Washington State initiates action on PCBs as concern grows about contamination in pigments and dyes

September 04, 2014 Bulletins

While the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) banned new production and most uses of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), it allowed some historical uses to continue and set allowable limits for PCBs that occur as manufacturing by-products in other products. Washington State, which has some of the country’s most stringent PCB limits, discovered that these by-product PCBs – including pigments and dyes used in paper, plastics and textiles – appear to be contributing to the state’s ongoing PCB pollution. Washington State’s draft action plan on PCBs proposes to investigate these sources and recommends measures to reduce exposures. The Action Plan is open for public comment until October 6th.

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