2023-06-18 14:46:37
Polychlorinated Biphenyls, better known as PCBs, returned to settle in the eye of the storm, following the They found three buried transformers that would have this highly polluting substance on a property belonging to the Plottier electric cooperative.
More than 20 years ago the same debate took place, with conflicting currents. But finally the World Health Organization decided to ban them.
As explained by the secretary of Coordination and Infrastructure of the municipality of Neuquén, Alejandro Nicola, former Minister of Energy of Neuquén, the vast majority of the transformers that exist in Neuquén were replaced by others that do not contain PCBsif not other oils or resins. Those that remain are those that have not yet come out of operation and are the oldest. Such is the case of those found in Plotttier.
To understand the high polluting power of PCBs and the consequences that the environment entails for the health of populations, it is necessary to begin by defining that Polychlorinated Biphenylss are part of a family of 209 chemical compounds formed by two benzene rings and 1 to 10 chlorine atoms. Its substances of very high chemical stability, low flammability and resistant to thermal degradation.
For these characteristics turned out to be very effective for electrical transformers and fulfilled the function of refrigerant and insulator of the entire internal system of the devices.
The manager of the Bariloche Electric Cooperative, Federico Lutz explained that “they were mainly placed in areas where the transformers were exposed to high temperaturesbut this is exclusive of the fact that they have existed or that one still remains in other regions with lower temperatures”.
Nicola further explained that PCB was seen as an effective substance for aisolate and prevent electrical short circuits and subsequent fires from occurring inside the transformers.
“This is the positive but then comes the negative. The PCB is highly polluting and does not degrade. But also, the most important thing is that it has a high propagation through wateradded Lutz.
For this reason, explained the manager, the final disposal of these devices when they come out of operation, requires a very strict procedure.
In Argentina, the Kioshi firm is in charge of carrying out this work. The electrical cooperatives, public and private entities must contract it and the signature It is in charge of putting the transformer in condition, processing the PCB and transporting it to its final disposal center.
But going back to the dangerousness of the substance, hIt must be mentioned that it causes severe damage to several generations of all living beings and in the environment.
It pollutes the air, the soil there enters the groundwater and of course, Contaminates water.
Contaminating transformers in Plottier: when and how PCB exposure occurs
Although today the use of PCBs is prohibited by the World Health Organization, ancient artifacts containing it may still remain and have not been disposed of.
Avoid using old fluorescent tubes and appliances such as televisions and refrigerators made 30 years or more. These items may leak small amounts of PCBs.
PCBs can be ingested by eating food, especially fish, which were exposed to the substance.
Children must be warned that do not play with old appliances, electrical items or transformers, as they may contain PCBs.
Children should be discouraged from playing in soils near uncontrolled hazardous waste sites and in areas where a transformer caught fire.
The specialists also clarified that the workers of electrical cooperatives, public or private entities, who might be exposed to PCBs due to repairs or before the explosion of a transformer, may carry these shousehold substances on your clothing, body, or tools. In that case, they should change their clothes before leaving work.
Polluting transformers in Plottier: the impact on the health of living beings and the environment
To start talking regarding the great risks that Polychlorinated Beniphenyls bring to the health of living beings and to the environment, it must be said that There are no natural sources of PCBs, they are synthetic compounds produced by man.
PCBs are easily transported through the air in the form of small particles and They can be deposited at great distances from the place where they were generated.
They do not dissolve in the water, they remain deposits in the bed of the watercourses. When ingested by microorganisms and fish, they accumulate in their fatty tissues, and can thus reach humans through the food chain.
A study by the University of Rosario determined that the air is not an important source of contamination. But if soil and animal intake, mainly fish, contaminated.
Humans exposed to PCBs can develop severe liver damage, skin lesions such as acne or rashes, impaired reproductive function, disorders of thyroid hormones, and cancer.
“Once they enter the organism, Polychlorinated Biphenyls are distributed in the tissues, they accumulate in the skin and fatty tissue. In pregnant women, they cross the placenta and are distributed in the tissues of the fetus and may even reach the same levels of contamination in the mother’s blood. They also accumulate in breast milk,” explained a health professional from the local hospital.
In children it can cause neurological and immunological alterations. The little ones gestated by PCB-contaminated mothers may present motor skills and memory problems.
The workers of the electrical entities that were exposed to the PCB, Due to inadequate procedures in the handling of transformers, they can suffer liver and pancreas damage.
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