US EPA

154287 

Book/Book Chapter 

Introduction: PCB properties, uses, occurrence and regulatory history 

Erickson, MD 

2001 

The University Press of Kentucky 

Lexington, Kentucky 

PCBs: Recent Advances in Environmental Toxicology and Health Effects 

xi-xxx 

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were commercially produced as complex mixtures for a variety of applications, including dielectric fluids for capacitors and transformers. PCBs have entered the environment through both use and disposal. Since PCBs do not readily degrade in the environment and are lipophilic, they persist and tend to bioaccumulate. The environmental transport of PCBs is complex and global. The public, legal, and scientific concerns about PCBs arose from research indicating they were environmental contaminants that had a potential to adversely impact the environment, and, therefore, were undesirable as commercial products. The extent to which PCBs are toxic remains controversial. Despite active research spanning five decades, extensive regulatory actions, and an effective ban on their production since the 1970s, PCBs remain a focus of environmental attention. This chapter presents a brief overview of PCB nomenclature, physical and chemical properties, commercial production and use, toxicology, degradation and destruction, environmental occurrence, environmental fate and transport, and occupational exposure. 

L. W. Robertson; L. G. Hanson 

0-8131-2226-0