See Polychlorinated Biphenyl.

A chemical compound used in industrial applications.

Poly Chlorinated Biphenyls. These are a large group of chemicals developed in the 1950s and used as electrical insulators in a wide range of electrical appliances - especially transformers. They persist in the environment for long periods - even decades - and are now found in the environment all over the world, including breast milk. They were initially thought to be of low toxicity but now there is increasing evidence of subtle yet adverse toxic effects - even at low doses. PCBs are classified as POPs

A group of synthetic polychlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons formerly used for such purposes as insulation in transformers and capacitors and lubrication in gas pipeline systems. Production, sale, and new use was banned by law in 1977 following passage of the Toxic Substances Control Act. PCBs have a strong tendency to bioaccumulate. They are quite stable, and therefore persist in the environment for long periods of time. They are classified by USEPA as probable human carcinogens.

Synthetic chemicals (polychlorinated biphenyls), manufactured from 1929 to 1977, found in electrical equipment, such as voltage regulators and switches, and used to cool electrical capacitors and transformers. The manufacture of PCBs was banned in 1979, but there is still a great deal of PCB-contaminated equipment requiring disposal by utilities.

A group of toxic, persistent chemicals used in transformers and capacitors.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a class of industrial chemicals manufactured from 1930 to 1977 for use in electrical and hydraulic products. PCBs are still present in the environment because of their persistence and accumulation at higher concentrations up the food chain (bioaccumulation), but have been showing a trend of decreasing concentrations ( EPA Persistent Bioaccumulative and Toxic (PBT) Chemical Program ). PCBs are a concern to human and ecological health, because they can affect neurodevelopment and reproduction and are classified by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as probable human carcinogens. In Minnesota, PCBs are assessed in fish and in some surface waters. Information on Fish Consumption Advice can be found at the Minnesota Department of Health site. Minnesotaï3/4's Water Quality Standards for PCBs are based on the total concentration of PCBs and are measured in nanograms (one billionth of a gram) per liter (ng/L) to picograms (one trillionth of a gram) per liter (pg/L) in water. In fish, PCBs are measured in units of nanogram (one billionth of a gram) per gram (ng/g).

(polychlorinated biphenyls): Highly toxic and durable synthetic organic compounds that accumulate in tissues of organisms.

(Polychlorinated biphenyls) A group of toxic organic pollutants that can have serious health effects on humans and other animals. Production of PCBs has been banned in most countries, but residual contamination of sediments and fish remains a concern in many areas.

groups of chemicals found in industrial waste. Synthetic chemical compounds consisting of chlorine, carbon and hydrogen which were used in cooling and insulating fluids and in consumer products between 1930 and the 1970s.

Polychlorinated biphenyls. Sometimes found in electrical or hydraulic equipment.

Polychlorinated biphenyls. Disposition of these organic compounds is a matter of public concern because of their chronic toxicity, persuasiveness and persistence in the environment and their tendency to accumulate in the food chain and people.

Polychlorinated biphenyls. Found in transformers and capacitors, these organic compounds are very persistent in the environment where they accumulate over time.

See Polychlorinated biphenyls.()

polychlorinated biphenyls; chemicals, now banned in many countries, but still present in the environment. They were once used in inks, paint, and as additives when making plastics. These chemicals are Xenoestrogens which 'feed' Endometriosis

a group of chlorinated organic compounds that are non-corroding and resistant to heat and biological degradation; used as insulation in electrical equipment; can accumulate in some species and disrupt reproduction

Polychlorinated Biphenyls. Toxic, halogenated organic compounds not easily degraded in the environment.

Polychlorinated biphenyls are toxic, persistent chemicals. Due to their non-flammability, chemical stability, high boiling point and electrical insulating properties, PCBs were used in hundreds of industrial and commercial applications including electrical equipment; plasticizers (substances added to plastics to increase their flexibility). PCBs are a serious threat to public health because they have been proven to cause cancer in animals. In 1977 they were made illegal to produce in the United States, yet they still remain in the environment.

Polychlorinated Biphenyls. A group of manufactured chemicals, including about seventy different but closely related compounds made up of carbon, hydrogen, and chlorine. If released to the environment, PCBs persist for long periods and can biomagnify in food chains because they have no natural usage in the food web. PCBs are suspected of causing cancer in humans and other animals. PCBs are an example of an organic toxicant.

