Presented by  2010
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Wednesday, March 31, 201010:30 am PDT/ 1:30 pm EDT |
View Webinar Recording |
Before PCBs were recognized as an environmental concern in the early 1970s, they were used as fireproof fluids in electrical equipment and heat transfer units, as well as hundreds of other industrial applications. Today, the U.S. EPA estimates that approximately 255 sites in the United States are predominantly contaminated with PCBs, with remedial costs in the billions of dollars.
In this 60-minute webinar, we will explain the basic chemistry of PCBs (e.g., what are congeners and homologues), and we will provide an overview of PCBs behavior in the environment. We will also discuss the principles of PCB fingerprinting tools and approaches that can be used to identify the PCB sources in a site’s environmental media for the purpose of source allocation and remedy apportionment.
We will also explore the relationship between the chemical properties and risk profiles of PCBs and drivers for natural resource damages. We will describe and illustrate how a thorough understanding of these relationships is important in NRDA litigation or in negotiating equitable settlements.
Several case studies will be included to illustrate these topics.
Speakers:
Charles A. Menzie, Ph.D.
Principal Scientist and Practice Director
Dr. Menzie's primary area of expertise is the environmental fate and effects of physical, biological, and chemical stressors on terrestrial and aquatic systems.
Pieter N. Booth
Principal
Mr. Booth has 28 years of experience as an environmental scientist and program manager specializing in ecotoxicology and risk assessment, natural resource damage assessment (NRDA), and restoration of natural systems.
Tarek Saba, Ph.D.
Managing Scientist
Dr. Saba has 10 years of consulting experience in combining chemical fingerprinting methods with hydrogeologic and numerical analysis to identify sources of PAHs, PCBs, chlorinated solvents, NAPL, and petroleum hydrocarbons at contaminated sites.