EPA halts export of WWII ship to China, citing toxic chemicals
by Terence Chea, Associated Press Writer
4 May 2004 (San Francisco, CA.) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has halted the export of a retired World War II ship to China because the vessel contained too many toxic chemicals.
The USS Crescent City, a decommissioned troop and supply ship currently docked at the former Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo, was set to be shipped to China to recycle into scrap metal last month.
Environmentalists are worried about 150 defunct naval ships around the country that could be exported abroad for disposal. Most of those dilapidated vessels are in Suisun Bay near San Francisco, Beaumont, Texas, and on the James River in Virginia.
The USS Crescent City contained "significant amounts" of polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, which were commonly used in paints, industrial equipment, plastics and rubber products before 1978, the EPA said Tuesday.
PCB's were banned after tests found that the chemicals can cause cancer in animals and harm the nervous, immune and endocrine systems in humans.
The EPA found PCB concentrations higher than 125,000 parts per million after analyzing more than 20 samples from different parts of the 490-foot-long ship during a recent two-day inspection. The Toxic Substances Control Act prohibits the export of materials containing more than 50 parts per million.
"We are concerned about transferring our hazardous materials to other countries that may not be as well-equipped or trained to deal with these materials," said Max Weintraub, the EPA's PCB program coordinator.
The EPA told the ship's owner, Sanship Inc. of Brownsville, Texas, that the company can't transport the ship overseas until the toxic materials were properly removed and disposed of, Weintraub said. They're still in discussions about the next step.
In early March, Earthjustice, an Oakland-based environmental group, notified the EPA and Sanship of its notice to sue if the USS Crescent City was exported overseas, according to Earthjustice attorney Marcello Mollo.
Earthjustice officials praised the EPA's action against the private company, but urged the agency to ensure that contaminated ships owned by the government are not exported.
"The U.S. shouldn't be exporting its toxic waste to other countries," Mollo said. "The U.S. is morally responsible for handling its own waste."
The EPA and the U.S. Maritime Administration, which oversees the decommissioned naval ships, are aware that those vessels could contain high concentrations of PCB's and are determining how to dispose of them, said the EPA's Weintraub.
Last year, Earthjustice and the Basel Action Network, a Seattle group that seeks to halt the export of toxic waste, successfully sued to stop the export of nine contaminated navy vessels that were destined for the United Kingdom.
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