1. PCB Management in the Field
Rich Lobdell
4/4/2019
High Plains Power

2. PCB “What the hell is it?”
Polychlorinated biphenyl
Good cooling and insulating properties
Fire retardant
First produced in the 1920’s
Many different varieties of PCBs
Used in adhesives, paint, carbonless paper, lube and cutting oils, pesticides, fire retardants and plastics
1 to 10 chlorine atoms bound to biphenyl. Colorless, odorless crystal in it’s pure form. Not water soluble so it does not degrade making it a persistent environmental hazard.
The military still uses it in coatings. Used it extensively in painting Navy ships. Specified it in transformers on military bases.
The gates for dams in the Northwest on the Colombia River were coated in PCB paint. Sandblasted off the gates for routine maintenance and repainting and discovered that this paint was used without knowledge.
4/4/2019
High Plains Power

3. Trade Names for PCB’s 109 different Trade Names Aroclor Askarel
Chlorinated biphenyl
Chlorinol
Inerteen
Kennechlor
Pyranol
Saf–T–Kuhl
Monsanto produced Aroclor from 1929 through Aroclor is a sticky, viscous, resinous form of highly concentrated PCB.
Askarel was a highly concentrated PCB used by Westinghouse in their capacitors.
Pyranol used by General Electric. GE has a huge Superfund site from dumping in the Housatonic River at Pittsfield Massachusetts. They also other PCB Superfund sites at Rome Georgia and the Hudson River. Only Honeywell and the US Government have produced more Superfund toxic waste sites. Ecomagination my ass!
Westinghouse Electric produced another PCB called Inerteen. It was 60% Askarel and 40% trichlorobenzene. It led to a Superfund site in Sunnyvale California. They had both above ground and below ground storage tanks in the 10s of thousands of gallons. They also used the Inerteen for weed control around the property.
4/4/2019
High Plains Power

4. Definitions No – PCB Non – PCB PCB Contaminated PCB Item
< or equal to 2 PPM
Non – PCB
> 2 PPM but < 50 PPM
PCB Contaminated
50 PPM but < 500 PPM
PCB Item
500 PPM and up
4/4/2019
High Plains Power

5. Spill or Leak or Seep?
A spill has occurred anytime oil (in any amount) has migrated from the piece of equipment to the surrounding area
A leak is oil that is on the outside of the equipment but has not reached the surrounding area
A seep is a small leak
Any uncontrolled discharge of PCB is referred to by the EPA as “improper disposal”. We want to keep everything contained. Improper disposal comes with a hefty cost.
4/4/2019
High Plains Power

6. Rules of Assumption
Anything built after July can be assumed to be Non-PCB until tested
Anything built before July must be assumed to be PCB Contaminated until tested
No testing needed if the manufacturer’s Nameplate Data states that the piece of equipment is filled with mineral oil at < 2 PPM PCB
Also any item containing < 3 pounds of fluid whether it be a circuit breaker, recloser, oil filled cable or rectifier with no data available can be assumed to be < 50 PPM. However 3 pounds of fluid equals .4 gal of pure mineral oil and only a quart of askarel.
4/4/2019
High Plains Power

7. Be Aware “Food and feed” areas Water Stockyards Stock tanks Crops
Any residential area
Water
Ditches and canals
Ponds and lakes
Stormwater drainage
4/4/2019
High Plains Power

8. 4/4/2019
High Plains Power

9. Spills Spills need to be reported immediately
Spills need to be cleaned up within 48 hours of discovery
This applies to either known or assumed PCB Contaminated oil
Large spills (270 gallons or more) must be cleaned up within 24 hours of discovery
The only reasons for delay in cleanup are extreme emergency or weather.
4/4/2019
High Plains Power

10. Things to look for Large capacitors – nameplate should specify Non-PCB
Small capacitors should be stamped Non-PCB
Lighting ballasts should be labeled Non-PCB
Transformers should be labeled as tested or nameplate must state Non-PCB
Old GE 3 and 5 KVA pots typically are hot.
4/4/2019
High Plains Power

11. Questions or Suggestions?
Thanks
“Git ‘er done…….safely!”
4/4/2019
High Plains Power