Mike Levin: “PCB's are an extremely sensitive matter in the Great Lakes region. These substances bioaccumulate, biomagnify and cause…”

“PCB's are an extremely sensitive matter in the Great Lakes region. These substances bioaccumulate, biomagnify and cause permanent damage to the environment and public health. And, they are ubiquitous. They are in the water, the sediment, and still stored around the country. Long ago, we made a decision to discontinue their manufacture and import because of their negative effects on human health. Recently, in March of this year, the EPA decided that a 15-year-old ban on the importation of PCB's should be lifted. This seems like a curious decision, since I am not aware that the negative health implications of PCB disposal, incineration or other treatment, which motivated the original ban have significantly changed in that time. I plan to review this decision very carefully and hope my colleagues will join me in that process. It is true that some novel and cleaner permanent destruction options are now nearly ready for commercial use. But, PCBs are toxic wastes that have an extremely long half-life and their basic characteristics have not changed. I am concerned about their importation especially if they are simply going to be landfilled or their incineration generates dioxins and other air toxics.”