PCB Contamination -- Polychlorinated biphenyl -- How dangerous?

[Psi em]

Anybody have experience hanging around this stuff? A lot of businesses went bust when PCB dumping was banned, but the bust businesses still own lots of land that nobody wants to touch because the land is potentially toxic. Even if the land isn't toxic, looks like nobody wants to deal with the EPA after buying it, so there's large chunks out there just sitting there waiting for a government tax auction.

Has anybody ever risked it and squatted on potentially contaminated land?
Did you get sick?
Did you die?
An inquiring mind wants to know!

 

[Tude]

heh - I spent a couple of Summer's swimming in this closed off pond, stayed many weekends there camping - it was awesome - had great times in the mid 70's. Then went to work for a big box company in the 80's (Mobil Chemical) in the environmental department and la la filed some of the freaking many governmental updates and ... wtf. Where I was swimming (yeah I know it was chained off and had multiple NO TRESPASSING, etc signs) - well - it was a Superfund site. Chock full loaded full of rotting drums of nasty cancer causing chemicals on the bottom of the pond - some farmer thought he would "hide" them for some paybacks from a local company! TOTAL FUCKING YAY!!!

Well that was 25 yrs ago and I am still not glowing in the dark, nor do I have any cancers that I know of. Ick. I will follow up with someone I know who may know more about these known sites and how they are treating them for re-habitation.

 

[Psi em]

Only rehabilitation I've seen is digging up the dirt and moving it some place where nobody can find it. The most contaminated places now look like giant craters after rehab. Then the surrounding areas have little signs posted to let folks know that the land is fucked without raising much alarm: "Don't Eat the Fish"; "Don't Drink the Water".

But them businesses were making big money and owned a lot of raw land and lakes all over the place before the feds came after them. So I might become a lab rat, take one for the team and try it out. Bailing out if my nose starts bleeding or something.

 

[Tude]

Or ... if you glow in the dark ..... jk