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Toxic fluid drips on UA football fans

A potentially dangerous oil that leaked from one of the lights at the Arizona Stadium fell on some fans at Saturday's football game, but UA officials said yesterday the problem is being remedied.

The oil that cools the capacitor in the lights is a PCB (polychlorinated biphynls), a man-made compound that the Environmental Protection Agency has classified as a cancer-causing toxin.

Herb Wagner, assistant director of the University of Arizona's Risk Management, said the PCB leaked from a box adjacent to the light when a seal ruptured.

Wagner said there were no injuries in the incident, but oil dripped on to the clothes of a few spectators.

"The chances (of a leak) are there, but over the years, this is only the second time I recall oil dripping on people during a game," Wagner said.

Al Tarcola, director of Facilities Management, said the lights are being repaired and the project will be completed by tomorrow.

A few people have complained about the oil on their clothing, Wagner said, and they will be fully compensated.

According to the EPA, PCB compounds were widely used as fluids in electrical equipment due to the chemical stability, non-flammability and electrical insulating properties of the compound.

However, in the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976, prohibitions on manufacture, processing and distribution of PBCs were implemented.

According to the EPA, "studies indicate that exposures to PCBs may cause cancer, nerve damage, damage to the reproductive system, immune system suppression, liver damage, endocrine disruption and can result in developmental abnormalities."

The EPA has mandated the regulation of PBCs from manufacture to disposal, but it allows devices with PBCs already in use to continue as long as the equipment is properly maintained and monitored.

Wagner said the lights are "quite old," and although some have been replaced recently, about 126 lights with the PBCs that remain in the stadium will be replaced as funds will allow.

The cost to replace a light is $220, Wagner said, and there are about 30 or 40 lights per pole.

The biggest danger of PBCs is that they can give off dioxin gas at high temperatures, Wagner said, but the lights operate at a much lower temperature.

In the boxes, Wagner said there is less than eight ounces of the PBC, which can be an irritant if it touches skin.