On Mon, 03 Jan 2005 18:55:33 GMT, "Doug Kanter"
wrote:


"Jon Danniken" wrote in message
...
"Doug Kanter" wrote:

Here in upstate NY, an entire lake was contaminated with PCBs by some guy
"salvaging" transformers at the shoreline. The fish are no longer safe to
eat. You may want to investigate further what may be inside that
transformer
of yours before disassembling it. Perhaps your state's environmental
conservation department, or local department of solid waste could assist
in
finding out more. Or, the manufacturer.

How many transformers do you have in your house, Doug?
How many of those contain PCBs?
What types of transformers used PCBs, and what was the purpose for the
PCBs?

Jon


Question 1: Doesn't matter. I have no intention of disassembling them.

If you had transformers with PCBs in them, it most definitely _would_
matter. Under certain conditions transformers will dissassemble
themselves in a rather spectacular fashion. And believe me, you would
_not_ want to live in a house where that had happened -- even if the
authorities would let you stay on.


Question 2: Probably none, but none of the transformers in my home are older
than 3-4 years,

Immaterial. Even if they were 50 years old the transformers you'd find
in a home would not have PCBs in them. PCBs were only used in large or
highly specialized electrical equipment.

except the tiny one that handles the doorbell. I doubt PCB's
are permitted in small household transformers at this stage, considering
what we know about them.

PCBs aren't permitted in transformers of any size. Period. We have to
make do with less effective substitutes.

Question 3: The oil in older, larger transformers was there for either
cooling or insulation - I don't recall, and it doesn't matter, since it's
just a point of interest. But, the PCBs were there as a byproduct, not
because they had a purpose.

Well, no. The PCBs were added to the oil in electricial equipment
because it helped to prevent arcing in the transformer. It was
anything but a byproduct and was considered a major advance in the
early 1930s when these products were introduced.

What's YOUR point? That, knowing what we do about these chemicals, we should
be stupid, pretend the knowledge doesn't exist, and be careless?

MY point is that both of you need to simmer down. It's perfectly
reasonable to ask if a 'large' surplus transformer contains oil. But
you can't assume that it does. Or, if it does contain oil, that the
oil is laced with PCBs. If the transformer is less than about 25 or 30
years old, it does not, no matter how much oil is in it.

By the same token it's reasonable to be concerned about PCBs in the
environment. They may have gotten a bum rap on how dangerous they are
to humans, but the stuff is still a prime example of a bioconcentrator
and it makes damn good sense to keep it out of the environment.

--RC


"Sometimes history doesn't repeat itself. It just yells
'can't you remember anything I've told you?' and lets
fly with a club.
-- John W. Cambell Jr.