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PCB contamination spreads to Lower Base
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Posted on Oct 18 1999
A recent study conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers revealed that the contamination of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) has spread to the Lower Base area close to the cemetery.
Due to these findings, the Division of Environmental Quality and representatives from the various federal agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency, the Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry as well as the U.S. Army Corps will discuss the issue of toxicology and human health risks of PCBs.
“We will wait for the federal government’s answers because even the clean up will depend on the results of the public meeting,” said DEQ Director Ike Cabrera.
He said both the CNMI and federal governments must address the issue immediately to protect the health of the community.
Some 53 electrical capacitors containing large amounts of PCBs were discovered in Tanapag village way back in 1987. EPA conducted an investigation and discovered that these capacitors belong to the U.S. military.
The U.S. Department of Defense confirmed ownership of the capacitors and a cleanup, including soil remediation, was conducted by the U.S. Army Corps. Discarded capacitors leaked PCBs and contaminated much of the soil within Tanapag village.
These were used by the US military, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Trust Territory Government of the Pacific Islands.
Cabrera said the discovery of PCB contamination in Tanapag led to a massive soil remediation project that was conducted by the US Army Corps of Engineers.
With the health concerns related to PCB contamination, DEQ has been encouraging the U.S. Army Corps to help finish the cleanup, said Kimiko Link, DEQ/EPA environmental scientist.
