PCBs
As one of 10 U.S. facilities licensed to accept high concentrations of PCB waste, it is no surprise that CWM has operated under a NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Order on Consent (#R9-2001-0921-67). CWM was in violation of New York State DEC law for PCB contamination in its storm water that is discharged to the Niagara River and Great Lakes.
Why PCBs are dangerous:
(The following facts are taken from the Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry website, a branch of the Center for Disease Control.)
Polychlorinated biphenyls are mixtures of up to 209 individual chlorinated compounds.
PCBs can still be released to the environment from hazardous waste sites; illegal or improper disposal of industrial wastes and consumer products; leaks from old electrical transformers containing PCBs; and burning of some wastes in incinerators.
PCBs do not readily break down in the environment and thus may remain there for very long periods of time. PCBs can travel long distances in the air and be deposited in areas far away from where they were released.
People can be exposed to PCBs by breathing air near hazardous waste sites and drinking contaminated well water.
The EPA and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) have determined that PCBs are probably carcinogenic to humans.
Children should be discouraged from playing in the dirt near hazardous waste sites and in areas where there was a transformer fire.
If you are exposed to PCBs in the workplace it is possible to carry them home on your clothes, body, or tools.
