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Labelling transformers containing PCBs. The toxicity of PCBs varies considerably among congeners. The coplanar PCBs, known as nonortho PCBs because they are not substituted at the ring positions ortho to (next to) the other ring, (such as PCBs 77, 126 and 169), tend to have dioxin-like properties, and generally are among the most toxic congeners.
Congener descriptors give a shorthand notation for geometry and substituent positions. The twelve congeners that display all four of the descriptors are referred to as being "dioxin-like", referring both to their toxicity and structural features which make them similar to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (2378-TCDD). [1]
High exposure to PCBs can also cause damage to the liver and the nervous system. [16] Aroclor 1260 in particular is found to cause metabolic disorders such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disorder, diabetes and obesity. [3] When interacting with other highly toxic chemicals, like PCDDs or PCDFs, toxic effects are generally more severe.
2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) is the reference chemical to which the toxicity of other dioxins and DLCs are compared. TCDD is the most toxic DLC known. Other dioxins and DLCs are assigned a scaling factor, or TEF, in comparison to TCDD. TCDD has a TEF of 1.0. Sometimes PCB 126 is also used as a reference chemical, with a TEF of 0.1.
Test results conducted in the fall showed the presence of PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls — toxic, man-made chemicals that were banned from being produced in the United States in 1979 ...
Bioremediation of PCBs is the use of microorganisms to degrade PCBs from contaminated sites, relying on multiple microorganisms' co-metabolism. Anaerobic microorganisms dechlorinate PCBs first, and other microorganisms that are capable of doing BH pathway can break down the dechlorinated PCBs to usable intermediates like acyl-CoA or carbon ...
Exposure to the coplanar stereoisomer 3,3',4,4',5,5'-hexabromobiphenyl (but not the non-coplanar stereoisomer) in genetically susceptible mice is known to cause immunotoxicity and disorders related to the central nervous system, and even at doses as low as 2.5 mg/kg, excess neonatal fatalities are observed (LD 50 is from 5–10 mg/kg). [1]
Ortho-PCBs may alter hormone regulation through disruption of the thyroid hormone transport by binding to transthyretin. [8] Coplanar PCBs are similar to dioxins and furans, both bind to the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) in organisms and may exert dioxin-like effects, in addition to the effects shared with non-coplanar PCBs.