[Fwd: [CPEO-MEF] PCB Contamination at Badger AAP (WI)]

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

Peter Strauss <petestrauss1@comcast.net> wrote:
> 
> What strikes me about the CSWAB update is that 5-12 percent of paint
> mixtures were PCBs!  I wonder how many other sites around the country have
> the same potential for releasing PCBs into the environment.  Although long
> thought of as merely a fire retardant and insulator because of its high
> boiling point, it's obvious that the family of Aroclors was used for many
> other things.  At Moffett, it was found in building materials (and was
> determined to be a source of contamination due to slow leaching).
> 
> I would be interested in knowing if other sites have problems with PCBs that
> are not from "traditional" sources, such as transformer fluid.
> 
> Peter Strauss
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: military-bounces@list.cpeo.org [mailto:military-bounces@list.cpeo.org]
> On Behalf Of Lenny Siegel
> Sent: Thursday, March 17, 2005 11:13 AM
> To: Military Environmental Forum
> Subject: [CPEO-MEF] PCB Contamination at Badger AAP (WI)
> 
> Submitted by Laura Olah <info@cswab.org>
> 
> CSWAB UPDATE:
> 
> Thermal Treatment of Painted Metal Objects Causes PCB Contamination at
> Badger AAP
> 
> Thermal treatment of painted metal objects is the suspected source of
> unsafe levels of PCBs in soils at Badger Army Ammunition Plant.
> Following the detection of high levels of PCBs in paint on pipes,
> flanges, and other metal objects, CSWAB asked state regulators to
> require environmental testing for PCBs at the site of a former
> Decontamination Oven - a facility used to thermally treat metal objects
> for explosive contamination.   Resultant particulates and fumes from the
> oven were released directly to the open air with no treatment or
> emissions controls.
> 
> Recent testing by the Army has detected Aroclor 1254 (a commercial PCB
> mixture) in soils at levels as high as 740 ug/kg, exceeding the EPA
> Region 9 Residential Preliminary Remedial Goal (PRG) of 220 ug/kg and
> "right at" the EPA Region 9 Industrial PRG of 740 ug/kg.
> 
> The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) confirmed that
> temperatures in the decontamination oven were sufficient to volatize
> PCBs and other contaminants.  In a reply to CSWAB, the WDNR wrote: "The
> primary PCB Aroclor used in paint was 1254 . under heating at 450
> degrees Fahrenheit it is likely that the Aroclor 1254 did volatize out
> of the paint".
> 
> Human exposure to PCBs is a concern because of the wide range of adverse
> health effects including skin irritation, reproductive and developmental
> effects, immunologic effects, liver damage, and cancer.  The developing
> fetus, infants, and children are the population groups most vulnerable
> to exposure.  Exposure may impede the development of their brains,
> reproductive, immune, and endocrine systems.    In the past, paint
> manufacturers used from 5 to 12 percent PCBs in paints as a plasticizer.
>  According to the Washington State Department of Ecology, lead, mercury,
> cadmium, and chromium were commonly used in paint as pigments and
> preservatives and are found in paint on older buildings.  Arsenic was
> used as a pigment, a wood preservative, and as an anti-fouling
> ingredient.  Barium was used as a pigment and a corrosion inhibitor.
> Old latex paint produced before 1992 may also contain mercury which was
> added as a fungicide.
> 
> The Army is anxious to start up a new facility but first needs approvals
> from the EPA and WDNR.  The new decontamination oven, which is somewhat
> smaller than the original, operates on the same principal as the old
> facility and has no air emissions controls.  In the meantime, the WDNR
> has asked the Army to "set aside" any waste that may be contaminated
> with PCBs.
> 
> END
> 
> Laura Olah, Executive Director
> Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger
> E12629 Weigands Bay S
> Merrimac, WI 53561
> hone: (608)643-3124
> fax: (608)643-0005
> email: info@cswab.org
> website: www.cswab.org
> 
> --
> 
> Lenny Siegel
> Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
> c/o PSC, 278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
> Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
> Fax: 650/961-8918
> <lsiegel@cpeo.org>
> http://www.cpeo.org
> _______________________________________________
> Military mailing list
> Military@list.cpeo.org
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-- 


Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org
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