PCBs (Polychlorinated biphenyl) are made up of more than 200 related compounds These manufactured substances exhibits many ideal characteristics such as fire resistance, high stability. They also do not conduct electricity and have low volatility at normal temperature.

These and other properties have made them desirable components in a wide range of industrial and consumer products. These same properties make the PCBs environmentally hazardous- especially their extreme resistance to chemical and biological breakdown by natural process in the environment. Due to their stability, PCBs have a high potential for bioaccumulation it is able to accumulate in aquatic environments such as lakes and rivers.

PCBs were first commercially manufactured around 1930. In 1966 environmental occurrence of PCBs were discovered. By 1972, scientific evidence suggested that PCBs posed a serous potential hazard to the environment and human health. The production of PCBs ceased in the mid- 1980s. At that time it was estimated that over one million tons were produced for all applications world - wide, and it is believed that a significant portion is still in use today..

However in Malaysia the importation of PCBs were only banned in June 1998 when The First Schedule of the Customs (Prohibition of Imports) Order 1998 of the Customs Act 1967 came into effect.

Therefore products that were imported or manufactured before June 1998 will contained PCBs. It is likely that the PCBs which were imported before this date are still in used by some industries, as there has not been any local study done on this.

Even though there has not been any reported cases of accidents related to PCBs in the country, but their existence in the Malaysian environment has been well documented.

PCBs which display excellent thermal stability and fire resistance have found its application in situation where fire-risk or thermal sensitivity might otherwise have been a problem. Besides their good dielectric characteristics have rendered it particularly attractive for electrical equipment uses such as transformers, capacitors and switchgear. Such uses are know as `closed applications`. Other applications have included non-dispersive use as hydraulic and heat exchange fluids. Dispersing uses are being found in carbonless copying paper, adhesives, mixtures with pentachlorophenols for wood treatment and in paints and varnishes. These are known as `open-ended applications.

Given the many applications of PCBs in industries it is likely that products and equipment that contained PCBs would be disposed off as regular garbage. This is because there has not been much concern given to the disposal of hazardous household waste such as electrical equipment or products which are likely to contain PCBs in Malaysia.

As early as 1985 tests conducted on shellfish collected from sea bed around Penang island showed PCBs content to be in the range of 400 - 600 ppb. The amount of PCBs detected exceeded the permitted level set by the Food and Drug Authority (FDA) of 300 ppb.

In 1992, tests conducted on 25 rivers in Peninsular Malaysia for PCBs residue showed that the amount was higher in the rivers that flow through industrial or densely populated area. The amount of PCBs detected was found to be in the range of 2.1 - 0.9 milligram per liter. This exceeds the level in the Proposed Interim National Quality Standards for Malaysia which sets a standard of 0.044 milligram per liter of PCBs in effluents.

In 1998 and 1999 tests conducted on green mussels collected from Malaysian coastal areas detected PCBs in the samples tested. Sample from Pasir Puteh in Johor Bahru had the highest level. On the other hand, the lowest readings were found in places like angkawi and Sabah where there are less human activities

** Results courtesy of Dr Shinsuke Tanabe - Department of Environment Conservation, College of Agriculture, Ehime University , Tarumi 3-5-7, Matsuyama 790 Japan

Domestic sources

It is estimated that Malaysians living in the urban area produce about 1.5 kilogram of solid waste per person per day This amount may include waste which contain PCBs.

In Malaysia, the disposal of solid waste (which may constitute products and equipment containing PCBs) is done almost solely through landfill method. There are about 177 disposal sites in Peninsular Malaysia. In most cases, open dumping is practiced and this takes places at about 50% of the total landfills

Incidences of fire occurring at dumpsite are common. One such case reported occurred in January of 1998, where a fire occurred at the Hulu Langat rubbish dump due to methane gas explosion. It was alleged that the improper release of the methane gas led to the fire.

Fire occurring at dumpsite

Our observation at some dumpsites in the country revealed that many of the landfills in the country are not properly maintained. At some dumpsite open burning and the release of gases are a common sight . Semi burnt plastic materials were seen strewn all over the landfill.

Landfills are not properly maintained

We also saw some used chemical bottle containing solvents,( materials which are egarded as scheduled wastes) thrown at the dumpsite.

Used chemical bottle containing solvents thrown at the dumpsite.

Toxic materials thrown at the dumpsite.

Cattle were also seen grazing on the dumpsite. As it has been well documented that smoke and gases from landfills are likely to be sources of dioxin and PCBs It is likely that these toxic materials will accumulate in these animals and enter the food chain.

Cattle seen grazing on the dumpsite

It is also the practice in Malaysia to salvage scrap metal from equipments and household electrical products. Metals such as fabricated iron, copper brass and lead are separated and sold either to be used by other industries or exported In this respect these equipments are stripped of these metal components and wastes are thrown into the regular garbage .

Metal components and electrical products and wastes thrown into the regular garbage.

Industrial sources of PCBs

The three types of industries that have been dominating the manufacturing sector are the electronics and electrical sector, the textiles and apparels, and the food and beverages. Most of the factories under the electronic and electrical sector are producing semiconductors, computers and peripherals while the fabricated metals sector manufactures jigs and fixtures, stamped metal parts, injection steel moulds, wire hardeners, bolts, nuts and screws.

