United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Pesticides and
Toxic Substances TS-793
Washington D C 20460
June 1980
OPA 59/0
xvEPA
Toxics Information
Series
What are PCB's?
Why are PCB's a
Problem?
PCB's
Polychlorinated biphenyls, commonly called PCB's, were manufactured
in the United States from 1929 until 1977. Production of these
industrial chemicals, by law, is no longer allowed in the United
States, because they are now known to be hazardous to health and
the environment. But many of the hundreds of millions of pounds of
the PCB's once widely used are still abroad in the land. This
information bulletin explains the hazards of PCB's and what the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is doing to help safe-
guard public health from the risks of PCB's.
PCB's are part of the broad family of organic chemicals known as
chlorinated hydrocarbons. PCB's range in consistency from heavy
oily liquids, weighing 10-12 pounds per gallon, to waxy solids.
These synthetic chemicals have a high boiling point, a high
degree of chemical stability, low solubility in water, high
solubility in fat, low flammability, and low electrical conductivity
--ideal properties for many commercial uses. PCB's were and
continue to be used primarily as cooling liquids in electrical
transformers and capacitors. Most of the PCB's marketed in the
United States are still in service in those types of products,
PCB's have also been used as heat transfer and hydraulic fluids;
as dye carriers in carbonless copy paper; in paints, adhesiyes,
and caulking compounds; and as sealants and road coverings to
control dust.
PCB's are a problem because they are hazardous to health at
extremely low levels. Among the most stable chemicals known,
PCB's decompose very slowly over a period of several decades once
they are released into the environment. They remain in the
environment and are taken up and stored in the fatty tissue of
all organisms. The concentration of PCB's in fatty tissue in-
creases with time even though the exposure levels to PCB's are
very low. In technical language, this process is called bio-
accumulation. Another problem, to use another technical term,
is biomagnification--PCB's build up in the food chain. As living
organisms containing PCB's are eaten by other organisms, the
amount of PCB's consumed by each higher organism increases.
The concentrations consumed by humans, at the end of the food
chain, can thus be significant.
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PCB's can enter the body through the lungs, the gastrointestinal
tract, and the skin. Once ingested, inhaled, or absorbed into
the body, PCB's are circulated throughout the body in the blood
and are stored in fatty tissue and several organs, including
the liver, kidneys, lungs, adrenal glands, brain, heart, and
skin. Once in the body, PCB's can wreak havoc.
In well documented tests on laboratory animals, it has been
shown that PCB's can cause reproductive failures, birth de-
fects, gastric disorders, skin lesions, swollen limbs, cancers,
tumors, and eye and liver disorders, among other health problems.
The dangers of toxic PCB's were dramatically and tragically brought
home to the world in 1968, when some 1,300 people in Yusho, Japan,
used rice oil that had been accidently contaminated with PCB's
leaking from a heat exchanger. The victims developed a variety
of ailments characterized as "Yusho Disease" -- skin lesions,
eye discharges, abdominal pain, menstrual irregularity, fatigue,
cough, disorders of the nervous system, hyperpiqmentation of the
skin, nails and mucous membranes. And although precise figures
are not yet available, there is evidence that there was an
increased rate of cancer among the Yusho victims who have died
since 1968. As a result of the Yusho tragedy, the Japanese govern-
ment virtually banned the production, import or export of PCB's
in 1972.
PCB contamination has also taken its toll in the United States.
Measurable amounts of PCB's can be found in soils, water, fish,
milk, and human tissue. Some fish in the Hudson River, the
Great Lakes and other water bodies are too contaminated with
PCB's for human consumption. In addition, there have been PCB
accidents: PCB's were found in fishmeal used as feed in North
Carolina as a result of a leaking heat exchanger. In Puerto
Rico, fishmeal was contaminated with PCB's when fire broke out
in a warehouse also containing stored electrical transformers.
And in Billings, Montana, PCB's leaking from a transformer at a
packing company contaminated .animal feed that was later distri-
buted and used in several states.
In brief, PCB's can and have caused human suffering, environ-
mental damage, the destruction of thousands of farm animals as
well as large quantities of contaminated food and feed, and -•
economic problems for companies involved in PCB accidents.
Region 1
Connecticut. Maine.
Massachusetts. New
Hampshire. Rhode Island,
Vermont
EPA
Mr Robert Dangel
Toxic Substances Coordinator
John F Kennedy Federal
Building
Boston. MA 02203
(617) 223-0585
FDA
Mr A J Beebe
Regional Director
585 Commercial Street
Boston, MA 02109
1617)223-1278
Region 2
New Jersey, New York, Virgin
Islands, Puerto Rico
EPA
Mr Ralph Larsen
PCB Coordinator
26 Federal Plaza
New York, NY 10007
(212) 264-1925
FDA
Mr Caesar A Roy
Regional Director
830 3rd Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11232
(212) 965-5416
Region 3
Delaware. Maryland,
Pennsylvania, Virginia.
