RT Book, Section
A1 Durrani, Timur S.
A2 Olson, Kent R.
A2 Anderson, Ilene B.
A2 Benowitz, Neal L.
A2 Blanc, Paul D.
A2 Clark, Richard F.
A2 Kearney, Thomas E.
A2 Kim-Katz, Susan Y.
A2 Wu, Alan H. B.
SR Print(0)
ID 1174606878
T1 POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS (PCBs)
T2 Poisoning & Drug Overdose, 7e
YR 2018
FD 2018
PB McGraw-Hill Education
PP New York, NY
SN 9780071839792
LK accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1174606878
RD 2024/04/24
AB Polychlorinated  biphenyls  (PCBs)  are  mixtures  of  up  to  209  different  chlorinated  compounds  that  once  were  used  widely  as  high-temperature  insulators  for  transformers  and  other  electric  equipment.  They  were  also  found  in  carbonless  copy  papers,  inks,  paints,  caulks,  sealants  and  ceiling  tiles.  Many  commercial  PCB  mixtures  are  known  in  the  United  States  by  the  trade  name  Aroclor.  Since  1974,  all  uses  in  the  United  States  have  been  confined  to  closed  systems.  Most  PCB  poisonings  are  chronic  occupational  or  environmental  exposures,  with  delayed-onset  symptoms  the  first  indication  that  an  exposure  has  occurred.  In  1977,  the  US  Environmental  Protection  Agency  (EPA)  banned  further  manufacturing  of  PCBs  because  they  are  suspected  carcinogens  and  highly  persistent  in  the  environment.  Exposure  occurs  through  the  consumption  of  meat,  fish,  and  dairy  because  of  biomagnification  up  the  food  chain,  as  well  as  by  inhalation  in  contaminated  indoor  or  outdoor  environments.  PCBs  were  widely  used  in  building  materials  from  1950s  to  1979,  and  remain  present  in  buildings  that  were  constructed  or  renovated  during  that  period.  Since  many  schools  in  use  today  were  built  or  renovated  during  that  era,  they  present  a  potential  risk  of  exposure  to  children  and  staff.