PCBs

Bacterium Could Treat PCBs Without the Need for Dredging

Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have discovered a tiny bacterium that could one day transform the way we remove polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from our environment//. The organism could be the key to developing methods that help detoxify commercial PCB compounds on site — without ...

Environmental pollution increases the risk of liver disease

...ey (NHANES), researchers from the University of Louisville study examined chronic low-level exposure to 111 common pollutants including lead, mercury, pcbs and pesticides and their association with otherwise unexplained liver disease in adults. The specific pollutants included were detectable in 60 percen...

Metametrix Announces New Toxic Effects Profiles to Help Combat Growing Concerns About Toxicity and Health

...ofile - Measuring six common PCBs, this profile helps identify exposure to pcbs that are shown to cause health problems associated with neurobehavioral and...nd electronic equipment were made with PCBs. Though banned since the 1970s, pcbs linger in the environment and are consumed by humans through the food chain...

June 2008 highlights

...cond generation included blunting of preovulatory LH release, reduced progesterone concentrations and reduced uterine weights. The use of low doses of pcbs in this study increases the potential relevance of these findings to reproductive health. Rebecca M. Steinberg, Deena M. Walker, Thomas E. Juenger,...

Pacific Heart, Lung & Blood Institute Position on Ban Asbestos Legislation

... and rejects the rulemaking approach used in previous attempts to ban asbestos. Statutory bans have a proven track record with toxic materials such as pcbs and DDT. We urge all stakeholders to join with us in helping influence research funding provisions, which have yet to be crafted in the House's dr...

Herons persist in Chicago wetlands despite exposure to banned chemicals

...ons in a Chicago wetland. The researchers found pcbs and DDE in the eggs of night-herons nesting in the...earch Center, and Purdue and Duke universities. pcbs (polychlorinated biphenyls) were commonly used in ...lewife. Alewives harbor comparable levels of pcbs and DDE in their tissues, Levengood said. The spaw...

Statement by Gerald Leape, Vice President, Marine Conservation, National Environmental Trust, on a New Recommendation From Scientists Urging Pregnant Women to Eat More Fish

...n contain antibiotics, colorants and pesticides, several of which are known carcinogens. In addition some marine species can contain contaminants like pcbs and flame retardants. "Fish are not the only source of essential omega-3 fatty acids. Pregnant women can eat eggs, flax, nuts, and kiwi fruits and s...

EPA Says Follow-Up Sampling Shows No PCB Risk at Park Ridge Elementary School

...ent, EPA said it had found no detectable levels of pcbs in school classrooms. The follow-up air and wipe samples were taken as a precaution because pcbs were found during earlier sampling in the school's...ting homes, schools and a church in Park Ridge for pcbs in gas meters over the past several months. EPA an...

American Chemical Society's Weekly Presspac -- Sept. 5, 2007

... ARTICLE #1 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE pcbs may threaten killer whale populations for 30-60 ye...ts are trying to determine how current declines in pcbs in the environment may affect orcas throughout an ...study used mathematical models and measurements of pcbs in salmon (orcas favorite food) and ocean floor co...

Great Lakes Fish in Canada Heavily Polluted

... Lakes basin and deal with the continuing legacy of dangerous chemicals, such as PCBs, once used electrical equipment but banned in 1970s. Even though pcbs have not been used for decades, they are still being found in some fish at unsafe levels. The report was based on a comparison of Ministry of ...

PCBs in Medical Technology

Omega-3 Fatty Acids Critical to Infants, Mothers and the Seriously Ill

...ly available across the country." Other research examined infant cognitive development related to their mothers' exposure to high levels of mercury, pcbs and omega-3 fatty acids from eating seafood during pregnancy. In spite of their exposure to these contaminants, the infants' high level of prenatal DH...

PCBs in Biological News

UH team analyzes Hurricane Ike's effects on waterways, fish contamination

...e looked at dioxins, and now we're also looking at pcbs in every body of water in the Houston metro area, ...ai said, and materials that were manufactured with pcbs before the ban may still be in use. "Historical...ve none. Long-term consumption of both dioxins and pcbs is believed to cause numerous health effects, incl...

Skip this cocktail party

...t wakeup was that we found parts per million concentrations of hydroxylated pcbs in the cerebrospinal fluid of a gray seal. That is so worrisome for me. You... Center in Sausalito, CA, to examine how California sea lions's exposure to pcbs may increase their sensitivity to domoic acid, a naturally produced marine ...

AGU journal highlights -- Oct. 16, 2008

...f hops taken by a chemical over the oceans is driven by seasonal biogeochemical processes occurring in the water column. For example, the transport of pcbs to the remote Arctic is maximized during seasons of low primary productivity. Such studies have important implications for understanding the distribut...

UI researchers find potentially toxic substance present in Chicago air

... Although the industrial compounds known as polychlorinated biphenols or pcbs have been found in previous air samples collected in the city of Chicago, a University of Iowa researcher says that a new study of Chicago air sampled...

American Chemical Society's Weekly PressPac -- July 30, 2008

... and colleagues point out that as more electrical and electronic equipment has become obsolete, the issue of electronic-waste removal has intensified. pcbs account for about 3 percent by weight of all electronic waste, Xu says. Although metals from the circuit boards, such as copper and aluminum, are recy...

Environmental pollutant has sex-skewing effect

... Women exposed to high levels of pcbs (polychlorinated biphenyls a group of banned envi...ncisco Bay Area, those exposed to higher levels of pcbs during the 50s and 60s, were significantly more li...d as a toxic dumping ground from 1965 to 1972. pcbs are persistent organic pollutants identified world...

UNH researchers test sediment-scrubbing technology in NH river

...impact through regular advisories that close shellfish beds or warn of eating fish contaminated by heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants like pcbs or PAHs. "You can enjoy a great day of fishing, but if you can't eat the catch, there's a problem," says Melton. It's estimated that 20 percent of...

Persistent man-made chemical pollutants found in deep-sea octopods and squids

...ted DDT, a pesticide banned in the U.S. in the 1970s but still used on a limited basis in some parts of the world to control diseases like malaria. pcbs are a class of human-produced compounds used to insulate electrical transformers and capacitors and in coatings, sealants, adhesives, paints, wood flo...

Chemicals used as fire retardants could be harmful, UC-Riverside researchers say

...he indoor air and household dust from household goods, resulting in humans and pets getting exposed continuously to these toxicants. Over time, PBDEs, pcbs and similar organic toxicants leach into the environment when household wastes decompose in landfills or are incompletely incinerated. They are now f...

American Chemical Society's Weekly PressPac -- Oct. 24, 2007

...nd kill fish, birds, turtles and other animals. Seawater eventually breaks down these large pieces into microplastics, which can adsorb high levels of pcbs and other toxins. Microplastics also enter the environment directly from use as "scrubbers" in household and industrial cleaning products. However, li...