Management of Polychlorinated Biphenyls in the United States

 

Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
401 M Street SW
Washington, DC 20460

January 30, 1997

DISCLAIMER

This document has been subjected to internal review at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA); however, the contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the EPA, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. This document is intended only as an informative summary document of the PCB experience in the United States.


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Purposes of This Document

1.2 Organization of This Document

1.3 What are PCB's?

1.4 Health and Environmental Effects of PCB's

2.0 PRODUCTS, SOURCES, AND RELEASES OF PCBs


2.1 Product Inventory

2.2 Storage and Disposal Inventory of PCBs

2.3 Sources and Releases of PCBs

3.0 IDENTIFICATION OF PCBs

4.0 POLICY AND MANAGEMENT APPROACHES


4.1 Overview of United States Approach

4.2 Allowed Uses of PCBs

4.3 PCB Spill Cleanup Policy

4.4 Cleanup of Waste Sites Contaminated with PCB's

4.5 Storage of PCBs for Disposal

4.6 Disposal of PCBs

4.7 Decontamination

4.8 Recordkeeping and Reporting

4.9 Import and Export of PCBs

5.0 TREATMENT AND DISPOSAL TECHNOLOGIES AND ASSOCIATED COSTS


5.1 Incineration

5.2 Chemical Waste Landfills

5.3 High-Effeciency Boilers

5.4 Municipal Solid Waste Landfills

5.5 Alternative Methods

     5.5.1 Thermal Desorption

     5.5.2 Chemical Dehalogenation or Dechlorination

     5.5.3 Solvent Extraction

     5.5.4 Soil Washing

5.6 Emerging Alternative Methods

    5.6.1 Stabilization/Solidification

     5.6.2 Vitrification

     5.6.3 Bioremediation

6.0 RESULTS OF U.S. POLICIES


6.1 Emissions Reductions

6.2 Cleanup of PCB-Contaminated Sites

6.3 Storage and Disposal Capacity

7.0 FACTORS AFFECTING A PCB MANAGEMENT PROGRAM


7.1 Scope of the Problem

7.2 Infrastructure

7.3 Cost

7.4 Identification of PCBs

7.5 Cleanup of Contaminated Sites

7.6 Disposal Capacity

7.7 Summary

8.0 REFERENCES

Appendix A - U.S. Requirements and Guidelines for Testing, Use, Cleanup Disposal, Recordkeeping and Reporting of PCBs.