West Virginia, District of
Columbia
EPA
Mr Charles Sapp
Toxic Substances Coordinator
Curtis Building (3AH20)
6th & Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215)597-4058
FDA
Mr R J Davis
Regional Director
2nd and Chestnut Street
Room 900
Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215)597-4390
Region 4
Alabama, Florida, Georgia,
Kentucky, Mississippi, North
Carolina, South Carolina,
Tennessee
EPA
Mr Ralph Jennings
Toxic Substances Coordmatoi
345 Courtland Street, NE
Atlanta, GA 30308
(404)881-3864
FDA
Mr M D Km slow
Regional Director
880 W Peachtree Street
Atlanta, GA 30309
(404) 881-4266
Region 5
Indiana, Illinois, Michigan,
Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin
EPA
Mr Karl Bremer
Toxic Substances Coordinator
230 South Dearborn Street,
Room 1 165
Chicago, IL 60604
(312)353-2291
FDA
Mr L R Claiborne
Regional Director
175 W Jackson Boulevard
Room A-1945
Chicago, IL 60604
(312)353-1047
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What's the Govern-
ment Doing About the
PCB Health Hazard?
Until 1976, EPA could only regulate discharges of PCB's into
waterways from plants that manufactured, processed, or used the
PCB's. In 1976, in response to growing evidence of the dangers
of PCB's and other toxic materials. Congress enacted the Toxic
Substances Control Act (TSCA) and directed EPA to regulate all
chemicals that present "an unreasonable risk of injury to health
or the environment."
For the first time, that law gave the government the authority
to require that potentially toxic chemical substances be tested
for safety before they are manufactured and put on the market.
Under TSCA, the public and the environment can no longer be
used as unwitting guinea pigs for potentially lethal chemical
compounds. If testing shows that a chemical does indeed pose an
unreasonable risk to health or the environment, EPA can limit the
handling, use, or shipment of a chemical and, if
can ban the manufacture, processing, and use of the
Because of the known dangers of PCB's, TSCA contains
necessary
chemical.
a special section prohibiting the manufacture, processing, dis-
tribution and use of PCB's, except totally enclosed use, and
requiring adequate labeling and safe disposal of PCB's still
in use.
EPA has taken the following actions to carry out its congress-
ional mandate to protect the public from PCB's: On Feb. 17, 1978,
EPA issued regulations establishing requirements for marking and
disposal of PCB's. On May 31, 1979, EPA issued regulations pro-
hibiting the manufacture of PCB's after July 1, 1979, unless
specifically exempted by EPA; prohibiting the processing, dis-
tribution and use of PCB's except in sealed systems, after
July 1, 1979; and prohibiting all processing and distribution
of PCB's after July 1, 1979, unless specifically exempted by EPA.
EPA's May 31, 1979 regulations required that PCB's may now
be used only in products such as totally enclosed electrical
equipment. In normal use in those products, there is no human or
environmental exposure to PCB's.
TSCA allows some exceptions to the regulation if there is
no unreasonable risk of danger to health or the environment. EPA
has allowed a few additional uses of PCB's until July 1, 1984,
with appropriate health and environmental safeguards.
Region 6
Arkansas, Louisiana, New
Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas
EPA
Mr John West
PCB Coordinator
First International Building
1201 Elm Street
Dallas, TX 75270
(214) 767-2734
FDA
Mr PB White
Regional Director
3032 Bryan Street
"Dallas, TX 75204
i14i 749-2735
Region 7
Iowa, Kansas, Missouri,
Nebraska
EPA
Mr Wolfgang Brandner
Toxic Substances Coordinator
324 East 11 Street
Kansas City, MO 64106
(816)374-6538
FDA
Mr Clifford G Shane
109 Cherry Street
Kansas City, MO 64106
S816) 374-5646
Region 8
Colorado, Montana, North
Dakota, South Dakota. Utah,
Wyoming
EPA
Mr Dean Gillam
Toxic Substances Coordinator
1860 Lincoln Street
Denver, CO 80295
(303) 837-3926
FDA
Mr FL Lofsvold
Regional Director
721 19th Street
US Customhouse Room 500
Denver CO 80202
!303) 837-4915
Region 9
Arizona, California, Hawaii.
Nevada. American Samoa,
Guam, Trust Territories of the
Pacific. Wake Island
EPA
Mr Gerald Gavin
PCB Coordinator
215 Fremont Street
San Francisco CA 94105
|415) 556-4606
"DA
Mr IB Berch
Regional Director
JN Plaza
redaral Office Building
Room -326
San Francisco CA 94102
1415 556-2062
Region 10
Alaska. Idaho. Oregon.
