FAQs about polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
What are Polychlorinated Biphenyls?
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a mixture of individual chemicals which are no longer produced in the United States, but are still found in the environment. Health effects that have been associated with exposure to PCBs include acne-like skin conditions in adults and neurobehavioral and immunological changes in children. PCBs are known to cause cancer in animals. PCBs have been found in at least 500 of the 1,598 National Priorities List sites identified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Polychlorinated biphenyls are mixtures of up to 209 individual chlorinated compounds (known as congeners). There are no known natural sources of PCBs. PCBs are either oily liquids or solids that are colorless to light yellow. Some PCBs can exist as a vapor in air. PCBs have no known smell or taste. Many commercial PCB mixtures are known in the U.S. by the trade name Aroclor.
PCBs have been used as coolants and lubricants in transformers, capacitors, and other electrical equipment because they don't burn easily and are good insulators. The manufacture of PCBs was stopped in the U.S. in 1977 because of evidence they build up in the environment and can cause harmful health effects. Products made before 1977 that may contain PCBs include old fluorescent lighting fixtures and electrical devices containing PCB capacitors, and old microscope and hydraulic oils.
What happens to PCBs when they enter the environment?
- PCBs entered the air, water, and soil during their manufacture, use, and disposal; from accidental spills and leaks during their transport; and from leaks or fires in products containing PCBs.
- PCBs can still be released to the environment from hazardous waste sites; illegal or improper disposal of industrial wastes and consumer products; leaks from old electrical transformers containing PCBs; and burning of some wastes in incinerators.
- PCBs do not readily break down in the environment and thus may remain there for very long periods of time. PCBs can travel long distances in the air and be deposited in areas far away from where they were released. In water, a small amount of PCBs may remain dissolved, but most stick to organic particles and bottom sediments. PCBs also bind strongly to soil.
- PCBs are taken up by small organisms and fish in water. They are also taken up by other animals that eat these aquatic animals as food. PCBs accumulate in fish and marine mammals, reaching levels that may be many thousands of times higher than in water.
How might I be exposed to PCBs?
- Using old fluorescent lighting fixtures and electrical devices and appliances, such as television sets and refrigerators, that were made 30 or more years ago. These items may leak small amounts of PCBs into the air when they get hot during operation, and could be a source of skin exposure.
- Eating contaminated food. The main dietary sources of PCBs are fish (especially sportfish caught in contaminated lakes or rivers), meat, and dairy products.
- Breathing air near hazardous waste sites and drinking contaminated well water.
- In the workplace during repair and maintenance of PCB transformers; accidents, fires or spills involving transformers, fluorescent lights, and other old electrical devices; and disposal of PCB materials.
How can PCBs affect my health?
The most commonly observed health effects in people exposed to large amounts of PCBs are skin conditions such as acne and rashes. Studies in exposed workers have shown changes in blood and urine that may indicate liver damage. PCB exposures in the general population are not likely to result in skin and liver effects. Most of the studies of health effects of PCBs in the general population examined children of mothers who were exposed to PCBs.
Animals that ate food containing large amounts of PCBs for short periods of time had mild liver damage and some died. Animals that ate smaller amounts of PCBs in food over several weeks or months developed various kinds of health effects, including anemia; acne-like skin conditions; and liver, stomach, and thyroid gland injuries. Other effects of PCBs in animals include changes in the immune system, behavioral alterations, and impaired reproduction. PCBs are not known to cause birth defects.
Do PCBs cause cancer?
Few studies of workers indicate that PCBs were associated with certain kinds of cancer in humans, such as cancer of the liver and biliary tract. Rats that ate food containing high levels of PCBs for two years developed liver cancer. The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has concluded that PCBs may reasonably be anticipated to be carcinogens. The EPA and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) have determined that PCBs are probably carcinogenic to humans.
How can I test for PCBs in my body?
Tests exist to measure levels of PCBs in your blood, body fat, and breast milk, but these are not routinely conducted. Most people normally have low levels of PCBs in their body because nearly everyone has been environmentally exposed to PCBs. The tests can show if your PCB levels are elevated, which would indicate past exposure to above-normal levels of PCBs, but cannot determine when or how long you were exposed or whether you will develop health effects.
Has the Federal Government made recommendations to protect public health?
