Polychlorinated Compounds in waters

The next type of endocrine disrupting compounds are the polychlorinated compounds. Some polychlorinated compound examples are: Polychlorinated dibenso-p-dioxins (PCDD), Polychlorinated dibensofurans (PCDF) and Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB’s).

Polychlorinated compounds are ubiquitious pollutants with aromatic structures¹. Polychlorinated compounds are very recalcitrant (difficult to degrade) and are not very soluble. Combustion processes are some of the most important sources of polychlorinated compounds in the environment. Polychlorinated biphenyls were used as industrial chemicals such as dielectric fluids, lubricants, hydraulic fluids, and as additives in sealants, plastics, paints, copying paper, adhesives and casting agents¹.

PCB’s thermal stability and recalcitrance was one of the main reasons for their industrial use…which in turn contrubutes to their effectiveness as environmental pollutants.

Polychlorinated compounds do tend to bioaccumulate in fish and other wildlife, and can enter humans through ingestion.

The EPA says that “PCBs are released into the environment from (1) items that contain PCBs introduced deliberately for their useful chemical properties, (2) inadvertent generation during certain production processes, and (3) storage and disposal facilities” as primary sources.1 PCB’s, now mostly banned were previously used in the production of dielectric fluids for transformers, capacitors, and other electrical components as well as synthetic resins, epoxy paints, protective coatings, and hydraulic and heat transfer fluids³.

1. Analysis and environmental levels of endocrine disrupting compounds in freshwater sediment; Mira Petrovice, Ethel Eljattat, Maria J. Loepez de Alda, Damiae Barcelo; Trend in Analytical Chemistry, vol. 20, no. 11, 2001.

2. Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), Dibenso-p-Dioxins (PCDDs), Dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and Related Compounds: Environmental and Mechanistic Considerations Which Support the Development of Toxic Equivalency Factors (TEFs); Stephen Safe; Critical Reviews in Toxicology, Vol 21, Issue 1, 1990, pages 51-88

3. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (1998). Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy Stakeholder Forum. PCB’s Workgroup. http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/bnsdocs/pcbsrce/pcbsrce.html