Source: https://www.providencejournal.com, May 29, 2019
By: Alex Kuffner
The developer of the Phillipsdale Landing complex in Rumford has agreed to an $82,000 settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over allegations of mishandling toxic chemicals.
Bourne Holdings, of Pawtucket, agreed to pay the fine to settle allegations of six counts of violating federal regulations for the safe handling and management of polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs.
The case stemmed from an April 2018 inspection in which the EPA documented the improper storage of PCBs and items that came into contact with PCBs. Inspectors with the agency also confirmed that a PCB transformer on the site had been dismantled and that some of the parts had been sold as scrap without being decontaminated.
PCBs are human-made organic chemicals that were manufactured in the United States from 1929 until they were banned in 1979. They were used in hydraulic and electrical equipment, paints, plastics, dyes and industrial devices. They have been tied to cancers in humans and there is evidence that they interfere with the immune and reproductive systems, according to the EPA.
“The violations at Phillipsdale Landing were significant given the quantity and concentration of PCBs involved,” the EPA said in a statement.