As part of a settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the University of Connecticut has taken steps to ensure that its PCB waste will be properly disposed of in the future.
The federal agency claimed that the school improperly dumped contaminated waste during a 2013 renovation project at its Storrs campus.
The university disposed of the waste containing polychlorinated biphenyls during a window replacement project. The EPA lists PCBs as probable carcinogens.
Federal law says that such waste can only be sent to an approved facility. UConn and its contractors sent the waste to an unlicensed facility for disposal. PCBs do not easily break down and can remain in soil for long periods of time.
UConn will also pay a penalty of more than $28,000 as part of the settlement.