Washington
EPA
Dr Jim Evens
Toxic Substances Coordinator
1200 6th Avenue
Seattle, WA 98101
(206)442-5560
FDA
Mr J W Swamon
Regional Director
909 1st Avenue
Room 50O3
Seattle WA 98174
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Most of the PCB's still in use are in sealed electrical
equipment which will be replaced over the next few years as the
equipment is overhauled or retired. EPA has established strict
regulations for the final disposal of PCB's in environmentally-
safe incinerators or chemical waste landfills.
Other government agencies are also involved in regulating
PCB's: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued re-
gulations establishing limits on the amount of PCB's allowed in
foods and feeds; products exceeding the safe limits may not be sold
in interstate commerce. FDA has also prohibited the use of PCB's
in food and feed processing plants except in sealed transformers
and capacitors. And FDA, EPA and the U.S. Department of Agricul-
ture are considering banning the use of all PCB's in any and
all electrical equipment in food and feed-related industries.
In sum,
regulated.
the use of PCB's is now prohibited or strictly
Want More Infor-
mation?
Additional information on EPA's regulation of PCB's is available
from EPA headquarters in Washington, D.C. the toll-free number
is (800) 424-9065; in the Washington area, the number is
554-1404 — or from the EPA or FDA regional offices listed
inside.
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United States Reg.o.^ 5 Illinois ndiara
Environmental D'otec: o^ Of':ce of =ut)l'C Affairs M.c^igar, M rreso;a
Agency 230 South Dearborn Street Ohio Wisconsin
Chicago Illinois 60604
&EPA FACT
SHEET
POLYCHLQE^NAI'ED BIFHENYLS (PCB'S)
JULY 1989
WHAT ARE PCB'S?
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB's) are part of a broad family of organic
chemicals known as chlorinated hydrocarbons. PCB's were first introduced
into cormercial use 45 years ago and are of concern because of their wide
dispersal and persistence in the environment and their tendency to accumulate
in the higher levels of the food chain, including man.
PCB's range in consistency from heavy oily liquids, weighing 10-12 pounds per
gallon, to waxy solids. These synthetic chemicals have a high boiling point,
a high degree of chemical stability, low solubility in water, high solubility
in fat, low flanmability, and low electrical conductivity—ideal properties
for many commercial uses. PCB's were and continue to be used primarily as
cooling liquids in electrical transformers and capacitors. Most of the PCB's
marketed in the United States are still in service in those types of
products. PCB's have also been used as heat transfer and hydraulic fluids;
as dye carriers in carbonless copy paper; in paints, adhesives, and caulking
compounds; and as sealants and road coverings to control dust.
Most of these uses have, or are being phased out as a result of the 1979 ban
on PCB manufacturing, processing, distribution, and use. Even though PCB's
are restricted or strictly regulated, the compounds are still found in old
transformers, capacitors, and other products.
HEALTH CONCERNS
PCB's are a problem because they are hazardous to health at extremely low
levels. Among the most stable chemicals known, PCB's decompose very slowly
over a period of several decades. Once released, PCB's remain in the
environment and are taken up and are stored in the fatty tissue of all
organisms. The concentration of PCB's in fatty tissue increases with tijne
even thou^i the exposure levels to PCB's are very low. In technical
language, this process is called bioaccutnulation. Another problem is
biomagnification—PCB build-up in the food chain. As living organisms
containing PCB's are eaten by other organisms, the amount consumed by each
higher organism increases. The concentrations consumed by humans at the end
of the food chain, can thus be significant.
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-2-
Documented -ests shew that exposure to high levels of PCB's can cause gastric
disorders, skin lesions, and liver cancer in laboratory animals. On this
basis, it is a listed probable human carcinogen. Persons having a high risk
of exposure are PCB workers and those eating large amounts of fish,
especially those caught from the Great Lakes. The general population is not
subject to any significant increase in health risk due to exposure to
background levels of PCB's in the environment.
GROUND WATER MBILITY AND PCB'S
PCB's are extremely urniorjile in ground water relative to other potential
environmental contaminants for several reasons. First, the solubility of
PCB's in water is very low. Second, measurements indicate that the tendency
of PCB's to be associated with organic matter and clays in soil is very
great. The combination of these properties of PCB's results in their very
low mobility with respect to ground water flow. Retardation factors, which
express the rate at which a particular chemical would travel relative to
ground water, can be calculated given the amount of organic matter in the
soil and the carbon/water partition coefficient (Koc) for the chemical being
considered.
As a comparison, the herbicide 2,4-D and organic solvent acetone have
retardation factors of 2.6 and 1.0, respectively. This indicates that
acetone travels at the same rate as ground water, and 2,4-D travels 2.6
times slower. The retardation factor for PCB's ranges from 600 to 3,000.
This shows that the tendency of PCB's to absorb onto soil/organic matter
versus ground water is so overwhelming that the movement of PCB's would take
place at a rate that is up to 3,000 times slower than that of ground water.
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