Re: X-Ray Transformer VERY Scarred!

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: Gregory Hunter <tesla_39560@xxxxxxxxx>

I'm not a chemist nor am I a physician, but I think
the health risks of PCBs have been greatly overblown.
You should not take a bath in PCB oil nor should you
drink it. If you handle it with the same respect you
extend to gasoline, drain opener, bleach, bug spray,
ammonia, and the dozens of other truly dangerous
chemicals in your household, you should be safe
enough.

A little PCB splashed on your skin may cause a rash
but more likely will have no effect at all. Don't pour
it in the storm drain or flush it down the toilet.
Don't try to bury it in the back yard. The best place
for it is right where it is--inside the transformer
can!

If you call a hazmat disposal service, your county
agent, or any agent of government, you will probably
regret it. A government bureaucracy with an inflexible
set of rules and an irrational fear of PCBs really is
something to be afraid of. If it turns out to be PCB
they will put your life in a blender over nothing. If
I were in your situation I would just clam up.

Clean up your little spill the same way you would
clean up spilled motor oil. Get a sheet of cork or
neoprene gasket material at an auto parts store and
replace the crumbly gasket. Keep the transformer fluid
right inside the transformer doing what it has been
doing so well for the past 30-40 years. If anyone
asks, it is "mineral oil"! And who knows? Maybe that's
all it is!

My $0.02 worth,

Greg

--- Tesla list <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Original poster: "Daniel Koll"
> <dk_spl_audio@xxxxxxxxxxx>
>
> I was going to take out those rectifiers in my x-ray
> transformer and
> thought of something.  Do you think this can contain
> PCBs?  I got the cover
> off and the oil (or PCBs) splashed a little and got
> on my hands and
> face.  The smell was pungent but not overwhelming.
> I started to feel sick
> breathing it in.
> The color is about the same as new motor oil.  I can
> almost see to the
> bottom (it is about 12" tall)  I am now very scarred
> and have not touched
> it since the thought came to my mind.  What could
> happen?  Is there a way
> to tell if it is PCBs?  The thing is probably around
> 35-40 years
> old.  There is no markings of any kind on the case.
>
> I have some other question too but the above is my
> main concern.  First, if
> some oil drips out is that ok?  It was so full that
> when I took the lid off
> some poured out.  Second, it had a cork type gasket
> and it is now broken
> up, what should I do to make sure it is completely
> sealed again?  Thanks
>
>
>
>

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