Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) in General Consumer Products
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).