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. ------- 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 ------- 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 ------- 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. <. >mc HI 9£ "D = ------- 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. ------- -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. ------- |