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Re: pole pig needed



On Sat, 06 Feb 1999 14:52:44 -0700, you wrote:

>Original Poster: Mike Nolley <mnolley-at-mail.slc.edu> 
>
>
>>[I should note that I'm generally appalled by a country that's gone
>out-of-its
>>mind with safety consciousness. Environmentalists have succeeded in
>>producing in
>>the populace a "Chemical-Phobia". All chemicals are bad--Period.
>>   Could we return to logic and reason?]
>>
>	Nevertheless, for whatever practical, if not logical reasons, if you have
>a Pole Pig containing PCBs and the EPA is on your a**, you're done.  If you
>attempt to dispose of it, most junkyards would refuse citing liability, if
>you dumped it somewhere you could be fined huge sums-- the bottom line is
>that buying a pole pig which contains PCBs, if it isn't particularly
>dangerous to the experimenter, is a "hot potato" legally, first from the
>standpoint of removal or disposal, and second from the standpoint of
>medical treatment in case you or your neighbors get sick (or even think
>they get sick) from leakage.  Since you have waived the power companies'
>liability, you would have NO recourse and probably no insurance claim.
>Whether or not PCB's are as harmful as the EPA thinks they are, I
>personally would not go around buying older transformers without knowing
>exactly what I was buying, and evaluating the worst-case scenario (which in
>this case is VERY VERY BAD).
>			--Mike

Fortunately I'm in the UK where things seem rather less paranoid,
however even in the land of the environment police, if the transformer
is in mechanically good shape (i.e. is never likely to leak), it may
not be such a huge problem - I doubt it's likely the EPA would 'find'
it (give false address to supplier just in case..!), and discreet
disposal shouldn't be a problem as they always seem to be in demand
from coilers. As pigs seem pretty indestructible electrically , and
will normally be kept out of the weather by coilers, they ought to
last virtually indefinitely. Just my UKP0.02!
..you could always make your own 'PCB free' sticker to ward off casual
observers...