Persistent chlorinated compounds
PCBs
Also known as Polychlorinated biphenyls
PCBs were used in electrical equipment, hydraulic systems, heat-transfer fluids, building materials, and industrial processes before most U.S. uses were banned.
Regional record
Western New York history
- Western New York cleanup records document PCBs in former industrial properties, electrical-equipment areas, fill, and river or canal sediment.
- Buffalo River and Niagara River corridor work shows why upland source control and sediment cleanup are related but separately documented parts of the regional history.
These examples summarize the linked Atlas place records. Open those records for site-specific dates, findings, cleanup actions, and sources.
Environmental behavior
Persistence and movement
PCBs resist breakdown, bind strongly to soil and sediment, and bioaccumulate through aquatic and terrestrial food webs.
Pathways
How exposure may occur
- Eating contaminated fish, wildlife, meat, or dairy products
- Breathing or ingesting contaminated dust and soil
- Occupational contact with PCB-containing equipment or materials
People
Potential long-term human effects
- Long-term exposure can affect the immune, reproductive, nervous, endocrine, and developmental systems.
- PCBs are associated with cancer risk.
Other living systems
Potential ecological effects
- PCBs can impair reproduction, development, growth, immunity, and survival in fish, birds, and mammals.
- Top predators can receive the highest concentrations through food-web biomagnification.
Limits
Important uncertainty
PCB mixtures contain many congeners with different environmental behavior and toxicity.