Subject: PCBs -- Barstow Newspaper
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Date: Fri, 17 Mar 2000 05:10:00 -0800 (PST)

FYI.
---------------------- Forwarded by Louis Soldano/ET&S/Enron on 03/17/2000 
01:07 PM ---------------------------

"Anderson, David W (Law)" <[email-masked]> on 03/17/2000 12:04:56 PM
To: "'Louis Soldano'" <[email-masked]>
cc:  

Subject: PCBs -- Barstow Newspaper

Lou --

> FYI.  In today's Barstow newspaper.
>
Dave Anderson 415-973-6659

> ******************************************
>
> March 17, 2000
>
> Cancer-causing agent found in High Desert gas lines
>
> HEALTH: PG&E is at work to clean up situation.  By TERI FIGUEROA Staff
> Writer
>
> BARSTOW -- Pacific Gas and Electric Co. is working to eliminate a
> potential cancer-causing agent found in High Desert gas lines.
>
> Because the amount of the chemical compound polychlorinated biphenyls, or
> PCBs, is in trace amounts, officials from the Environmental Protection
> Agency say no clean-up is required.
>
> When the PCBs were found in small quantities in the High Desert area in
> February, the company immediately began to rectify the problem, Jon
> Tremayne, news director for PG&E, said.
>
> "We've been doing very aggressive testing," Tremayne said. "As we identify
> (affected areas), we will continue to propose and install filter
> separators."
>
> The filter separators catch the PCBs so the company can collect the
> chemical for disposal.
>
> Randy Wittorp, spokesperson for the California EPA office, said because
> the chemical is contained within the gas lines, it's unlikely there has
> been human exposure.
>
> "What we are talking about here is very low levels, well below EPA
> levels," Tremayne said.
>
> PCB levels detected in the area range from 2 to 22 parts per million,
> Tremayne said, with the majority of PCBs in the range of six to 10 parts
> per million.
>
> EPA regulations state the danger levels for PCBs are anything above 50
> parts per million, an EPA official said.
>
> "PCBs are authorized for use at concentrations of less than 50 PPMs," said
> Max Weintraub, PCB coordinator for the EPA in the California region. "The
> federal law really starts at 50 PPM. There's no requirement that they
> clean it up."
>
> Tremayne said an EPA study shows PCBs have been known to cause cancer in
> laboratory rats. Information from the EPA shows exposure to the chemical
> has been associated with cancer, neurological and reproductive effects.
>
> "You're not going to breath it in, but you will get exposed to it through
> skin contact and consumption," Weintraub said.
>
> The material was detected as far away as 20 miles west of Hinkley and down
> into Rabbit Springs meter station. The Helendale regulation station has so
> far shown no detectable levels of PCBs, he said.
>
> PG&E delivers gas to Southwest Gas Co., who in turn serves 100,000
> customers in the High Desert, Southwest Gas spokesman Roger Buehrer said.
>
>
> Buehrer said his company has been testing for PCBs for about six weeks,
> and so far have not detected the chemical in their pipe lines.
>
> "We don't think there is anything to worry about because the levels are so
> low," Buehrer said.
>
> Buehrer said the company will continue PCB testing through next week.
>
> The PCBs traveling through the gas lines are in small amounts, said Robert
> Doss, site remediation principal in the environmental services division of
> PG&E.
>
> "We are not finding them at customer meters," Doss said. "The potential
> for them to get to customers is very slim. This was a surprise to us.
> We've had decades of clean tests."
>
> Tremayne said the source of the PCB contamination is coming from
> Transwestern Pipeline Co. and said the two companies are working closely
> to eliminate the chemical.
>
> "It's not a finger-pointing game," he said. "Everybody is working together
> to get this thing resolved."
>
> The company has been working to eliminate the problem, said Dave Schafer,
> spokesman for Transwestern Pipeline.
>
> "Our commitment is to get it down to levels that aren't even trace
> amounts," Schafer said.
>
> Tremayne said PG&E officials notified the California Public Utilities
> Commission of the PCB detection on Tuesday, and the state attorney
> general's office last week. PG&E has also notified officials from the
> Southwest Gas Co., the local gas utility supplier who takes the feed from
> the PG&E gas line and delivers it to customers.
>
> Copyright , 1999 Desert Dispatch. All rights reserved. Material from this
> site may not be republished without the expressed, written permission of
> the Desert Dispatch.
>
>
>
>