CLU-IN.ORG | Contaminant Focus: POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS (PCBS), Toxicology

Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)

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Toxicology

Recent findings indicate that susceptible populations (e.g., certain ethnic groups, sport anglers, the elderly, pregnant women, children, fetuses, and nursing infants) continue to be exposed to PCBs via fish and wildlife consumption. Human health studies indicate that 1) reproductive function may be disrupted by exposure to PCBs; 2) neurobehavioral and developmental deficits occur in newborns and continue through school-aged children who had in utero exposure to PCBs; 3) other systemic effects (e.g., effects on the thyroid and immune systems and self-reported liver disease and diabetes) are associated with elevated serum levels of PCBs; and 4) increased cancer risks, e.g., non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, are associated with PCB exposures.

Adapted from:

Public Health Implications of Exposure to Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)
B. Johnson, et al. ATSDR, 1999.

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Human Health

Examination of Risk-Based Screening Values and Approaches of Selected States
Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council (ITRC). RISK-1, 115 pp, 2005.

Screening values for a specific chemical may vary among states and even among different regions of EPA. The ITRC Risk Team examined and documented the screening values for five specific contaminants—arsenic, benzo(a)pyrene, lead, polychlorinated biphenyls, and trichloroethene—that are often identified as drivers for management actions at contaminated sites.

PCBs: Recent Advances in Environmental Toxicology and Health Effects
Larry W. Robertson and Larry G. Hansen, eds.
The University Press of Kentucky, Lexington, KY. ISBN 0-8131-2226-0, 461 pp, 2001.

Polychlorinated Biphenyls and Terphenyls, Second Ed.
S. Dobson and G.J. van Esch.
World Health Organization, International Programme on Chemical Safety, Environmental Health Criteria 140. ISBN: 92-4-157140-3, 1993.

Polychlorinated Biphenyls: Human Health Aspects
O. Faroon, L. Keith, C. Smith-Simon, and C. De Rosa.
World Health Organization Geneva, Concise International Chemical Assessment Document 55.
ISBN: 92-4-153055-3, 64 pp, 2003

Public Health Implications of Exposure to Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)
B. Johnson, H. Hicks, W. Cibulas, O. Faroon, A. Ashizawa, C. De Rosa, V. Cogliano, M. Clark.
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, 1999.

Third National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals
Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Disease Control, Atlanta, GA. NCEH Publication 05-0570, 475 pp, 2005.

This report series provides an ongoing assessment of the U.S. population's exposure to environmental chemicals by measuring the chemicals or their metabolites in human specimens, such as blood or urine. The report coverage includes metals (e.g., mercury), PCBs, dioxins, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, pthalates, and numerous pesticides. The report is designed to allow users to determine public health information in the following areas: (1) which chemicals get into Americans and at what concentrations, (2) prevalence of people with chemical levels above those of chemicals with a known toxicity level, (3) reference ranges that can be used by physicians and scientists to determine whether a person or group has an unusually high exposure, (4) effectiveness of public health efforts to reduce exposure of Americans to specific chemicals, (5) exposure levels among minorities, children, women of childbearing age, or other potentially vulnerable groups, (6) trends in levels of exposure of the population, and (7) priorities for research on human health effects.

Toxicological Profile for Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. 2000.

U.S. EPA Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS)

Aroclor 1016 (CASRN 12674-11-2)
Aroclor 1248 (CASRN 12672-29-6)
Aroclor 1254 (CASRN 11097-69-1)
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) (CASRN 1336-36-3)

Ecological Impacts

Chapter 41: Polychlorinated Biphenyls
Field Manual of Wildlife Diseases: General Field Procedures and Diseases of Birds.
U.S. Geological Survey, Information and Technology Report 1999-001, p 303-308, 1999

Planar PCB Hazards to Fish, Wildlife, and Invertebrates: a Synoptic Review
R. Eisler and A. Belisle, U.S. Geological Survey.
Contaminant Hazard Reviews, Biological Report 31, 75 pp, 1996.
Contact: Ronald Eisler, ronald_eisler@usgs.gov

Polychlorinated Biphenyl Hazards to Fish, Wildlife, And Invertebrates: a Synoptic Review
Ronald Eisler, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Laurel, MD. Contaminant Hazard Reviews, Biological Report 7, 1986.
Contact: Ronald Eisler, ronald_eisler@usgs.gov

Wildlife Health Damages Due to PCBs
Fox River Watch: a project of Clean Water Action Council, Green Bay, WI.

This web site contains reports prepared for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service documenting PCB health damages to fish, wildlife, and resources of Green Bay, WI, and the Fox River.