Malaysia is a major exporter of passive components with a total export value at RM2.7 billion (US$710 million) in 1999.

More than 170 companies are involved in the manufacture of a wide range of products which includes capacitors, resistors, inductors, coil transformers magnets, quartz crystals and oscillators. Capacitors and resistors alone have export values amounting to RM1.5 billion(US$395 million) and RM600million (US$158 million) respectively.

Concomitant with the rapid industrial development is the generation of a large quantity of both hazardous and non - hazardous waste which need to be properly treated and disposed off to the environment Among the steps taken to curb this problem is the enactment of laws to protect the environment and human health from being exposed to toxic chemicals.

Generally industrial waste is referred to as scheduled wastes.

In Malaysia legislations pertaining to scheduled wastes comes under the purview of the Department of Environment (DOE). Under the Environmental Quality (Scheduled Waste) Regulation 1989, 107 categories of hazardous waste are defined as " scheduled wastes" one of which is PCBs .

Scheduled waste as defined in the First Schedule in the Environmental Quality (Scheduled Waste) Regulations 1989 are basically hazardous waste generated principally from industry. The generation, handling, transportation, treatment, storage and disposal of scheduled waste are governed by three sets of legislations which are

• The Environmental Quality (Scheduled Waste ) Regulation 1989.
• The Environmental Quality (Prescribed Premises) (Scheduled Waste Treatment
  and Disposal Facilities ) Regulation 1989.
• The Environmental Quality (Prescribed Premises) (Scheduled Waste Treatment
  and Disposal Facilities ) Order 1989.

These regulations require acceptable methods of storage, transportation and disposal, the facilities of which must be licensed by the Department of Environment.(DOE)

Under the prescribed legislations hazardous wastes are classified as scheduled wastes. However there is no precise definition for scheduled wastes as it can be classified into three large groups

• by products generated in the production processes
• sludge resulting from waste water treatment
• toxic items whose expiry date has passed.

Even though the Regulations cover scheduled waste, current definitions do not cover hazardous domestic waste such as batteries, fluorescent lamps, paints and chemicals (pesticides). Hazardous waste may be mixed with non - hazardous municipal waste.

Between 1995-1999, an average of 431,000 tons of scheduled wastes was generated per annum. These were mainly from the metal finishing, electronics, textile, chemical and chemical-related industries, agricultural and domestic activities and clinical waste from hospitals.

Presently there are no official data on the number and location of PCBs equipments
currently in used or where the stockpiles of used equipments containing PCBs.

According to TENAGA NATIONAL Berhad (our national power supplier) capacitor banks that were made before 1970 contained PCBs as insulators. A major portion of these capacitor banks were sent to the United Kingdom to be detoxified during the year 1989/90. At that time Malaysia did not have its own detoxification facilities.

However the detoxification process could not be continued as there was strong opposition from environmental groups in the United Kingdom.

Since then there is still a balance of 30 capacitor banks weighing 1200 kilogram kept at Prah in the state of Perak awaiting to be disposed at our Centralised Waste Management Centre operated by a private company called Kualiti Alam Sdn Bhd.

In the case of Toxic Waste, a joint venture integrated treatment system (Kualiti Alam Sdn .Bhd) was commissioned in 1997.It uses Danish technology to treat and dispose 107 types of scheduled waste (which includes PCBs) listed in the Environmental Quality Act .However, only a small proportion of the 800,000 tons of toxic industrial waste generated annually by local industry is treated in this facility.

According to the figures from DOE, since 1998 a total of 5.28 tons of PCBs were disposed of by Kualiti Alam Sdn Bhd .

The incineration plant at Kualiti Alam Sdn Bhd is equipped with a rotary kiln, a secondary combustion chamber and a flue gas- cleaning system. This facility will operate at a high temperature to maintain a volatile destruction and claim the removal of at least 99.999% of PCBs. Drums containing PCBs waste will be incinerated in this way.

The ash after incineration will be deposited in a landfill which is lined with impermeable layers. When the landfill is full it will be covered with a low density polyethylene liner to protect it from rain water and to minimize seepage.

Presently the legal tools available in Malaysia are only for controlling PCBs generated industrially . No effort has been given to eradicate PCBs which remain in consumer goods which were manufactured before 1998, or those which are disposed off at landfills.

In this context a concerted effort must be immediately taken both by the government and consumers to nib the problem in its bud and tackle the problem of the indiscriminate dumping of hazardous household waste.

We recommend that:

• The legal definition of scheduled wastes to be expended to address the treatment and disposal of PCBs
• An exercise be undertaken to inventory the existing stocks of PCBs, in raw or processed form, so that they can be disposed of safely.
• Stricter enforcement of environmental laws to ensure that PCBs are not dumped at landfills or open dumpsites
• Introduction of laws to mandate industrial and household waste segregation.

(Paper presented at the International Symposium to STOP PCBs Pollution
oraganised by The Consumers Association of Penang and Japan Offspring Fund at Sunway Hotel ,Penang 24th February 2003)

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