PCBs, Furons, and Dioxins Are No Fun

Supplemental Reading 10.19 discusses the health problems that PCBs, furans, and dioxins can cause in humans. Over the past few years, scientists have learned a great deal about the impact exposure to PCBs can have on human health. The most common effect of high levels of exposure to PCBs is chloracne, a disfiguring acne. Scientists have also discovered that PCBs have a toxic effect on human reproduction. Scientists fear that PCBs have done the most reproductive damage to women who have consumed large amounts of fish which had PCBs stored in their fatty tissue. By conducting studies on the children of these mothers, scientists were able to deduce that PCBs toxic effects on the reproduction process can disrupt the cognitive development of the child. The reading goes on to discuss a recent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency report which stated that 2,3,7,8- TCDD is a human carcinogen, meaning that it is highly likely that the mixture of PCDDs is also a carcinogen. The report also states that, in addition to cancer, these compounds could also have serious effects on reproduction, sexual development, and the immune system. A frightening estimate from this report states that “an upper limit of one thousand of the one million new cancer cases diagnosed each year in the United States could arise from the intake of a mixture of dioxins, furans, and PCBs (Baird, 404).” The reading concludes with a discussion of the debate over how dangerous PCBs really are. While some groups believe that the negative effects of PCBs have been blown out of proportion, others argue that the high levels of PCBs in our environment have most certainly caused negative effects to human health. The debate continues to rage on as scientists seek a greater understanding of the impact PCBs have had on our lives.

Unknown Terms
PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls): a group of industrial organochlorine chemicals that became a major environmental concern in the 1980s and 1990s.
Chloracne: a disfiguring acne that is characteristic of exposure to organochlorine compounds
Dibenzofuran: These compounds are structurally similar to dioxins; they differ in that they are missing one oxygen in the central ring. The dibenzofurans give rise to health effects similar to those of dioxins. Their production is the result of strong heating of PCBs in the presence of a source of oxygen.
2,3,7,8-TCDD: the most potent carcinogen known
Before reading this, I had never heard of PCBs, let alone the health problems they can cause. It makes me happy I’m a vegetarian so I won’t be eating any fish full of PCBs anytime soon. However, from what I got from the reading, it seems as though, no matter what I do, I could possibly be exposed to PCBs. Moreover, the reading didn’t offer any kind of solution to this problem. It seems as though more research has to be conducted before any major initiatives against PCBs are undertaken. I can’t offer much of my own opinion on this subject because, admittedly, much of the reading went over my head. However, I hope that someone with a better understanding of PCBs will soon be able to prevent it from causing further health problems to humans and animals.

Baird, Colin. “10.19 The Health Effects of PCBs, Furans, and Dioxins.” Chemistry In Your Life. 2nd ed. New York: W.H. Freeman and Company, 2006.