The EPA has set a limit of 0.0005 milligrams of PCBs per liter of drinking water (0.0005 mg/L). Discharges, spills or accidental releases of 1 pound or more of PCBs into the environment must be reported to the EPA. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires that infant foods, eggs, milk and other dairy products, fish and shellfish, poultry and red meat contain no more than 0.2-3 parts of PCBs per million parts (0.2-3 ppm) of food. Many states have established fish and wildlife consumption advisories for PCBs.
more about Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)
PCBs, Health and Environment
Massachusetts Department of Public Health, GE Pittsfield Public Health Assessments (2003); PCB Education; Health & Ecological Issues: go to GE/Housatonic River Site in New England.
Human Health Risks from PCBs
On the Fox River(WI) Watch website: "Thousands of medical PCB studies have shown that polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) cause a wide variety of health effects, often at very low exposure levels. The average American already carries enough PCB in his or her body to meet or exceed the minimum threshold for beginning health problems due to PCBs. In Northeast Wisconsin, we have much higher PCB exposures and greater health risks." Go to: foxriverwatch.com/.
PUBLIC HEALTH IMPLICATIONS OF EXPOSURE TO POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS (PCBs)
On the website of Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry Public Health Service: "This paper summarizes the health implications associated with exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), primarily through fish consumption. Recent studies complement and add to the scientific data gathered over the last two decades that document health consequences associated with exposures to PCBs." Go to: atsdr.cdc.gov.
Health Effects of PCBs
On the website of US EPA: "WHAT ARE PCBs - PCBs are mixtures of synthetic organic chemicals with the same basic chemical structure and similar physical properties ranging from oily liquids to waxy solids. Due to their non-flammability, chemical stability, high boiling point and electrical insulating properties, PCBs were used in hundreds of industrial and commercial applications including electrical, heat transfer, and hydraulic equipment; as plasticizers in paints, plastics and rubber products; in pigments, dyes and carbonless copy paper and many other applications. More than 1.5 billion pounds of PCBs were manufactured in the United States prior to cessation of production in 1977. " Go to: www.epa.gov.
NIEHS/EPA PCBs - Health Effects seminar
"This seminar, sponsored by the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and U.S. EPA Office of Emergency and Remedial Response, is the last in a series of three seminars examining current research on PCBs sponsored by EPA and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). " Go to: www.clu-in.org.
PCBs in farmed salmon
"Seven of ten farmed salmon purchased at grocery stores in Washington DC, San Francisco, and Portland, Oregon were contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) at levels that raise health concerns, according to independent laboratory tests commissioned by Environmental Working Group. " Go to: www.ewg.org.
Management of Polychlorinated Biphenyls
"Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a subset of the synthetic organic chemicals known as chlorinated hydrocarbons. PCBs are persistent when released into the environment because they resist metabolic processes that would break them down to simpler chemical compounds. Their low water solubility allows PCBs to accumulate in fatty tissues of exposed animals and humans. PCBs are known to cause chronic reproductive effects, gastric disorders, and skin lesions in laboratory animals. In addition, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) suspects that PCBs are probable human carcinogens. " Go to: www.llnl.gov.
From Health Canada
"Low levels of PCBs are found in the environment, and as result, in foods. The presence of these contaminants in foods and the environment means that everyone can be exposed to very low levels of PCBs." Go to: www.hc-sc.gc.ca.
ToxFAQs™ for Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)
Resource location: atsdr.cdc.gov
Abstract: This fact sheet answers the most frequently asked health questions about polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). For more information, you may call the ATSDR Information Center at 1-888-422-8737. This fact sheet is one in a series of summaries about hazardous substances and their health effects. This information is important because this substance may harm you. The effects of exposure to any hazardous substance depend on the dose, the duration, how you are exposed, personal traits and habits, and whether other chemicals are present.
The mission of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), as an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,exit image is to serve the public by using the best science, taking responsive public health actions, and providing trusted health information to prevent harmful exposures and disease related to toxic substances.
PCBs in Wisconsin
PCBs: what are they
GE/Housatonic River Site in New England
- GE/Housatonic River Site E.P.A. homepage
- local E.P.A. Meetings and Events
- EPA Housatonic MA Watershed page
real-time stream discharge data
Obtain real-time stream discharge data (updated every 4 hrs.) for the Housatonic River (links open new browser window):
Outdoor Recreation Map
This statewide map (map is in a pdf file) shows you all the Wildlife Management Areas, State Parks, State Boat Launches and Wildlife Viewing Sites. Hard copies of the map are available for free at MassWildlife offices, State Parks and at the Public Access Board office.