EPA denies WA request for stricter PCB limits

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has denied a request from the Washington State Department of Ecology to set tighter limits for harmful chemicals used in manufacturing that find their way into the state’s waterways. Ecology petitioned the federal government last month to lower the allowable limit for polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, in consumer products. The current federal standard for PCBs is less strict than Washington’s clean water standard, which businesses and manufacturers say is impossible to meet with current technology. That can result in some chemicals left over from manufacturing...