Because of health concerns expressed by residents of the area surrounding Bloomington, Indiana, in 1992 Senator Richard Lugar and Congressman Frank McCloskey asked ATSDR to address any potential public health implications of incinerating wastes contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from six hazardous waste sites in and around Bloomington. In response to this request, ATSDR has undertaken a multi-phase project. The Bloomington PCB Project has three purposes: to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the impact on public health of six hazardous waste sites containing PCB-contaminated soil; to determine any potential public health implications of incinerating the PCB-contaminated wastes; and to identify and evaluate the pertinent public health considerations of technically feasible remedial strategies other than incineration aimed at the treatment and disposal of PCB-contaminated wastes. Three expert panels composed of 30 national experts outside of ATSDR assisted in conducting four tasks defined by ATSDRO. In September 1993, ATSDR convened the panels at Indiana University, in Bloomington. The panels were charged with identifying and evaluating all pertinent data and information related to the public health implications of human exposure to PCBs. To ensure that the diverse viewpoints were expressed, the panels were not asked to reach consensus. These proceedings are a summary of the panels' deliberations.

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