Compliance with EPA PCB regulations-options analysis

The author examines the rules, written by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), for regulating the use of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) since the passage of the Toxic Substances Control Act by Congress in 1976. The media and state and local environmental influences have continued to highlight PCB problems. These factors, plus the aging industrial plants that contain PCBs, pose a complex problem for owners of PCB-containing equipment. The EPA rules have become more restrictive and will continue to reflect the EPA's concern with any release of PCBs into the environment. Plant owners who must contend with increasingly complex market conditions must develop good PCB risk management practices. The author explores the EPA PCB regulations, highlighting the more significant requirements. The most viable options for managing PCB equipment are reviewed, and a method of cost analysis of two of the most popular options is presented.<>