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N. ANDOVER, MA, WASTE HANDLER TO PAY ENVIRONMENTAL FINE

Release Date: 03/31/1998
Contact Information: Alice Kaufman, EPA Press Office, (617) 918-1064

Boston - Laidlaw Environmental Services (North East) in North Andover, MA, will pay a $6,600 fine for improper handling of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), the New England office of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today. The Laidlaw facility, located at 300 Canal Street in Lawrence, disposes of hazardous chemical wastes. Laidlaw employs 170 people at this site and its parent company reported more than $400 million in sales for 1994.

According to EPA, Laidlaw shipped a container of PCB-contaminated waste oil to a facility that was not licensed to handle the toxic waste. The shipping documents prepared by Laidlaw did not identify the oil as containing any PCBs, resulting in the improper disposal of two drums of waste. The company had not completed testing for PCBs before filling out shipping forms which led to an improper distribution in commerce, a violation of federal PCB handling rules.

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. This action was taken under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).