The federal Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. attorney's office in Philadelphia have been involved in litigation with Thayer regarding the site since 1985. EPA action began after the agency received an anonymous report that transformers in the building had been vandalized, resulting in the PCB spillage.

Thayer hired several successive firms at a total cost of more than $1 million to clean up the site, [Allen Dubroff] said, but Thayer had disputes with the firms and the work never was completed. The court determined that about $500,000 would be needed to finish the work, Dubroff said.

According to EPA officials, PCBs pose serious health threats to humans, fish and wildlife. Excessive exposure can cause cancer, liver dysfunction, and reproductive and developmental problems. Despite their effectiveness as insulation, PCBs have not been manufactured in the United States since 1979, though some continued uses of existing PCBs are authorized by EPA regulations.