What are the health effects of PCBs?
Studies of PCBs in humans have found increased rates of melanomas, liver cancer, gall bladder cancer, biliary tract cancer, gastrointestinal tract cancer, and brain cancer, and may be linked to breast cancer. PCBs are known to cause a variety of types of cancer in rats, mice, and other study animals.
What do PCBs affect most?
PCBs were found to mainly damage the lungs, the stomach, and the pancreas. Lower doses of PCBs administered over a period of time can interfere with liver and thyroid function, and may, in the long term, lead to liver cancer. More…
What are PCBs and why are they harmful?
PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, are highly toxic industrial compounds. They pose serious health risks to fetuses, babies and children, who may suffer developmental and neurological problems from prolonged or repeated exposure to small amounts of PCBs. These chemicals are harmful to adults as well.
Where do PCBs accumulate in the body?
PCBs, especially those that contain a greater number of chlorine atoms, are readily soluble in fats and thus tend to accumulate in fat-rich tissues such as the liver, brain and skin. In mothers, PCBs have also been found to pass into the placenta, umbilical cord blood, and breast milk.
What is PCBs pollution?
PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, are industrial products or chemicals. PCB contamination is high in the Housatonic River and New Bedford Harbor in Massachusetts. According to the EPA, PCBs belong to a broad family of human-created organic chemicals known as chlorinated hydrocarbons.
How are humans exposed to PCBs?
Most people are exposed to PCBs by eating contaminated fish, meat, and dairy products. Some bottom-feeding, freshwater fish may eat sediments containing PCBs while scavenging. Catfish, buffalo, and carp usually have the highest PCB levels.
How long do PCBs stay in your body?
estimated the half-life in humans for lower chlorinated biphenyls (Aroclor 1242) as 6-7 months and the corresponding half-life for the more highly chlorinated biphenyls as 33-34 months [Steele et al. 1986].
Can PCBs be removed from the body?
PCBs and their metabolites enter the intestine by biliary or non-biliary secretion and are reabsorbed by enterohepatic circulation. Reducing organochlorine reabsorption hastens removal from the body as demonstrated by administering cholestyramine to remove kepone(9).
How long do PCBs stay in the body?
How do you get rid of PCBs in your body?
No specific treatment exists for PCB accumulation. Patients should avoid further PCB exposure and also avoid other hepatotoxic substances, including ethanol. Treat acute skin and eye PCB exposure immediately by flushing with copious amounts of water.
What foods contain PCBs?
Small amounts are found in meat, dairy products and drinking water. Fish are the major dietary sources of PCBs , especially fish caught in contaminated lakes or rivers. Level of PCBs found in fish will vary with region and the type of fish native to that region.
Why are PCBs considered dangerous substances?
PCBs are not easily destroyed even with the use of biochemical, thermal and chemical methods, and even when they are destroyed, they can persist in the air, water, and soil for up to 15 years. PCBs are considered environmentally toxic and dangerous substances because of the causal link with non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in humans after long-term exposure.
Are PCBs dangerous to humans?
The International Agency for Research on Cancer has declared PCBs to be probably carcinogenic to humans. The National Toxicology Program has stated that it is reasonable to conclude that PCBs are carcinogenic in humans. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has determined that PCBs are a potential occupational carcinogen.
What are the hazards of PCBs?
ensure that your exposure to PCBs is either prevented,or if this is not reasonably practicable,adequately controlled;
How PCBs may hurt the brain?
scientists could never say exactly how PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) might adversely affect the brain and lead to the problems. Now, scientists think they may know. The chemicals adversely affect the development of brain cells and also make brain circuits “overexcited,” which has been linked in previous research to