Distribution of polychlorinated biphenyls in a municipal wastewater treatment plant and environs

Distribution of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) in sewage wastes at a municipal sewage treatment plant was studied, showing that the great bulk of PCBs entering such a treatment plant become adsorbed onto the grit chamber solids and the sludge that is passed from the anaerobic digesters. When appreciable quantities of PCBs are present in sewage, as was the case in this study, significant quantities can nevertheless pass with the effluents discharged from the treatment plant. The PCB concentrations in the treatment plant waters undergoing secondary and tertiary treatment tend to be consistent with the limited solubility properties of the PCBs. However, appreciably higher concentrations can be found in the sediments of waters receiving treatment plant discharges and bioaccumulation in fish is demonstrated readily. Also described are quantitative data on PCBs in soils fertilized with PCB-contaminated sludge.