to their presence in diet. Acute toxicity Low: PCBs can produce skin pigmentation and affect liver function. High: May cause damage to organs through prolonged or repeated Chronic toxicity exposure. Carcinogenicity Extreme: Listed as a likely carcinogen. Reproductive Low medium: Possible reproductive toxin. – toxicity Workplace health & safety Personal protective equipment required. impacts No impact on broader population. PCBs may have been used as components of caulking Population compounds with subsequent slow release to the environment. This has been scale impacts demonstrated in Europe but not in Australia. Toxic to marine organisms and to other species who are exposed in Overview the food chain. Acute ecotoxicity Extreme: PCBs are acutely toxic to aquatic organisms. Potential Chronic Extreme: PCBs are developmental and reproductive toxins in most environment ecotoxicity animal species. impacts Persistence Extreme: PCBs are persistent, with half-lives greater than 10 years. Extreme: PCBs are bioaccumulative and concentrations undergo Bioaccumulation biomagnification up the food chain. Where are the Generation Transport Storage Treatment Recovery Final disposal risks of impacts most High Moderate Moderate Medium N/A Low likely? Release to the environment before the impact of bans on the use of PCBs and the Has anything implementation of the PCB Management Plan have resulted in very low level happened contamination of the environment and contributions to the chemical body burden of before in Australians. The substance has a long half-life and so concentrations are decreasing Australia? slowly. Industry Industry has complied with the specifications of the PCB What control – systematic management plan for effective management and destruction of PCB measures are controls wastes. in place to
to their presence in diet. Acute toxicity Low: PCBs can produce skin pigmentation and affect liver function. Chronic toxicity High: May cause damage to organs through prolonged or repeated exposure. Carcinogenicity Extreme: Listed as a likely carcinogen. Reproductive toxicity Low – medium: Possible reproductive toxin. Workplace health & safety impacts Personal protective equipment required. Population scale impacts No impact on broader population. PCBs may have been used as components of caulking compounds with subsequent slow release to the environment. This has been demonstrated in Europe but not in Australia. Potential environment impacts Overview Toxic to marine organisms and to other species who are exposed in the food chain. Acute ecotoxicity Extreme: PCBs are acutely toxic to aquatic organisms. Chronic ecotoxicity Extreme: PCBs are developmental and reproductive toxins in most animal species. Persistence Extreme: PCBs are persistent, with half-lives greater than 10 years. Bioaccumulation Extreme: PCBs are bioaccumulative and concentrations undergo biomagnification up the food chain. Where are the risks of impacts most likely? Generation Transport Storage Treatment Recovery Final disposal High Moderate Moderate Medium N/A Low Has anything happened before in Australia? Release to the environment before the impact of bans on the use of PCBs and the implementation of the PCB Management Plan have resulted in very low level contamination of the environment and contributions to the chemical body burden of Australians. The substance has a long half-life and so concentrations are decreasing slowly. What control measures are in place to Industry – systematic controls Industry has complied with the specifications of the PCB management plan for effective management and destruction of PCB wastes.
waste-recycling-process-of-used-oil-drilling3.docx