Re: Don't Burn PCB's!!

• To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
• Subject: Re: Don't Burn PCB's!!
• From: Jim Lux <jimlux-at-jpl.nasa.gov> (by way of Terry Fritz <twf-at-verinet-dot-com>)
• Date: Wed, 10 Feb 1999 17:16:45 -0700
• Approved: twf-at-verinet-dot-com

Tesla List wrote:
> 
> Original Poster: "Dale, Martin" <martin.dale-at-ntu.ac.uk>
> 
> List members,
>         Please, don't try to dispose of any PCB oil by burning it!!
> 
> Poly-Chlorinated Biphenyls are nasty enough as they are, but if you set fire
> to oil containing PCB you will generate Dioxin gas which is deadly.
> (remember the Bhopal disaster?)

Whoops... Bhopal was Methyl Isocyanate, which isn't even close to a PCB.
And, of course the real problem is that MI reacts to form Hydrogen
Cyanide, which is moderately toxic.

Dioxin is an unavoidable manufacturing byproduct in the manufacture of
other PCB's. The problem is that it is highly toxic, even in very small
concentrations. The basic PCB's themselves are relatively benign, which
is why they were popular: non-toxic, non-flammable, inert, etc.  It
wasn't until later that they realized that there were these contaminants
which cause all the problems.

> 
> PCB's have to be incinerated at very high temperatures to break them down
> and prevent Dioxin from forming.

And, of course, PCB's don't burn, so what you really have to do is
inject it into an already hot flame. The fancy name is high temperature
pyrolysis.
 

-- 
Jim Lux                               Jet Propulsion Laboratory
ofc: 818/354-2075     114-B16         Mail Stop 161-213
lab: 818/354-2954     161-110         4800 Oak Grove Drive
fax: 818/393-6875                     Pasadena CA 91109

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