Polychlorinated biphenyls, a type of complex chlorinated hydrocarbon which is very stable and highly persistent in the environment; although now outlawed they are widely distributed and were extensively used in manufacturing industries.

Polychlorinated biphenyls. PCB is the generic term given to mixtures of organic compounds formed by the chlorination of bi-phenyls. Polychlorinated Biphenyls vary in appearance from colourless, light mobile fluids to sticky resins and white powders

polychlorinated biphenyls. A group of industrial chemicals (of the chlorinated hydrocarbon class) that are commonly used and have become serious and widespread pollutants. They are extremely resistant to breakdown and have contaminated most of the earth's food chains, resulting in biomagnification at higher trophic levels. Known to cause cancer.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (synonymous with Aroclor; Chlorextol; Dykanol; Pyranol; and other Trade names), a group of synthetic organic chlorinated compounds. Variable blends of PCBs were formerly used in many applications, including as fluid in heat transfer systems and hydraulic systems; as plasticizer in the manufacture of adhesives, textiles, and carbon-less copy paper; as dielectric fluid in capacitors and transformers.

PCBs have been banned in Canada since 1977, yet they continue to be released into the environment from sources in other countries, and from PCB-containing industrial equipment that is still in use here at home. PCBs are highly toxic and persistent chemicals that have been building up in wildlife and people through the process of bioaccumulation. PCBs cause many types of cancer and damages the nervous, immune and cardiovascular systems, leading to birth defects, brain damage and decreased immune function.

polychlorinated byphenyls

polychlorinated biphenyls. A group of manufactured chemicals, including about seventy different but closely related compounds made up of carbon, hydrogen and chlorine, used in transformers and capacitors for insulating purposes. If released into the environment, PCBs do not break down for long periods and can biomagnify in food chains. PCBs are suspected of causing cancer in humans and other animals. PCBs are an example of an organic toxic chemical.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a group of compounds containing over 200 chlorinated chemicals. These are known to irritate the nose and throat, cause rashes and acne. Much worse, they are endocrine-disrupting chemicals, which lodge in the fatty tissues of animals (including humans) and interfere with the reproductive, developmental and immune systems, causing cancers, strokes, birth defects and other serious health problems. PCBs are found in many places in our environment, and as they move up the marine food chain from fish to marine mammals, they become more concentrated. High levels of PCBs appear to be one of the reasons that British Columbia's Orcas (killer whale) population is in serious trouble right now (with the southern resident pods listed in Canada as endangered and only 80 individuals remaining). For more information on PCBs please go to www.georgiastrait.org/xenofacts.html#pcbs close window

A group of manufactured chemicals including 209 different, but closely related, compounds made up of carbon, hydrogen, and chlorine. If released to the environment, they persist for long periods of time and can biomagnify in the food web. They are an organic toxicant suspected of causing cancer, endocrine disruption, and other adverse impacts on organisms.

Polychlorinated biphenyls. Any group of organic compounds that were once widely used in industrial processes and as a heat-transfer and insulating fluid in cooling systems and electrical equipment. They are highly toxic, accumulate in the food chain, and are suspected to cause cancer. PCBs are formed by replacing hydrogen atoms in biphenyl with chlorine atoms. (, )

polychlorinated biphenyls; very persistent, toxic substances, stored in fatty tissue; previously widely used as fire-resistant dielectric fluids in transformers and capacitors; now prohibited

Industrial chemicals once widely used in Canada and the US and Europe in electrical equipment, heat exchangers, hydraulic systems and several other specialized applications. Although banned since 1985, they do not readily break down and may remain in the environment for a very long time.

Any molecule having multiple chlorine atoms attached to the carbon atoms of a biphenyl nucleus. There are 209 possible combinations. In the past, PCBs have been used in carbonless copy paper, newsprint, caulking compounds, hydraulic fluids, flame retardants, dielectric fluids, inks, dyes, paints, and adhesives.

group of organic compounds containing biphenyls and chlorine. PCB's can accumulate in food chains and are thought likely to produce harmful side effects, particularly during the reproductive cycle of some marine animals. Previously used in electrical equipment such as transformers, in the form of cooling oils.