Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) Wastes

In Biocidal, investigative journalist Ted Dracos tells the full story of PCBs for the first time, starting with the chilling chronicle of how the chemical industry manipulated regulatory agencies and scientific findings for decades to continue to reap huge profits, despite their knowledge of the threats posed by their "magic fluid." Dracos draws on extensive research to document the connection between PCBs and catastrophic human illness, presenting the latest science as studies draw ever more disturbing links between PCBs and continued health impacts ranging from cancer and autism to immunosuppression and reproductive abnormalities.

The leftovers from car shredders have been used to cover trash at landfills, but state officials now say the practice has health risks and should be stopped. Industry officials say fluff is safe. (Los Angeles Times, 2009).

Trout caught in Torch Lake, Mich., are not safe to eat. Groundwater in Baldwin, Fla., is not safe to drink. Six acres of land in Bridgewater, Mass., are not safe to live on.

ProPublica's ongoing investigative series on the environmental effects of disposing of hazardous wastes, including PCBs, in injection wells.

On her deathbed, Sue asked her sister for one thing: to write about the connection between the industrial pollution in their hometown and the rare cancer that was killing her. Fulfilling that promise has been Nancy Nichols’ mission for more than a decade. Lake Effect is the story of her investigation. It reaches back to their childhood in Waukegan, Illinois, an industrial town on Lake Michigan once known for good factory jobs and great fishing. Now Waukegan is famous for its Superfund sites: as one resident put it, asbestos to the north, PCBs to the south.

Citation: Head, TR III (2005). Natural Resources & Environment 19(4), 15-19.

In this study, the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) evaluated the presence of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in general consumer products. Particular emphasis was placed on products likely to be contaminated with PCBs due to the inadvertent production of PCBs in the manufacturing process. Although many chemicals may contain low levels of PCB contaminants due to use of chlorine in their manufacture, recent studies have shown PCB presence in pigments and dyes used in consumer products. Products known to contain PCB contaminants include paints (Hu, 2010), newspapers, glossy magazines, cereal boxes, yellow plastic bags, etc. (Rodenburg, 2012).