Chemical pollution: polychlorinated biphenyls
Hammond AL. 1972. Chemical pollution: polychlorinated biphenyls. Science. 175(4018):155-156
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are widely used industrial chemicals that were never intended for release into the environment, but they have nonetheless been found in rainwater, in human tissue, and in many species of birds and fish. How PCBs came to be widely distributed in the environment and what biological effects they have are still largely unknown. But like DDT, PCBs apparently degrade very slowly under natural conditions. They tend to accumulate in the food chain, and cone ingested, they are stored in the body's fatty tissues. As is true with many other chlorinated hydrocarbons, even small doses of PCBs can be toxic, although it is not clear that the amounts found in fish or birds have had detrimental effects.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Hammond, Allen
- Units
- SODN
- Keywords
- Administration, Animals, IPM, PCBs, Pest control agents, Planning, Plants, Resource Management, Toxicology