A group of synthetic chemicals that can exist as oily liquids and waxy solids. They have been commercially used in electrical transformers and capacitors, hydraulic equipment, paint elasticizers, plastics, rubber products, pigments, dyes, and carbonless copy paper. PCBs can produce toxic effects and are probable carcinogens.

Compounds containing two benzene rings and at least two chlorine atoms. They are highly toxic. (Gobbell, 1994, p. 69)

A group of chemicals found in industrial wastes.

dangerous materials no longer produced which give off dioxins.

(PCB): A class of chlorinated aromatic compounds composed of two fused benzene rings and two or more chlorine atoms; used in heat exchange, insulating fluids and other applications. There are 209 different PCBs. PCBs are present in marine sediments in New Bedford Harbor where their cleanup is being coordinated by the US EPA Superfund Program. They, as well as other toxic contaminants, are not monitored as part of the Buzzards Bay Citizens Water Quality Monitoring Program.

Synthetic chemical compounds consisting of chlorine, carbon and hydrogen used in a wide range of industrial and consumer products (mainly industrial transformers and capacitors) that are very hazardous to the environment because of their extreme resistance to chemical and biological breakdown by natural processes (Note: the production of PCBs in North America was banned in 1977, by which time 635 000 tons had already been produced. Canada imported some 40 000 tons, 24 000 tons of which are currently in use or storage – most of the remainder is assumed to have entered the environment).

a group of closely related and manufactured chemicals made up of carbon, hydrogen and chlorine, specifically, two 6-carbon rings (biphenyl - C6H5+) with two or more chlorine atoms substituted for hydrogen

CAS Number: 1336-36-3. Any of several compounds that are produced by replacing hydrogen atoms in biphenyl with chlorine. They have various industrial applications, and are poisonous environmental pollutants which tend to accumulate in animal tissues. Molecular weight = 291.98 - 360.86 g/mol. Learn More...

PCBs, a class of chemicals linked to developmental defects. (More? Defects - Chemical Notes)

A group of toxic chemicals used for a variety of purposes including electrical applications, carbonless copy paper, adhesives, hydraulic fluids, microscope emersion oils, and caulking compounds. PCBs are also produced in certain combustion processes. PCBs are extremely persistent in the environment because they are very stable, non-reactive, and highly heat resistant. Burning them produces even more toxins. Chronic exposure to PCBs is believed to cause liver damage. It is also known to bioaccumulate in fatty tissues. PCB use and sale was banned in 1979 with the passage of the Toxic Substances Control Act.

A series of hazardous compounds used for a number of industrial purposes. PCBs are toxic to some marine life at concentrations of a few parts per billion and are known to cause skin diseases and even death in humans at higher concentrations. PCBs are persistent in the environment and do not decompose easily. They biomagnify up the food chain; that is, they concentrate in high and higher amounts as larger animals eat a number of smaller animals that have ingested PCBs directly or in turn from still smaller organisms.

A group of biologically persistent organic compounds containing chlorine, previously used in electrical transformers and capacitors because of their insulating capacity and fire resistance. Due to their persistence, they are being phased out and destroyed.

A group of over 200 nonflammable compounds used in heating and cooling equipment, electrical insulation, hydraulic and lubricating fluids, and various inks, adhesives and paints. These compounds are highly toxic and persistent, and bioaccumulate in living organisms. PCBs are also suspected carcinogens, and have been linked to infant development problems.

Persistent contaminants of aquatic sediments and biota that are very widespread. Commercial formulations of PCBs are mixtures of individual chlorinated biphenyls (congeners) varying according to the numbers of chlorines and their ring positions on the biphenyl. Prior to the 1975 congressional ban on PCB manufacture, various mixtures of some 209 individual PCBs were used extensively in electrical transformers, capacitors, paints, waxes, inks, dust control agents, paper and pesticides.

a family of industrial compounds produced by the chlorination of biphenyl. Before 1974, PCBs were used in a variety of products including capacitors, transformers, plasticizers, surface coatings, inks and adhesives, among others. After 1974, use of PCBs was restricted to the production of capacitors and transformers, and after 1979, PCBs were no longer used in the production of capacitors and transformers. PCBs are persistent environmental pollutants, which accumulate in animal tissue with resultant pathogenic effects, and must be managed as hazardous waste.

A group of 209 chemicals that were used primarily as industrial coolants, insulators, and lubricants. They were also used for a period of time in carbonless copy paper recycled by paper mills in the Kalamazoo River area.

A group of toxic, persistent chemicals used in electrical transformers and capacitors for insulating purposes, and in gas pipeline systems as a lubricant. The sale and new use of PCBs were banned by law in 1979.

a family of several hundred compounds produced by chlorination of biphenyl that are environmental pollutants; marked according to their chlorine content.

A group of biologically persistent organic compounds containing chlorine, PCBs are toxic to marine life. Formerly widely used in electrical transformers and capacitors for their insulating and fire-resistant properties, they are now being phased out and disposed of.

