Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and human health: an update

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a mixture of 209 different chlorinated biphenyl congeners (forms) of which 36 are environmentally relevant. PCBs are lipid (fat)-soluble, stable compounds. PCBs may be contaminated with more highly toxic polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs). Some PCDFs were primarily responsible for the two poisoning outbreaks--Yusho and Yu-Cheng. Based on the reports on workers and the general population, no clear and convincing evidence that PCB exposures were casually associated with adverse health effects was advanced; this included cancer for a wide range of body burdens and exposures for serum PCB concentrations > 1000 ppb (micrograms/l) and adipose PCB levels > 400 ppm (mg/kg). No meaningful reproductive problems have been identified in female capacitor workers. In the opinion of the review author, the available evidence for cancer and for reproductive effects is inconclusive. Adverse neurobehavioral effects in infants and young children have been reported in a study of women in the general population and a study of fish eaters and their offspring. The adverse effects observed in the two studies were not the same; the exposure assessments in both studies are not well defined and have many uncertainties. Subhuman primates appear to be more sensitive to reproductive and other adverse effects of PCBs than humans. Obvious external clinical signs are observed in the offspring of subhuman primates at dosage levels below those experienced by female capacitor workers and members of the general population prior to the control of PCBs.