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Enron Mail |
FYI.
---------------------- Forwarded by Louis Soldano/ET&S/Enron on 03/17/2000 01:07 PM --------------------------- "Anderson, David W (Law)" <DWA3@pge.com< on 03/17/2000 12:04:56 PM To: "'Louis Soldano'" <Louis_Soldano@enron.com< 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. < < < <
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