This document presents the current state of knowledge about the production, usage, and distribution of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the United States. The information presented is derived from detailed studies on the production and first tier user industries, the past and present generation and disposition of PCB-containing wastes, environmental transport and cumulative loads, potential alternatives to PCBs usage, inadvertent losses to and potential formation in the environment, and current regulatory authorities for PCBs control. These results indicated that, although PCBs content of industrial wastes can be reduced through various approaches (treatment, substitution, etc.), there exists a potentially severe future hazard in the form of large amounts of PCBs currently contained in land disposal sites. Further definition of this and other aspects of the PCBs problem, and determination of ways to minimize the hazard, are recommended.

Contract no. 68-01-3259. Task I, final report. Includes bibliographies and appendices.