Registered Member #2431
Joined: Tue Oct 13 2009, 09:47PM
Location: Chico, CA. USA
Posts: 5639
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We should start a PCB thread, maybe a sticky?
PCb's are water soluble to some degree, they do have poisnous/toxic properties and side reaction products. (liver and kidneys, CNS) you wont see and ill effects till much later on like decades later. they are EXCEPTIONALLY long lived in the human body and in dirt/ground water.
At this point in time, due to the wonderful 1920 to 1950's era... most of the US population over the age of 20 or so may have a certain PCB load in or bodies. It bioaccumulates through air/water/food, and upward through the food web. But, the enviromental NAZI's definately go to far.
see this thread:  " Need help identifying a capacitor"
Radiotech's point is excellent here:
radiotech wrote ...
I dont think you could even move that unit without a certificate
that guaranetted that it had been tested for PCB traces.
They all got cross contanimated back then by the roving
transformer oil cleaning rigs in the days when both PCB and non PCB
ones were common.
Where I worked, a flatbed dropped one when the roadbed
caved in and the cooling system got smashed. We ended up with
about 100 containers of earth stored in a special compound on site
for years before they allowed it to be shipped to destruction facility
in another province.
Ive heard a thousand similar stories from a hundread retired EE's and Technicians.
Quoting myself in a previous thread...
Patrick wrote ...
I would get rid of this especially if you are a US resident, the EPA wont like you. PCB's have one of the longest lived aqueaous life spans of anyknown chemical. ppb concentrations in the human blood can cause noticeable health effects, and I would wash your hands every time after handling this device, and again before eating.
EDIT: I see you are living in the Communist State of California. Be careful the NKVD Green secret police may come to get you in the night.
I seem to remember a small wrecking yard buissness that had a similar device show up, without thier knowledge, then a forklift rubbed up against it, they called EPA of CA to find out what to do... and a $40,000 bill and a 9 day shutdown for thier business was ordered. I wish I could find this article to post , but I cant at the moment.
If you are determined to keep this device, then find out what the laws are here in California, and the federal law too. You may be exposing yourself to legal liability if you dont.
My advice would be for you to wait for that "once-a-year, no questions asked, resisdential toxic waste drop off." that we are fortunate to have here in CA, and ditch that device.
Well, this is 2011 not the 1950's, and they don't make capacitors like they used to, and its a good thing too.
$40k for a tiny leak too!
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Anyone want a really BIG HV transformer? :)