As the first municipality in Denmark, the Copenhagen Municipality has examined the occurrence of the toxin PCB in sealing compounds in municipal buildings. So far, it looks as if there is less PCB than originally feared.

Only very few of the buildings owned by the Copenhagen Municipality have a high concentration of the toxin PCB in sealing compounds. This appears from a new report made by Copenhagen Properties. Copenhagen Properties asked ALECTIA to screen a number of the municipality’s buildings for the occurrence of PCB in the sealing compounds. 142 of the 570 municipal buildings defined as potential risk zones have been examined. The selected buildings were constructed from 1950 to 1977, when PCB was still used, and housed children, young people, or users staying for longer periods at a time.  

The examination discovered two buildings with a high concentration of PCB in some external sealants, and a small amount of buildings with moderate concentrations of PCB. An increased level of PCB poses a potential health hazard for the users of the building.

Project manager i Copenhagen Properties, Kasper Jacoby, says: ”It is positive to learn that only a few of the examined buildings have a high occurrence of PCB in sealing compounds. In the light of experiences in Sweden, we had feared many more occurrences. But having said that, we of course take the actual occurrences of PCB very seriously. We have therefore initiated aerometric measurements to examine whether there is a health hazard for the users.”

Two occurrences of high PCB concentration in the municipality
Copenhagen Properties will now measure the air inside the two buildings where a high concentration of PCB was found in external sealants. The measurements will assess whether the PCB poses a health hazard for the users of the buildings, and whether it will be necessary to remove the materials containing PCB.

When the air measurements are finished, Copenhagen Properties will present an action plan to the politicians for the future handling of PCB in the municipal buildings. Among other things, the politicians have to decide whether to initiate a screening of the remaining 428 buildings in the risk zone.

The result of the measurements will finally give the politicians the possibility to assess the total occurrences of PCB in the buildings of the Copenhagen Municipality and get an idea of the future investment needs to an ongoing removal of the materials containing PCH in a safe manner.    

Copenhagen Properties have started a quality assurance process for results of the final examination to find out whether the methods used can be applied to future PCB examinations.   

ALECTIA has wide experience with PCB screening
ALECTIA has screened many buildings to find occurrences of PCB. Business manager Jakob Ulrik Sachse from ALECTIA says:

“In recent years there has been an increased focus on PCB. At ALECTIA we are experiencing an increasing number of queries and projects, coming both from municipalities and private companies. We expect an increasing demand for our services, as more and more become aware of the problem.”

”It is difficult to generalize in relation to PCB, but in our opinion the PCB problem could be worse in other places. Copenhagen is one of the old municipalities in Denmark, and it is very likely that PCB are more widespread in municipalities, house owners’ associations, etc, that are not so old, simply because more buildings have been constructed from 1955 to 1977.”

ALECTIA recommends PCB screening of all buildings constructed between 1955 and 1977  that are used for habitation or where people stay for longer periods. This recommendation especially applies for buildings constructed with concrete elements. 

FACTS ABOUT PCB
PCB stands for polychlorinated biphenyls - a class of organic compounds containing chloride compound attached to benzene rings.

PCB has primarily been used by the building industry in sealing compounds, but was prohibited in 1977 (with a few exceptions).

PCB is absorbed in the body through food, inhalation, and skin contact. Primary sources are high-fat fish tissue and milk.  

The concentrations of PCB that people are exposed to in buildings are not acutely toxic, but their occurrence can over time pose a health hazard, and they are therefore unwanted.