EPA says Fort Wainwright still lax on PCBs

SEATTLE (AP) -- Fort Wainwright still isn't doing a good job handling dangerous PCBs despite previous inspections and enforcement actions, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

The EPA listed 19 violations in a ''Notice of Significant Non-Compliance,'' the agency said Friday.

''We were under the impression that these problems at Fort Wainwright were a thing of the past,'' said Marcia Combes, EPA's Alaska director. ''But we were surprised to find that in follow-up- investigations that PCB waste management is still not a high priority.''

The 19 violations include failing to perform adequate tracking for a PCB-laden transformer formerly located on a playground.

PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, accumulate in tissues and cause various health problems. The chemicals were formerly used in transformers and other products.