On May 28, 2015, Region 1 filed a consent agreement and final order settling a claim for a civil penalty against Environmental Services, Inc. for allegedly improperly manifesting polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) waste in violation of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), 15 U.S.C. ? 2601 et seq. and 40 C.F.R. Part 761. The failure to properly identify PCBs in waste shipments presents a great risk of harm to human health and the environment. The shipment of PCB-contaminated waste to a facility that is not authorized to dispose of PCBs may result in the release of PCBs into the environment and/or the exposure of humans to PCBs. Once in the environment, PCBs do not readily break down and therefore may remain for long periods of time cycling between air, water, and soil. PCBs are a probable human carcinogen and have been demonstrated to cause a variety of other adverse health effects on the immune system, reproductive system, nervous system, and endocrine system.
The violations occurred at a high school located in Ansonia, Connecticut. The settlement calls for the payment of a $7,000 penalty