Thursday May 8

Expert to discuss PCB hazards

By Melanie Carroll / Daily News Staff Writer

Anyone who has questions about the dangers posed by PCBs can ask an expert next week at a meeting to be held within sight of a looming structure believed to be laden with the toxic compound - the iconic "Hangar One" at Moffett Field in Mountain View.

The Navy is bringing in an expert from the federal Environmental Protection Agency to discuss polychlorinated biphenyl's, generally known as PCBs. The military branch, which once owned the massive hangar that had housed the USS Macon airship, is responsible for getting rid of any PCBs at the site.

PCBs are organic chemicals manufactured from 1929 until 1979, when they were banned, according to the EPA. The toxic compound was used for industrial and commercial products including paints, plastics, pigments and dyes.

At this year's third Restoration Advisory Board meeting on May 15, the Navy is slated to talk with the community about what PCBs are and why they are bad for you, said Darren Newton, the Navy's Base Realignment and Closure environmental coordinator.

"We're required to mitigate for PCBs in the environment" around the hangar, Newton said, adding that some people are not convinced the EPA-regulated chemicals are a problem.

Some argue PCBs are not as hazardous as previously thought, said Bill Stubkjaer, curator at the Moffett Field Museum. And some are uncertain that PCBs detected at the site actually come from Hangar One, the curator said.

Two years ago, the Navy announced plans to seal the hangar's siding panels with a temporary clear coating to halt the shedding of PCBs until it demolishes the entire structure. The announcement led to an outcry from those wishing to save the hangar, and the Navy subsequently promised to reconsider.

In January, Navy officials entered into a six-month agreement with Seattle-based Exceltech Consulting to analyze the hangar's structure. That work has yet to be completed, though Newton said the goal is to provide the public with structural analysis results this summer.

"I really don't know why it's taking this long," said Bob Moss, co-chairman of the advisory board.

The military is slated to release an environmental evaluation and cost analysis that will recommend one of five alternatives: Cover the hangar in a rubber-like material; give it an acrylic coating; cover it with a visually similar siding; or remove the siding and coat exposed surfaces. The final option is to demolish and remove the hangar.

The May 15 meeting will start at 7 p.m. in Building 943, just outside the Moffett Field gates.



E-mail Melanie Carroll at mcarroll@dailynewsgroup.com.