| Abstract: | In 1991, a fire occurred at a foundry in western Pennsylvania. The fire started in capacitors that contained polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and subsequent sampling has indicated that PCBs and products of their incomplete combustion, the polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), were released as a result of the fire. This article develops and provides justification for site-specific cleanup levels for the PCBs, PCDDs, and PCDFs accidentally released into this industrial facility during the fire. Cleanup levels were calculated using standard risk assessment approaches and assumptions, and these riskbased values were compared with cleanup criteria used for other sites. Final criteria were established based on this comparison and a consideration of such site-specific factors as migration potential, industrial use patterns, and the small mass of material present. |
