Encyclopedia of Environmental Science and Engineering, Volume I and II

PCBs AND ASSOCIATED AROMATICS 903

desk drawers at levels of about 75 μ g/m^2. The current cost

of the cleaning operation is estimated at $46,000,000 and

exceeds the cost of construction. The expense to dispose of

the building and replace was estimated at about $100,000,000

in 1981. Approximately $1.2 billion in law suits have been

entered against the State in this incident (Table 35).

The initial cleanup activity was to discard all the furniture

and inexpensive articles covered by soot. Some of the larger

items which were destroyed were as follows:

• 930 desks;


• 522 tables;


• 850 file cabinets;


• 110 map files;


• 200 typewriters;


• 15 postage machines;


• 15 computer terminals;


• 1,950 chairs;


• 325 bookcases;


• 310 storage cabinets;


• 292 benches, stools, couches,


• 5 microfiche readers.

A 26,000 gallon water treatment plant was installed in the

basement to handle the PCB-contaminated rinse waters.

In addition, a pollution control system was constructed to

eliminate the flow of potentially contaminated air from the

building to the outside environment.

The magnitude and scope of the remedial activities were

as follows:

• inventory of all equipment and records;


• removal of furniture and office equipment;
  
  
  • open all duct shafts for cleaning;
  
  
  • shred and bale all paper materials;
  
  
  • removal of all carpet;
  
  
  • removal of all bathroom and corridor accessories;
  
  
  • installation of temporary lighting on 16 floors;
  
  
  • vacuum exhaust dust shafts in bathrooms;
  
  
  • removal of exhaust dust shafts from bathrooms;
  
  
  • removal of duct work in basement;
  
  
  • removal of insulation from terminal boxes in
    basement;
  
  
  • removal of records and shelving from storage in
    basement;
  
  
  • washing and vacuuming all office areas;
  
  
  • removal, cleaning and replacement of all lighting
    fixtures and terminal boxes;
  
  
  • removal of vinyl and ceramic tile flooring;
  
  
  • removal of kitchen equipment;
  
  
  • washing and vacuuming of all floors, stairways
    and chases;
  
  
  • washing of 2,160 floor lights, 130 lobby lights,
    over 9,600 restroom accessories, 3,800 ceiling
    accessories and 2,500 heating accessories;
  
  
  • washing and vacuuming of the basement with
    removal of insulation and plaster ceiling;
  
  
  • washing and vacuuming elevator shafts and pits;
  
  
  • removal of fire-proofing from restrooms;
  
  
  • sealing ventilation chases; and
  
  
  • disposal of 2,646 cubic yards of carbon (Table 36).
  
  
  
  

A PCB transformer fire also occurred in the transformer

vault at One Market Plaza, San Francisco on May 15, 1983.

The vault contained three transformers which contained

Aroclor 1242 as the dielectric fluid, undiluted by chloro-

TABLE 35

PCDD and PCDF concentrations in soot from the state office building in Binghamton, NY

Compound Concentration mg/g Concentration mg/g

Tetra-CDF (total) 28 Tetra-CDD (total) 1.2

2,3,7,8-CDF 12 2,3,7,8-CDD 0.6

Penta-CDF (total) 670 Penta-CDD (total) 5.0

1,2,3,7,8-CDF 310 1,2,4,7,8-CDD 2.5

2,3,4,7,8-CDF 48

Hexa-CDF (total) 965 Hexa-CDD (total) 4.7

1,2,3,4,7,8-CDF 310

1,2,3,6,7,8-CDF 150

2,3,4,6,7,8-CDF 10

Hepta-CDF (total) 460 Hepta-CDD (total) 7.0

Octa-CDF 40 Octa-CDD 2.0

Total PCDF 2163 Total PCDD 19.9

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