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EPA FINES STONE AND GRAVEL PLANT

Release Date: 07/18/1996
Contact Information: Alice Kaufman, EPA Press Office, (617) 918-1064

BOSTON - A New Milford, Connecticut, wholesale sand, gravel and stone business will pay a $45,092 environmental penalty for improper handling of a hazardous substance, the New England office of the Environmental Protection Agency announced today. Advance Stone, Inc. improperly stored polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)- contaminated waste oil at its Boardman Road facility.

According to the EPA, Advance Stone collected unused oil from its operations and stored it before recycling and disposal. When the oil was taken for recycling/disposal, the company was told by the recycler that the contents were tainted with PCBs and therefore could not be recycled. PCBs are no longer manufactured but remain in use as non-conductive, fire-resistant additives to coolant liquids in heavy electrical equipment. They are extremely stable chemical compounds in the environment, and are suspected carcinogens. Exposure to PCBs can cause liver problems and chloracne, a persistent skin rash.

The PCB regulations are designed to protect employees, members of the community at large, and the environment from being exposed to PCBs. Accordingly, it is important that all organizations that deal with PCBs meet the requirements of these regulations.

This action was taken under the federal Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) which regulates the manufacture, processing, distribution in commerce, use and disposal of PCBs.