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City of Ketchikan fined nearly $3,000 for improper disposal of PCBs

Release Date: 09/13/2010
Contact Information: Tristen Gardner, EPA Pesticides and Toxics Unit, (206) 553-6240, gardner.tristen@epa.gov Tony Brown, EPA Public Affairs, (206) 553-1203, brown.anthony@epa.gov

(Seattle – Sept. 13, 2010) The City of Ketchikan, Alaska has reached a $2,900 settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency to resolve alleged federal Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) violations related to the improper disposal of polychlorinated bi-phenyl (PCB) waste.

In August 2007, Ketchikan Public Utilities personnel removed approximately five gallons of oil containing PCBs from a transformer, and improperly incinerated this liquid at the City’s facility located at 1065 Fair Street, Ketchikan, Alaska.

“Disposing of PCB waste improperly is illegal and can be harmful to human health and the environment,” said Scott Downey, Manager of the Pesticides and Toxics Program for EPA Region 10 in Seattle. “Local governments and businesses must ensure they are following the federal PCB rules which are intended to protect communities and our critical natural resources.”

PCBs were once widely used as a nonflammable coolant for transformers and other electrical equipment. In 1976, Congress enacted TSCA, which authorized EPA to strictly regulate the use, manufacture, cleanup and disposal of PCBs.

Rules governing PCBs and additional information on the toxic effects of PCBs can be found at EPA’s PCB homepage at: https://www.epa.gov/pcb/

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