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PHOENIX RECYCLING FACILITY REQUIRED TO CLEAN UP PCBS

Release Date: 1/18/2002
Contact Information: Wendy L. Chavez, Press Office, 415/947-4248, chavez.wendy@epa.gov

     SAN FRANCISCO -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced a settlement  with Earth Protection Services, Inc. that will require the Phoenix recycling facility to clean up PCB contamination found adjacent to the facility and to pay a fine of $2,500.

    Earth Protection Services, Inc., located at 10 S. 48th Ave, was cited for failing to properly store, decontaminate, and dispose of PCBs and for storing large amounts of PCBs without a permit, a violation of the Toxic Substances Control Act.  

     Earth Protection Services, Inc. recycles fluorescent light ballasts manufactured before 1978 that contain PCBs in capacitors and potting material.  The capacitors and potting material are disposed of as hazardous waste and the metal is decontaminated and recycled.

     EPA inspectors discovered the violations during routine inspections of the facility in 1998 and 2000, finding metal samples that contained quantities of PCBs above the allowable limit for recycled metal.  Soil samples collected just outside Earth Protection Services, Inc. also contained significant PCB contamination.    

     The EPA banned the manufacture of PCBs   a probable human carcinogen   in 1978 and regulates their use, storage, and disposal.  PCBs have also been shown to cause a number of serious noncancer health effects in animals, including impacts on the immune system, reproductive system, nervous system, and endocrine system.  For more information on PCBs or
to subscribe to a free quarterly newsletter on PCBs, visit: www.epa.gov/region09/toxic/pcb.