Introduction
These Guidelines explain the options available when one needs to remediate a polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) problem or when a building containing PCBs needs to be renovated or demolished. The following circumstances might apply:
One might need to remediate adverse health conditions in an entire building or parts of it resulting from PCBs in indoor air.
One might need to renovate all or parts of a building containing PCBs.
One might need to demolish a building or building parts containing PCBs.
These Guidelines outline methods for:
Remediating PCB problems affecting indoor climate.
Separating PCBs from waste during remediation, renovation, or demolition.
These issues may occur simultaneously as renovation may expose PCBs, prompting an investigation into whether the PCB content in indoor air is tolerable in terms of human health.
The extent to which PCBs in a building require management depends on the specific materials containing PCBs and their concentrations of PCBs, for example. It also depends on the type of work to be carried out and the attendant measures required to protect people and the environment as well as ensuring correct waste handling.
Relation to Other Guidelines
The Guidelines tie in with SBi Guidelines 241, Survey and Assessment of Building-Related PCBs (Andersen, 2015), and outline how to determine whether:
Furthermore, SBi Guidelines 241 outlines how to conduct mapping to identify sources of excessive levels of PCB exposure in indoor air and how to facilitate the correct separation of construction and demolition waste (CDW) containing PCB, in compliance with provisions of the Statutory order on Waste (Ministry of the Environment, 2012).
Concerning demolition, these Guidelines are complemented by SBI Guidelines 171, Nedrivning af bygninger og anlægskonstruktioner (Demolition of Buildings and Plants) (Lauritzen and Jacobsen, 1991).
Background
These Guidelines assume that PCBs have been confirmed in the building in question, necessitating one or more of the following interventions:
Remediation
Renovation
Demolition.
The Guidelines can be applied when an investigation has been conducted that either focuses on the implications of PCBs for human health or is based on the provisions of the Statutory Order on Waste (see SBi Guidelines 241, Survey and Assessment of Building-Related PCBs (Andersen, 2015)).
Remediation, renovation, and demolition and the specialist terms and concepts used in the Guidelines are defined in the introduction to SBi Guidelines 241, Survey and Assessment of Building-Related PCBs (Andersen, 2015).
Remediation
If circumstances dictate mitigating PCB content in indoor air for health reasons, the Guidelines assume that the following steps have been taken:
a preliminary investigation has verified excessive exposure levels of PCB in indoor air,
the most obvious PCB sources have been identified and mapped and their PCB content is known,
the ventilation systems in the building have been examined,
temporary abatement measures have been implemented (cleaning, increased air exchange rate, and possibly encapsulating or enclosing caulk), and
PCB concentrations in indoor air have been subject to systematic measurements (after the implementation of temporary abatement measures).
In some cases, temporary abatement measures will be sufficient to achieve tolerable levels of PCB concentrations in indoor air. A distinction should be made between an acute need for temporary abatement and a long-term provisional solution. A long-term provisional solution will result in a tolerably healthy environment. However, the PCBs remain and must be dealt with and managed later. Unless PCB sources are removed, it will be necessary to ensure that remediation measures are consistent and sufficiently effective on a continual basis. Furthermore, it will be necessary to ensure that any remaining PCBs are handled safely during subsequent maintenance, renovation, or demolition work.
Removal or modification of PCB sources will be necessary if the temporary abatement proves insufficient. This will entail exhaustive mapping of potential PCB sources and their PCB content. SBi Guidelines 241, Survey and Assessment of Building-Related PCBs (Andersen, 2015) details how to carry out this mapping.
Renovation or Demolition
For renovation or demolition of buildings containing PCB, the Guidelines assume that the following steps have been taken:
The location, extent, and scale of PCB sources has been mapped, so that the generation of waste containing PCB can be determined.
The content of PCB sources is known, so that the waste can be classified according to the provisions of the Statutory Order on Waste.
This was detailed in SBi Guidelines 241, Survey and Assessment of Building-Related PCBs (Andersen, 2015).
Structure of the Guidelines
The Guidelines are intended as a reference and there will be some textual repetition.
Certain sections in the Guidelines will be relevant to all readers. Others will only apply to readers with specific concerns. Sections 2, 3, and 4 outline the process to be followed in the instance of remediation, renovation, or demolition, respectively. The three sections are self-contained and can be read separately. Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of the structural layout of the Guidelines.
Section 1 details how PCBs are dispersed and how the potency of the sources is altered after intervention. This section also outlines the process of remediation, renovation, or demolition relative to buildings containing PCBs and the applicable public authority requirements.
Section 2 describes the key elements of remediation in general terms, based on excessive levels of PCB exposure in indoor air.
Sections in the Guidelines
Figure 1. Schematic view of sections in these Guidelines, highlighting those sections specifically relevant to readers in the following situations: remediation relative to health issues, renovation, or demolition subject to requirements in the Statutory Order on Waste.
The description addresses issues related to PCB. The section introduces general principles of remediation by source removal, reduction, or source control.
Section 3 is a general outline to the key elements of a renovation project where PCBs have been identified in the building, highlighting the management of PCB-containing materials in compliance with the Statutory Order on Waste.
Section 4 is a general outline of the key elements of a demolition project where PCBs have been identified in the building, highlighting the management of PCB-contaminated materials in compliance with the Statutory Order on Waste.
Section 5 addresses various remediation measures and technologies, including e.g. mode of action and special health and safety issues. The practical implementation, tools, etc., are also described.
Section 6 is a summary presentation of those safety and environmental issues connected to the management of building-related PCB. The section is subdivided into:
Section 7 addresses PCB-contaminated waste, outlining the rules relative to the classification, handling, storage, reporting, and disposal of CDW containing PCBs in compliance with the Statutory Order on Waste.
Finally, the Guidelines conclude with appendices covering examples of remediation, including the removal of PCBs in several completed cases.
Reading Instructions
Table 1 lists some questions relating to the management of PCBs in buildings and where to find the answers in the Guidelines.
Table 1. Reading instructions.