New PCB Regulations Coming Soon for Demolition Companies Operating in the San Francisco Bay Area

New demolition regulations are coming soon for businesses involved with demolition activities in seven counties surrounding San Francisco Bay. Effective July 1^st, 2019, companies involved with the demolition of buildings constructed between 1950 and 1980 will face new regulations concerning polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) as part of the demolition permit application process.
 
These new changes come from the Bay Area Stormwater Management Agencies Association (BASMAA) and its effort to prevent runoff from building demolition projects that could contain PCBs. These PCB-containing materials, found in some older buildings, may include some forms of caulking materials, pipe insulation, fiberglass insulation, adhesives and mastics. Other materials that may contain PCBs include fluorescent light ballasts and some old paints and specialty coatings.
 
PCBs are manmade toxic chemicals that are no longer produced in the United States.  Their use was discontinued in 1979 because the chemicals persist in the environment and can bioaccumulate in humans and animals. Their chemical structure allows them to remain for long periods of time cycling between air, water and soil. Exposure to PCBs has been demonstrated to cause a variety of adverse health effects on the immune, reproductive, nervous and endocrine systems.
 
“The only way to know if old building materials contain PCBs is to have them tested,” said Jeff Bannon, Vice President of Environmental Services at Clark Seif Clark (CSC). “The building science and environmental professionals at CSC offer PCB testing and monitoring from these materials and from environmental samples to assist companies in their screening and compliance efforts as part of the new regulations and permitting process.”
 
To learn more about PCBs or other occupational, air quality, environmental, health and safety testing services, please visit www.csceng.com, email csc@csceng.com or call (800) 807-1118. 
 
About Clark Seif Clark
CSC was established in 1989 to help clients in both public and private sectors address indoor air quality, occupational, environmental, and health and safety (EH&S) issues. CSC is a leading provider of these services with multiple offices along the western seaboard and southwest. The company believes in science-based protocols and has a strong background in engineering, making them the preferred environmental consultants to industrial clients, healthcare facilities, architects, schools, builders, contractors, developers and real estate professionals.
 

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Paul Cochrane

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Cochrane & Associates, LLC

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