Re: What has everyone got against PCB?

["Jim Lux" <jimlux-at-jpl.nasa.gov> (by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>)]

PCB = Poly Chlorinated Biphenyl... a generic term for a variety of miracle
substances.. high dielectric strength, high dielectric constant,
non-flammable.  A godsend for the electrical industry to replace oil, which
burns quite nicely.  The problem is..... A contaminant, inevitably formed
in the mfr process, is dioxin, which is carcinogenic in parts per billion
concentration, and also (and probably more important from a regulatory
standpoint) detectable in very low concentrations.  Lots of PCBs aren't
contaminated, but it costs too much to test each and every possible source,
so the general policy is that it is banned.

The next miracle electrical substance on the "hit list" is SF6.. mostly
because it has a global warming potential of 24000 times that of CO2 (never
mind that the major global warming gas these days is methane.....many
orders of magnitude more methane being released than SF6, as well) SF6 was
also thought to take forever to degrade (although recent research shows
this isn't the case), aggravating the GW problem.

----------
> From: Tesla list <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
> To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
> Subject: What has everyone got against PCB?
> Date: Thursday, August 10, 2000 5:20 PM
> 
> Original poster: "Garth van Sittert" <garth-at-mediasupplies.co.za> 
> 
> Just what exactly is the disadvantages of using PCB caps or transformers?
 Just
> wanna make sure:  what exactly is PCB for the slightly ignorant (like
me)?
>  
> Does it swell up and do all wierd things?
> 
> 
>