PCBs Management and Disposal
Beginning in the 1930s, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were heralded as the wonder replacement for the insulating and conducting oils used in electrical transformers and capacitors. PCBs withstood high heat, were miscible in oil in any concentration and were, in fact, almost indestructible. Unfortunately, they also had almost immediate and deleterious health effects.
What is PCB Oil?
Electrical transformers and capacitors produce tremendous amounts of heat and must be continuously cooled to avoid damage. It can be done with air but the process is expensive, inefficient and unreliable. Various types of oils were used but the constant exposure to high heat eventually resulted in their breakdown. The addition of PCBs to the transformer oil solved this problem and resulted in a durable, high performance insulating fluid.
Manufacturers took advantage of this new technology and produced millions of transformersand capacitors using millions of gallons of PCB oil. In 1979, PCBs were banned and other chemicals with lower health risks were substituted. Unfortunately, many of the substituted mixtures, the PCB oils, were simply dumped into substandard or faulty disposal sites and subsequently leaked into the water table or surrounding waterways.
Health and Environmental Hazards
The very quality, its seeming indestructibility, that makes PCBs so valuable as an additive to transformer oils also makes it seriously harmful to the flora and fauna of the environment. Foremost, PCBs accumulate in the tissues of plants and animals and cause a variety of ailments in humans from simple anemia to liver damage and death. Secondly, PCBs contracted from secondary sources such as PCB oil can have mutagenic effects on the offspring of the affected organisms. Lastly, PCB’s are particularly problematic as the particles can be breathed in or absorbed through the skin.
The long term containment of PCB oil has proven to be an almost impossible task with multiple, large scale spills and other “incidents” occurring. Recycling of minimal amounts of PCB oils and the physical destruction of the rest is now the preferred method of disposal
Disposal Options
The disposal of PCB oils presents a formidable but not insurmountable task. Its ability to enter the tissues of organisms through breathing or mere physical contact requires a higher than normal degree of care. Protective clothing and respiratory gear must be worn at all times.
Secondly, its liquid state requires destruction by incineration. In addition to the oil, all items and equipment used to transfer or store the oil must also be properly decontaminated or destroyed. Of course, any items that can be completely decontaminated will be recovered and recycled but the rest must be completely destroyed.
The concept of incineration is simple but the actual process is highly complex as the combustion must take place under extreme and carefully controlled conditions. In particular, complete combustion must be attained as PCB oil can produce the highly toxic furan if burned improperly. In addition, the regulations and oversight of these processes are quite specific and stringent.
Tri-Arrow
For over 18 years, Tri-Arrow has proven its ability to recycle and then safely destroy every type of hazardous chemical waste. Knowledgeable management and staff combine with experienced disposal technicians to relieve a company of the problems associated with the disposal of their PCB oils.
Tri-Arrow is intimately familiar with all provincial and federal guidelines associated with the proper storage, transfer and disposal of these hazardous materials. They use only licensed incinerator operators and have an unblemished record of safe transport and incineration. In short, Tri-Arrow can manage the entire operation including all paperwork to safely and affordably dispose of your PCB oils.