Fluorescent Light Ballasts (FLB)

The EHS Department is responsible for managing the removal, storage, and recycling/disposal of Fluorescent Light Ballasts (FLB) in buildings across the campus.

Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) belong to a broad family of man-made organic chemicals known as chlorinated hydrocarbons. PCBs were domestically manufactured from 1929 until manufacturing was banned in 1979. They have a range of toxicity and vary in consistency from thin, light-colored liquids to yellow or black waxy solids.  Due to their non-flammability, chemical stability, high boiling point and electrical insulating properties, PCBs were used in hundreds of industrial and commercial applications.

Although no longer commercially produced in the United States, PCBs may be present in products and materials produced before the 1979 PCB ban in campus buildings constructed prior to 1980.  Products that may contain PCBs include, but are not limited to:

• Transformers and capacitors
• Electrical equipment including voltage regulators, switches, re-closers, bushings, and electromagnets
• Old electrical devices or appliances containing PCB capacitors
• Fluorescent light ballasts.