NYC-WTC_000199899

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

Page 2 POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS ToxFAQs^^' Internet address is http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html of PCBs in animals include changes in the immune system, electrical equipment, or transformers, since they may contain behavioral alterations, and impaired reproduction. PCBs are PCBs. not known to cause birth defects. □ Children should be discouraged from playing in the dirt near hazardous waste sites and in areas where there was a How likely are PCBs to cause cancer? transformer fire. Children should also be discouraged from Few studies of workers indicate that PCBs were eating dirt and putting dirty hands, toys or other objects in associated with certain kinds of cancer in humans, such as their mouths, and should wash hands frequently. cancer of the liver and biliary tract. Rats that ate food □ If you are exposed to PCBs in the workplace it is possible containing high levels of PCBs for two years developed liver to carry them home on your clothes, body, or tools. If this is cancer. The Department of Health and Human Services the case, you should shower and change clothing before (DHHS) has concluded that PCBs may reasonably be leaving work, and your work clothes should be kept separate anticipated to be carcinogens. The EPA and the from other clothes and laundered separately. International Agency for Research on Cancer (lARC) have determined that PCBs are probably carcinogenic to humans. Is there a medical test to show whether I’ve been exposed to PCBs? How can PCBs affect children? Tests exist to measure levels of PCBs in your blood, Women who were exposed to relatively high levels body fat, and breast milk, but these are not routinely of PCBs in the workplace or ate large amounts of fish conducted. Most people normally have low levels of PCBs contaminated with PCBs had babies that weighed slightly in their body because nearly everyone has been less than babies from women who did not have these environmentally exposed to PCBs. The tests can show if exposures. Babies bom to women who ate PCB- your PCB levels are elevated, which would indicate past contaminated fish also showed abnormal responses in tests exposure to above-normal levels of PCBs, but cannot of infant behavior. Some of these behaviors, such as determine when or how long you were exposed or whether problems with motor skills and a decrease in short-term you will develop health effects. memory, lasted for several years. Other studies suggest that the immune system was affected in children bom to and Has the federal government made recommendations to nursed by mothers exposed to increased levels of PCBs. protect human health? There are no reports of structural birth defects caused by The EPA has set a limit of0.0005 milligrams of PCBs exposure to PCBs or of health effects of PCBs in older per liter of drinking water (0.0005 mg/L). Discharges, spills or children. The most likely way infants will be exposed to accidental releases of 1 pound or more of PCBs into the PCBs is from breast milk. Transplacental transfers of PCBs environment must be reported to the EPA. The Food and were also reported In most cases, the benefits of breast­ Drug Administration (FDA) requires that infant foods, eggs, feeding outweigh any risks from exposure to PCBs in milk and other dairy products, fish and shellfish, poultry and mother’s milk. red meat contain no more than 0.2-3 parts of PCBs per million parts (0.2-3 ppm) of food. Many states have established fish How can families reduce the risk of exposure to PCBs? and wildlife consumption advisories for PCBs. □ You and your children may be exposed to PCBs by eating fish or wildlife caught from contaminated locations. Certain Source of Information states, Native American tribes, and U.S. territories have Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry issued advisories to warn people about PCB-contaminated (ATSDR). 2000. Toxicological profile for polychlorinated fish and fish-eating wildlife. You can reduce your family’s biphenyls (PCBs). Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health exposure to PCBs by obeying these advisories. and Human Services, Public Health Service. □ Children should be told not play with old appliances.

Where can I get more information? For more information, contact the Agency for Toxic Substances and Diseas e Registry, Division of Toxicology, 1600 Clifton Road NE, Mailstop E-29, Atlanta, GA 30333. Phone: 1-888-422-8737, FAX: 404-639-6359. ToxFAQs™ Internet address is http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html. ATSDR can tell you where to find occupational and environmental health clinics. Their specialists can recognize, evaluate, and treat illnesses resulting from exposure to hazardous substances. You can also contact your community or state health or environmental quality department if you have any more questions or concerns.

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