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EPA knew of
PCBs in 1986
By MARY K. BLEWITT
Arundel Newspaper* State Writer
Two years after discovering PCBs in the Shenandoah River and only three months after notifying the public, Virginia officials have learned that the federal Environmental Protection Agency was aware of PCB mishandling over three years ago and is pursuing the possibility that Avtex Fibers of Front Royal deliberately dumped the toxic substance.
State officials are seeking aid from the Virginia State Police and answers from the EPA after filing suit against Avtex last week for allegedly discharging PCBs into the Shenandoah River.
After the Virginia Department of Health issued a health advisory in Maywaming against the consumption of fish caught in the North and South Fork and mainstream of the river, the state named Avtex as the source of the PCB contamination on Monday, Aug. 28.
PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, were used as cooling fluids in capacitors and transformers until a decade ago when their manufacture was banned. The highly toxic compounds are suspected of causing cancer, liver defects, and reduced reproduction levels. ,
The attorney general’s office called upon the assistance of the Virginia State Police, requesting an investigation to determine whether or not the PCB contamination was a result of a deliberate, and criminal act. VSP investigators served a search
See AVTEX, p. 16
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