Polychlorinated biphenyls, or commonly referred to as PCBs, are mixtures of up to 209 individual chlorinated compounds. ... PCBs have been used as coolants and lubricants in transformers, capacitors, and other electrical equipment because of they do not burn easily and serve as good insulators. ... Because of evidence that showed PCBs collecting in the environment and causing health problems, the manufacture of PCBs was stopped in the U. ...
Because PCBs are not created naturally, all the PCBs that seep into the environment are caused from man’s recklessness. PCBs initially enter the air, water, or soil during their manufacture, use, or disposal. They are released into the environment from accidental spills and leaks during their transport or from leaks or fires in the products containing PCBs. Some hazardous wastes containing PCBs that have been improperly disposed or handled allow the toxins to escape as well. Leaks in old electrical transformers containing PCBs and the burning of some wastes in incinerators is an example of this improper disposal. ...
A large concern with PCBs is that they do not readily break down in the environment and thus may remain there for a very long period of time (1). PCBs are highly mobile because they have the ability to evaporate, and can be carried by winds (4). PCBs can travel long distances in the air and be deposited in area far away from where they were released. ... Lawrence River, where no PCBs or related chemicals have been produced for decades, beluga whales have PCB levels so high that they are treated as hazardous waste after they die. Even in the most remote Arctic regions PCBs can be found because of their permeable nature (3). In water, a small amount of PCBs may remain dissolved, but most stick to organic particles and bottom sediments. PCBs also bind strongly to soil (1).
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