Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)

Polychlorinated biphenyls (pcbs) are a class of organic compounds composed of two interconnected phenyl rings, with a number (one to 10) of substituted chlorine atoms attached to these rings. There are a variety of variations, forms or congeners of PCBs, all of which have slightly different chemical properties.

PCBs are a member of a class of pollutants referred to as organochlorines and are conservative contaminants, that is, they persist in the environment for a long time, and they also bioaccumulate: PCBs that are not excreted build up in the tissues of contaminated organisms. As PCBs are lipophilic (fat soluble), they primarily tend to be stored in adipose (fat) tissues of organisms.

PCBs have been produced since the 1930s and have been used in insulating fluid for industrial ...