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Where are Russian PCBs

Where are Russian PCBs.

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Where are Russian PCBs

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  1. Where are Russian PCBs

  2. One of the largest manufacturers of PCBs in the USSR was located in the city of Dzerzhinsk (Nizhny Novgorod region). About 145 thousand tonnes of PCBs were produced there under the brand names sovol (1939-1990), sovtol (1939-1987) and trichlorobiphenyl (TCB) (1968-1990).

  3. The long-term production and use of PCBs had an impact on the environment in Dzerzhinsk and Russia in general. Repeatedly, PCBs were found in the soils of Dzerzhinsk. In 1995, during the World Health Organization (WHO) project to assess the contamination of breast milk in women of Dzerzhinsk, PCB concentrations were the highest among 5 cities of Russia - 19.65 pg TEQ / g fat. In 2005, within the framework of the International Project IPEP, assessment of the contamination of food by POPs in chicken eggs of Dzerzhinsk and Nizhny Novgorod households f ound high concentrations of PCBs.

  4. The first public inventory of PCBs in Russia Russia has stopped the production of PCBs about 20 years ago. In order to fulfil the requirements of the Stockholm Convention to remove PCBs containing equipment from use, it is necessary to understand where PCBs are located.

  5. According to an inventory carried out by Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) and Minpromnauka at the end of the 1990s, about 30,000 tones of PCBs filled in equipment and containers were found in the whole country. In 1999 there were 985 tonnes of PCBs recorded in the Nizhny Novgorod region. However, in 2005, when eco-SPES carried out its inventory in the region, only 8% of these quantities (120.5 tonnes) were found. In 1999, there were 336 transformers and about 14,000 capacitors and in 2005, only 53 transformers, and 984 capacitors were still in operation.

  6. It is possible that due to loss of documentation or poor labelling, contained equipment was not included in any records and continues to be used. The equipment might also have been decommissioned and the PCBs wastes illegally destroyed or given to private entrepreneurs for "recycling". In addition, several entities previously holding PCB equipment had been subject to bankruptcy or liquidation.

  7. In addition to the inventory, assessments of polluted sites have been undertaken under the IPEP project. For example, in the waters near the waste landfill in Nizhny Novgorod and Dzerzhinsk PCB concentrations repeatedly exceeded the maximum allowable levels. In the sediments of the Volosyanikha channel that for more than 50 years served as the reservoir for effluent from the Dzerzhinsk chemical plants, high concentrations of PCBs were also found.

  8. Administrative barriers During the inventory it was found that environmental authorities in Russia - both regional and federal entities – lack information on the presence of PCB containing equipment and wastes, regulations related to PCBs and the environmentally sound management of PCBs. Russian environmental NGOs are concerned that the reform of state environmental agencies will result in the reduction in functions of these agencies, causing further loss of information.

  9. On several occasions, eco-SPES has been consulted by private sector enterprises on treatment technologies for PCBs and on personal protection measures to take when handling PCBs.

  10. Dmitry LevashovNGO eco-SPES, Dzerzhinsk, Russia. E-mail: levashow@mail.ru

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