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Polychlorinated biphenyls in old military stocks

1K views 10 replies 9 participants last post by  mercman 
#1 ·
Another thread brought this up as I used to work with PCB disposal at a power transformer manufacturer and repair shop.

PCB is some nasty stuff causing skin issues and cancer from less exposure than you might think.

The stuff was banned but it's still turns up in older transformers that come in for repair. Our shop would test and if it's <50 ppm we would use it as fuel for our big rigs, if it was greater it went to hazardous disposal.


My knowledge is mostly limited to transformers.

However, i seem to remember Westinghouse making m1 carbines? What about m1 garand ?

It seems a possibility that old stocks could be contaminated with oil contains PCB. So I thought I'd see if anyone had any info on where the oil old stocks contain came from.

Wikipedia claims Monsanto chemical was the only manufacturer so if you can trace oils used in weapon storage and stock preserving or manufacturing to them and their product....

A basic question some might know is did Westinghouse make rifle stocks between 1900 and 1970?
 
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#2 ·
I also worked with PCB's as a lineman for 16 years. Used to have to open up transformers and rewire them for different configurations. Good stuff for oiling pliers! It was in the '80's that the deadly effects of PCB's became common knowlege. No telling how many times I took my hands out of that oil and put a chew of tobacco in my mouth. And some guys in the underground unit would strip down to their underwear and wade around in that oil up to their waist. Always glad I never had to.
 
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#9 ·
I remember about 15-20 years ago speaking to an old retired man who'd worked for the power company for many years.
He spoke of putting his whole arm down in the oil inside transformers for years, and said nobody felt unsafe doing it in his time.
He seemed dismissive of the threat. (HIS opinion)
I do know he lived to a ripe old age and died of natural causes.
 
#3 ·
I'd often work for rigging/crane companies in my 40 year career. A number of times back in the 70's/80's/90's we'd R&R transformers for industrial/refinery/commercial concerns with new ones. None were leaking but I'm sure that crap's residues were all over them. Hope I don't get anything .
 
#4 ·
Good question!

During WWII, many manufacturing facilities were 'retooled' for wartime production of various items. I'm sure half of 'em were contaminated with whatever they were working on at the time, while machinery and other production supplies were just pushed aside to make room for the wartime production.

I mean, Hey!, it's not like "Hazardous Waste" was even part of our vocabulary in 1940. Hell, "Worker Safety" wasn't a priority either. I worked a spell in the old Raritan Armory, in New Jersey, and I saw all kinds of crazy stuff left over from WWII production efforts. Ginourmous vats, barrels, and 'dump-sites,' litter the old Armory/production facility.
Something to think about!


louie, out!
 
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#5 ·
I have no backing data but these WW2 War production guys were no fools One would think the war production board back then would keep machine shops still working with metals during the war effort only changing tooling in the transition and wood shops would have stayed with wood and wood tools retooling for wooden items needed be what they may. Ye olde round peg in ye olde round hole
 
#6 ·
I don't see the connection. Transformer oil/coolant is a petroleum oil. Rifle stock oils are vegetable based, either tung or linseed. In fact petroleum based oil is horrible on wood and will make it break down and go soft. So, I don't understand where in this process a petroleum product containing PCBs would end up on a military wood rifle stock?
 
#7 ·
Based on what I was taught it's not outside he realm of possibility that rifle stocks could have been contaminated. being that over 150 ppm is considered bad with over 1000ppm being real bad news....

it's a weak connection but switch some tanks switched over to hold oil for stocks that had PCB and you've got a problem.

Just wanted to discuss it a bit for sanding away at filthy oily stocks.

We had equipment the owner bought when they sold the Westinghouse factory. did they really junk all the pipe and tanks or could those have gone to other countries?

A member asked if refinishing a stock could have health hazards, and I do not believe so.

PCB would just be bad because it penetrates rubber gloves and nitrile rubber. But the danger isn't from stocks most likely but it is from old brown transformers.

We were taught some people had a fish fry once and almost two thousand people got sick because their cooking oil was contained by PCB. The stuff is pesky....
 
#8 ·
PCBs are not petroleum based, more nearly a mixture of carbon and chlorine of varying proportions, although over time they may have become mixed with mineral oil in transformers. Worse and far more toxic than PCBs is that nasty byproduct of their incomplete combustion (such as mixing them with fuel): Dioxin. Now there is a real bad actor.
 
#11 ·
Same. Many years ago I worked as a CNC Tech for Boeing Aerospace. Every Christmas and Turkeyday weekend we would pull PM's on the internal substations. I'd be up to my armpits in PCB transformer oil and to this day I have no ill effects..........well except that I glow in the dark................that's normal..............right?
 
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