----- Original Message ----- X-Loop: openpgp.net From: Ray Dillinger <bear@sonic.net>
On Thu, 19 Oct 2000, jim bell wrote:
Naturally, a chemical solution (pun not directly intended...but I'll take it anyway) becomes apparent. If the ultimate motivation of the car siezures is to sell them and keep the money, what would happen if somebody acquired a few ounces or gallons of PCB's (poly-chlorinated biphenyls; common in 20+year-old (non-electrolytic) capacitors), and sprayed them (only a very tiny amount per car should be necessary, maybe 1 milliliter or so?) into those siezed cars though a broken window (or injected through door seals). Naturally, it would be important to anonymously call the local newspaper or TV stations and report on what had occurred, possibly the EPA as well. That car would suddenly change from a $10,000 asset into possibly a $100,000 liability for the agency which siezed them..
Just a thought
A thought, however, requiring people to handle PCB's -- which are no fun whatsoever,
Sorta depends on your definition of fun, doesn't it? B^)
heavily regulated,
True: These days most or all industrial uses are banned.
hard to acquire
I beg to differ. Check the material I downloaded below. Acquiring PCB's requires little more than the will to do it. Believe me, I _know_. The following comes from the site: http://www.ohb.org/pcbs.htm#Why_did_the_EPA_ban (found by using altavista, searching for "polychlorinated biph*" AND "capacitor*" ----------------------------------------------- Where are PCBs found? PCBs were used mainly in electrical transformers and capacitors, heat transfer systems, and hydraulic systems. They were also used in inks and carbonless copy paper and for a variety of other purposes, but the EPA ban now prohibits almost all of these other uses. Nowadays, PCBs are found mostly in transformers and capacitors. These may be contained in industrial equipment (such as welding equipment), medical equipment (such as X-ray machines), and household appliances (such as refrigerators and microwave ovens). The ballasts of some fluorescent light fixtures contain PCBs. During normal operation of a fluorescent light, the PCBs are entirely enclosed, and you cannot be exposed to them. However, when the capacitor wears out, sometimes it may burn or break and leak PCBs. How can I tell whether a piece of equipment contains PCBs? Check for a manufacturer's label, which may give the date of manufacture and the trade name of the fluid. Some trade names that may refer to PCBs include Aroclor, Askarel, Eucarel, Pyranol, Dykanol, Clorphen, Clorinol, Chlorextol, Diaclor, Hyvol, Asbestol, Inerteen, Elemex, Saf-T-Kuhl, No-Flanol, Nepolin, EEC-18, and others. Equipment manufactured after 1979 usually does not contain PCBs. Most pre-1979 capacitors do contain PCBs, while many pre-1979 transformers do not. Transformers within buildings or vaults are more likely to contain PCBs. New equipment should be labeled "No PCBs." PCBs are clear, amber-colored, or dark oily liquids. They may have a faint smell like motor oil, and some contain chlorobenzenes which make them smell like mothballs. Fluorescent light ballasts may contain about an ounce of PCBs; a utility pole capacitor or transformer may contain much more. Usually what leaks from a burned-out light ballast is not PCBs but a black tarry material that is used to muffle noise from the capacitor. However, it is safest to assume that anything that leaks from a transformer, capacitor, or light ballast contains PCBs, unless there is a "No PCBs" label on the equipment.