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Soil contamination from PCB-containing buildings.

Robert F Herrick1, Daniel J Lefkowitz, George A Weymouth

  • 1Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA. herrick@hohp.harvard.edu

Environmental Health Perspectives
|March 27, 2007
PubMed
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Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in building caulking can contaminate surrounding soil. Even undisturbed caulking releases PCBs, indicating a need for national surveys and revised disposal practices to prevent environmental contamination.

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Science
  • Occupational Health
  • Chemical Engineering

Background:

  • Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in construction materials like caulking pose contamination risks to building interiors and surrounding soil.
  • Previous studies focused on soil contamination after caulking removal, but undisturbed caulking may also be a source.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantify PCB levels in soil adjacent to buildings with intact PCB-containing caulking.
  • To assess the mobility and leaching potential of PCBs from caulking material using the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP).

Main Methods:

  • Soil samples were collected around buildings with undisturbed PCB-laden caulking.
  • The Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (Method 1311) was employed to evaluate PCB mobility from caulking samples.

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Main Results:

  • Soil PCB contamination levels ranged from 3.3 to 34 mg/kg around buildings with undisturbed caulking (containing 10,000-36,200 mg/kg PCBs).
  • TCLP results showed leachate PCB concentrations of 76-288 mg/L, indicating significant PCB mobilization from caulking.

Conclusions:

  • Undisturbed PCB-containing caulking releases PCBs into the surrounding soil.
  • PCBs appear to mobilize from caulking, potentially complexed with dissolved organic matter, necessitating a reevaluation of disposal practices for PCB-laden materials.
  • Findings highlight the need for a national survey of PCBs in building materials and surrounding soils, with particular concern for exposure in schools and residential buildings.