Very stable, non-flammable liquids used as heat insulation fluids in transformers. Several types of PCB mixtures exist; some commercial PCB mixtures are known by their industrial trade name, Aroclor. Because PCBs are very stable chemicals, they tend to persist in the environment.

A group of synthetic organic chemicals that contain 209 individual chlorinated biphenyl compounds (known as congeners). There are no known natural sources of PCB in the environment. PCBs are either oily liquids or solids. Because they do not burn easily and are good insulating materials, PCBs have been used widely as coolants and lubricants in transformers, capacitors, and other electrical equipment. The manufacture of PCBs stopped in the United States in October 1977 as a result of evidence that they build up in the environment and cause harmful effects.

A mixture of chlorinated derivatives of biphenyl, marketed under the trade name Aroclor with a number designating the chlorine content (such as Aroclor 1260). PCBs were used in transformers and capacitors for insulating purposes and in gas pipeline systems as a lubricant. Further sale for new use was banned by law in 1979.

A series of isomers and compounds used mainly as plasticizers, flame retardants and insulating materials. PCBs are potentially toxic and carcinogenic. Toxic effects generally involve damage to the skin and liver. PCBs have been found to cause reproductive problems in humans and cancer in laboratory animals. Further sale and new use of PCBs in the US was banned in 1979.()

Mixtures of synthetic organic chemicals with the same basic chemical structure and similar physical properties ranging from oily liquids to waxy solids. PCBs were used in hundreds of industrial and commercial applications including electrical, heat transfer, and hydraulic equipment; as plasticizers in paints, plastics, and rubber products; in pigments, dyes, and carbonless copy paper, and many other applications. Production of PCBs in the United States ceased in 1977.

Group of synthetic chemicals formerly used as insulating fluids in electrical equipment.

Any of several compounds that are produced by replacing hydrogen atoms in biphenyl with chlorine, PCBs have various industrial applications, and are poisonous environmental pollutants which tend to accumulate in animal tissues. The Toxic Substances Control Act (TOSCA) banned the manufacture, processing, and distribution of PCBs, but, due to the longevity of PCBs, we're still feeling their effects today. See also: Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

A group of manufactured chemicals including about 70 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 food chains because they have no natural usage in the food web. PCBs are suspected of causing cancer in humans. PCBs are an example of an organic toxicant.

a group of synthetic, toxic industrial chemical compounds once used in making paint and electrical transformers, which are chemically inert and not biodegradable. PCBs were frequently found in industrial wastes, and subsequently found their way into surface and ground waters. As a result of their persistence, they tend to accumulate in the environment. In terms of streams and rivers, PCBs are drawn to sediment, to which they attach and can remain virtually indefinitely. Although virtually banned in 1979 with the passage of the Toxic Substances Control Act, they continue to appear in the flesh of fish and other animals.

A group of toxic, persistent chemicals used in transformers and capacitators for insulation purposes and in gas pipeline systems as lubricants. Its manufacture was stopped in 1976 in the U.S.

PCBs are very stable, non-flammable liquids used as heat insulation fluids in transformers. Because PCBs are very stable chemicals, they tend to persist in the environment. Several types of PCB mixtures exist; some commercial mixtures are known by their industrial trade name, Aroclor.

group of 209 different toxic, oily, synthetic chlorinated hydrocarbon compounds that can be biologically amplified in food chains and webs.

A group of man-made chemicals made up of two benzene rings bonded together (biphenyl) with one or more hydrogen atoms replaced by chlorine. PCBs have been used in electrical equipment, hydraulic fluid, inks, paints, adhesives, fire retardants and heat transfer fluids. They have been banned for most uses since 1979.

see PCBs

A family of organic compounds; mixtures of up to 209 individual chlorinated compounds. They have been used as coolants and lubricants in transformers, capacitors, and other electrical equipment because they don't burn easily and are good insulators. Many commercial PCB mixtures are known in the US by the trade name Aroclor.

This group of isomers was originally used for its flame-retardant attributes. Used since 1929 in the production of electrical transformers and lubricating oils, PCBs became regulated in Canada in 1977. The importation of all electrical equipment containing PCBs was banned in 1980.

PCBs are mixtures of synthetic organic chemicals with the same basic chemical structure and similar physical properties ranging from oily liquids to waxy solids. 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, heat transfer, and hydraulic equipment. Concern over the toxicity and persistence in the environment of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) led Congress in 1976 to enact §6(e) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) that included among other things, prohibitions on the manufacture, processing, and distribution in commerce of PCBs.

A group of organic compounds. PCB's are highly toxic to aquatic life. They persist in the environment for long periods of time, and they are bioaccumulants (collect in the body). They primarily damage the liver. find all NHC pages containing: polychlorinated biphenyls (pcb)

a family of banned synthetic, organic chemicals that affect the human thyroid gland and reproductive systems of animals.

The manufacture of Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) began in the 1920s and was taken over by Monsanto Co. from Swann Chemical Company in 1929. Manufacture peaked in the 1960s, by which time the electrical industry had lobbied congress to make them mandatory safety equipment, knowing all the while that they were extremely toxic. In 1966, they were "discovered" by Swedish chemist Dr.