NCD980602163_19880610_Warren County PCB Landfill_SERB C_Information re PCBs and the PCB Landfill-OCR

North Carolina Department of Human Resources
Division of Health Services
P.O. Box 2091 • Raleigh, North Carolina 27602-2091
James G. Martin, Governor
David T. Flaherty, Secretary
Ronald H. Levine, M.D., M.P.H.
State Health Director
June 10, 1988
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mike Babuin
FROM: Sharon Myers j ' a ' Yli.
RE: Information Concerning PCB 1 s and the PCB Landfill
Size
The PCB Landfill site is located on 142.3 acres in Warren County, NC.
The inside dimensions of the actual containment structure encompass
an area of 2.54 acres.
Depth
The landfill is approximately 24 feet thick and contains nearly
40,000 cubic yards of contaminated material.
Health Hazards
PCB's accumulate in the fatty tissue of both humans and animals.
Acute human health effects include a skin rash known as chloracne and
liver damage. In studies on animals, PCB's were shown to cause an
extremely high rate of embryonic death. Chronic effects may include
an increased cancer risk and behavioral changes.
Persistence
PCB's are extremely persistent and resist both biological and
chemical decomposition. It is estimated that PCB's have a half-life
in soils of approximately 60 years. PCB's are stable up to
temperatures approaching 1600 degrees Fahrenheit. They are
relatively insoluble in water and evaporate very slowly.
QUESTION ff I:
ANSWER:
QUESTION ff II:
ANSWER:
How was your office involved in the recent PCB spill
and cleanup controversy?
The Solid & Hazardous Waste Management Branch, Division of
Health Services, at the direction of the Governor, was
involved in the landfill site selection. More than 100
sites were evaluated with six sites being selected for .
detail study.
Was your office involved in picking the criteria for
site selection?
The Federal E.P.A. under the Toxic Substance Control Act
dictates the site criteria.
QUESTION ffIII: Do you think the dump in Warren County is safe?
ANSWER: The landfill in Warren County does not pose a threat to
the people of that County. All private wells within
l½ miles and most within three miles have had the water
analyzed for PCB's and are all negative. The water from
the leachate collection system has only .4 ppb of PCB's
which is well below the 200 ppb allowable in baby food.
QUESTION f!IV: Do you think there is a better method of disposing toxic
waste?
ANSWER: The landfilling of toxic waste is the least desired method
for disposal, but with ·only an average of 129 ppm of PCB's
in some 40,000 cubic yards of earth there was no choice
but landfilling. As is pointed out in the Environmental
Impact Statement, other methods of disposal were considered.
QUESTION #V: Should there be another accident similar to the PCB spill
do you think the state would go about cleaning it up and
disposing of it in the same way?
ANSWER: Let's hope we have no more problems of this type, but if we
do we will do as was done with the PCB's. That is, evaluate
all alternatives and as good citizens abide by the law, pick
the alternative which is best for the time and problem.
2 1 C~lc. i oq {_£3)
PCB RESIDUES ALLOWED IN VARIOUS FOOD /FEED PRODUCTS
Product Concentration
( 1) Drinking water
( 2) Milk1 fat basis
( 3) Manufactured dairy produc~ fat basis
( 4) Poul try1 fat basis
( 5) Eggs
(6) Finished animal feed for food animals
(7) Animal feed components of animal origin
(8) fish and shellfish edible po~tion
0. 16 ppb
1500 ppb
1500 ppb
3000 ppb
300 ppb
200 ppb
2000 ppb
5000 ppb
(9) Infant and junior baby foods 200 ppb
(10) Paper/pack material for food/feed products 10,000 ppb
Spilled debris (soil-PCB mixtures)~ 50 ppm not defined as PCB
Liquid< 500 ppm can be burned in high efficiency boilers
Liquid > 500 ppm incinerate in ·permitted PCB incinerators
Separate (oil carrer and PCB with concentrated PCB incinerated
in a permitted PCB incinerator
>500 ppm chemically detoxified
•.