Center for Health , Environment & Justice
PCBs Factsheet
Health Effects of PCBs
“ There is no such thing as a ‘ safe level ” of PCBs . Concentrations of PCBs commonly found in the general U . S . population has been clearly shown to result in adverse effects on thyroid hormone levels , time that girls reach puberty , blood pressure , and poorer performance on cognitive tests .” David Carpenter , M . D ., Institute for Health & the Environment
Federal Ban on PCBs
The manufacture of polychlorinated biphenyls ( PCBs ) was stopped by the U . S . federal government in 1977 because of their harmful health effects and because PCBs are extremely persistent and last for decades in the environment . Unfortunately , PCBs remain in various forms in buildings created before 1979 , such as PCB oils in school lighting ballast fixtures .
PCB Exposure in Schools
People are exposed to PCBs by three routes , ingestion such as eating PCB-contaminated fish , skin or dermal absorption and inhalation when PCB ’ s off-gas into the air . In schools , the most important route of exposure is inhalation as PCBs evaporate into the air . For instance , in New York City , some schools were found to have PCB concentrations in the air as high as 670,000 parts per million .
Dr . David Carpenter , a national expert on PCBs , told the New York City Department of Education that “ the health effects associated with exposure of children , teachers and school staff are serious and merit immediate removal of these sources of contamination .”
Health Effects of PCBs
A growing number of studies have found serious health effects from exposure to PCBs .
Cancer : PCBs are likely to cause cancer and are classified as a “ probable carcinogen ” by the federal Environmental Protection Agency and the International Agency for Research on Cancer . In addition , a study found children ’ s risk of developing acute lymphocytic leukemia , increased by two-fold when PCBs were detected in the dust of a room in which the child spent a significant amount of time . 1
Immune System : PCBs suppress the immune system 2 , 3 and thyroid function . 4
A project of CHEJ ’ s Childproofing Our Communities and Be Safe Campaigns
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