html This website shows that PCBs were found in caulking and sealing materials as an unrecognized and possibly widespread source of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contamination in school and university buildings in many countries constructed in the 1960s and 1970s. It was found that PCB concentrations in caulking and sealing materials are higher than the EPA limit and which resulted in an EPA-mandated cleanup program that affected human health.

13. TECHNOLOGY http://www.oztoxics.org/research/3000_hcbweb/library/gov_fed/appteck/technologies.html This site gives information on the available treatment technologies applicable to PCB contamination cleanup and handling. Scope of the subject includes : description of the technology, its performance, applicability, status, cost, safety and limitations. This site is very helpful to industries using PCBs because one can choose from the various technological options given, the technology that will be best based on their needs so as to strike a balance between meeting the standards set by the their states and choosing an economically feasible technology.

14. Issues

15. Current Status Html file:www.chem.unep.ch/pops/pcb_activities/webpage.htm This website refers to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) will enter into force on 17 May 2004. One obligation under the Convention is for parties to eliminate the use of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in equipment (e.g. transformers and capacitors) by 2025