EPA Charges Medical Center in Oceanside With PCB Leak

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed a $15,000 civil penalty against Tri-City Medical Center in Oceanside for polychlorinated biphenyl violations.

According to a complaint issued by the EPA, a small amount of fluid containing PCBs leaked from an electrical transformer in the medical center. The EPA also charged that the transformer’s location was neither properly marked nor registered with the Fire Department, and that administrative records were not kept for several years.

The civil complaint was issued by the EPA under the federal Toxic Substances Control Act, which governs the proper management of PCBs.

PCBs belong to a broad family of organic chemicals known as chlorinated hydrocarbons. They are widely used in hydraulic and heat-transfer systems and as an insulating fluid in electrical equipment.

The federal government banned the manufacture of PCBs in 1979 because of their toxicity and persistence in the environment. They are classified as a probable human carcinogen.