PCBs are synthetic chemical compounds that are fire resistant and chemically stable. They do not conduct electricity and have low volatility. While these properties made PCBs useful as insulating fluids in electrical equipment, they also made PCBs environmentally hazardous because of their resistance to chemical and biological breakdown in the environment.
Beginning in the mid 1980s, any new equipment purchased by SaskPower was free of PCBs. Meanwhile, transformers and capacitors containing high levels of PCBs were replaced. Large mineral oil transformers were tested and decontaminated if necessary. Distribution class transformers in sensitive locations were sampled and replaced if they contained greater than five parts per million (ppm) of PCBs. Currently, as equipment comes out of service, it is tested for PCBs and handled, stored and disposed of appropriately.
