PCB Fact Sheet
What are PCB's?
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a mixture of individual organic chemicals which were used for 50 years until their manufacture was banned in 1979, but can still be found in transformers, electrical equipment, fluorescent light ballasts, and other industrial uses such as paints and caulking.
Recent EPA Inspection
As a facility permitted to handle PCBs and a company dedicated to the protection of the environment, Waste Management strives to ensure the proper management of PCBs.
However, during a recent inspection of the Kettleman Hills Facility, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency detected very low-level levels of PCBs confined to the inside of the PCB Building and a small area of soil adjacent to this building. Both areas have been cleaned according to EPA standards.
Products manufactured before 1979 that may contain PCBs include:
- Transformers*
- Other electrical equipment including voltage regulators, switches and electromagnets
- Oil used in motors and hydraulic systems
- Fluorescent light ballasts
- Thermal insulation material including fiberglass, felt, foam, and cork
- Oil-based paint
- Caulking
* Primary type of PCBs processed at Kettleman Hills
Source: United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)