Can PCB cause birth defects?
There are no reports of structural birth defects caused by exposure to PCBs or of health effects of PCBs in older children. The most likely way infants will be exposed to PCBs is from breast milk.
How do PCBs affect pregnancy?
Fetal exposure to PCBs may result in adverse pregnancy outcomes such as decreased length of gestation and decreased birth weight. Both animal experiments and epidemiological studies suggest that the developing fetus is vulnerable to the effects of in utero PCB exposure.
How can PCBs affect children?
Lower birth weight and growth retardation has been found in studies with laboratory animals, in children born of mothers exposed to accidental high levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and related compounds, and in children born of mothers who consumed PCB-contaminated fish.
What happens when PCB enters the body?
Studies of PCBs in humans have found increased rates of melanomas, liver cancer, gall bladder cancer, biliary tract cancer, gastrointestinal tract cancer, and brain cancer, and may be linked to breast cancer. PCBs are known to cause a variety of types of cancer in rats, mice, and other study animals.
What does PCB mean in medical terms?
polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) any of various chlorinated derivatives of biphenyl, toxic and carcinogenic nonbiodegradable compounds used as heat-transfer agents and electrical insulators; they are readily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract, and those with a lower percentage of chlorine are associated with a …
What is PCB testing?
PCB testing, or printed circuit board testing, begins with understanding that the PCB is the foundation for any printed circuit assembly (PCA). The circuit board is a top quality product that should not cause your end product to cost you money due to failures and recalls.
What are polychlorinated biphenyls PCBs and how do they affect prenatal development?
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dioxins are persistent environmental pollutants that occur in the environment. They have varying influences on the human body. Some harmful influences of prenatal and/or postnatal exposure to PCBs and dioxins on the neurodevelopment of infants have previously been shown.
What does PCB look like?
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a group of manmade chemicals. They are oily liquids or solids, clear to yellow in color, with no smell or taste. PCBs are very stable mixtures that are resistant to extreme temperature and pressure.
Are PCBs harmful?
PCBs have been demonstrated to cause a variety of adverse health effects. They have been shown to cause cancer in animals as well as a number of serious non-cancer health effects in animals, including: effects on the immune system, reproductive system, nervous system, endocrine system and other health effects.
Why are polychlorinated biphenyls so harmful?
Some PCBs are more harmful than others. Generally, PCBs are very stable which explains their persistence in the environment. At high temperatures, PCBs can burn and generate dangerous by-products such as dioxins. PCBs tend not to evaporate or to dissolve easily in water.
What is PCB exposure?
How can I be exposed to PCBs? Since PCBs are found throughout the environment, it is likely that everyone has been exposed to them. PCBs can enter the body by eating or drinking contaminated food, through the air we breathe, or by skin contact. PCBs are easily absorbed by the body and are stored in fatty tissue.
What is a PCB blood test?
There are tests that can measure if you have elevated levels of PCBs in blood, body fat or breast milk, from above normal exposure to PCBs in the past. A blood test is the best method for measuring exposure to large amounts of PCBs.