The Environment And Effect On Human Health Environmental Sciences Essay

Polychlorinated Biphenyls are a group of manmade chemicals. They make up a group of two hundred and nine individual chlorinated biphenyl rings, known as congeners. In the concentrated form, PCBs are oily liquids, oily solids, and clear to yellow in color.(EPA, 2012). They have no smell or taste. (EPA, 2012). They are very stable mixtures that are resistant to extreme temperature and pressure. They have a low degree of reactivity. PCBs are not flammable, have high electrical resistance, and are good insulators.(Barbalace, 2002) PCBs were seen as an industrial breakthrough, because of its chemical properties.

Before their ban in 1979, Polychlorinated biphenyls entered the environment during their manufacture and us in the United States. The organic chemicals were first manufactured by Monsanto in 1929. Prior to their ban, PCBs were used in hundreds of industrial and commercial applications, as electrical insulators. Uses for PCBS included transformers, electrical equipment, hydraulic fluids, oil based paint, carbonless carbon paper, compressors, heat transfer systems, pigments, adhesives, liquid cooled electric motors, fluorescent bulbs, cable insulation, plastic, and the list goes on.(EPA, 2012). Domestic uses included cereal boxes and bread wrappers. Because of its role in prevent fires and an explosion, the chemical was required by fire code. PCBs were seen as the ideal insulator for companies and consumers.

The qualities that make PCBs wanted by consumers and companies are also the ones that make it hazardous to the environment and human health. PCBs’ high thermal and chemical resistance means they do not break down easily when exposed to heat or chemical treatments causing it to be hard to get out of the environment. Since they do not break down they remain in the environment and continue to build up. Today, the chemicals can still be released in the environment through spills, leaks, and improper disposal and storage. More than half of the PCBs produced during 1929-1979 have been released into the environment. (Barbalace, 2012). Although PCBs are no longer commercially manufactured or widely used , there are still ways people can be exposed to concentrated Polychlorinated Biphenyls. The most common exposures include through food, surface soils, drinking and ground water, indoor air, and in the workplace.

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PCBs are an organic pollutant. Companies that used the substance contaminated the environment through its uses and disposals. In 1935, the Monsanto Company purchased the Theodore Swann chemical company and began manufacturing PCBs in the United States. Monsanto continued to produce PCBs at its Anniston plant until 1971.(Lyons, 2004). During its forty years of manufacturing PCBs as an electrical insulator, the Monsanto Company flushed tens of thousands of pounds of PCBs into nearby creeks and buried millions more pounds in a hillside landfill. (Lyons, 2004). The Monsanto Company was sued by thousands of current and former residents of Anniston, who claim the company was aware of the dangers posed by PCBs and actively schemed to hide this information from the nearby public. (Firestone, 2002). In 1966, Monsanto managers discovered fish near the waste sites turned belly side up spurting blood and shredding skin, within ten seconds of the PCBs disposal.(Firestone, 2002). The company hid their findings. In 1969, fish were found with 7500 times the legal PCB level.(Grunwald, 2002). Company records reveal the company’s decision that “there was no reason to go to expensive extremes in limiting discharge form the plant”.(Grunwald, 2002). The company was ordered to pay $53 million in cleanup cost and agreed to a global settlement involving current and future cases in Alabama.(Lyons, 2004).

There are numerous known contaminated sites around the U.S. Among the most dangerous of these, is the Hudson River Valley. In 1947-1977, General Electric (GE) began dumping PCB in the river. By the ban in 1979, an estimated 1.3 million pounds of the synthetic chemical had entered the Hudson river. The Hudson River was contaminated with PCB pollution. Twenty years later, officials still have to deal with the environmental effect of PCBs in the bedrocks of the Hudson River. (Mele, 1998). PCBs are now found throughout the Hudson River ecosystem, in in sediment, water, and wildlife. (Mele, 1998). The spread of PCBs throughout the Hudson River and the food chain has created one of the most widespread, hazardous waste problems in the nation. The EPA ordered the General Electric Company to pay 460 million dollars to dredge the PCBs it had dumped into the Hudson River. (Grunwald, 2002).

The Environmental Protection Agency Prevention regulates PCBs through the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The Act bans the use, distribution, manufacture, and processing of PCBs. TSCA gives EPA the authority to develop and enforce regulations concerning the manufacture, use, cleanup, and proper disposal of PCBs. (EPA, 2012).

Through the environment, humans came into contact with the chemical. Polychlorinated Biphenyls are linked to numerous health hazard. It has an acute toxic affect. Skin irritations can occur in people exposed to high levels of PCBs. Studies in the workplace suggest that exposure to PCBs may also cause irritation of the nose and lungs.

PCBs are a probable human carcinogen. EPA´s regulations on cancer-causing chemicals use the term `probable´ when a chemical is known to cause cancer in animals and where there is evidence that suggests that it causes cancer in humans but which is not conclusive. Studies of PCBs in humans have found increased rates of cancer patients that may be connected to the synthetic chemical. PCBs are known to cause a variety of types of cancer in rats, mice, and other study animals. (EPA, 2012)

Polychlorinated Biphenyls are linked to developmental effects. Proper development of the nervous system is critical for early learning and can have potentially significant implications for the health of individuals throughout their lifetimes. (EPA, 2012). Women exposed to PCBs before or during pregnancy can give birth to children with significant neurological and motor control problems. These problems include lowered IQ and poor short-term memory. (EPA, 2012).

PCBs disrupt hormone function. PCBs with only a few chlorine atoms can mimic the body´s natural hormones. PCBs are also thought to play a role in reduced sperm number, reformed sex organs, puberty, and altered sex ratios of children. PCBs with more chlorine atoms act like dioxins in altering the metabolism of sex steroids in the body, which change the normal levels of estrogens and testosterone. PCBs also upset the balance of thyroid hormones, which may affect the growth, intellectual, and behavioral development. (EPA, 2012).

PCBs are found throughout the environment, and it may be impossible to avoid coming into contact with Polychlorinated Biphenyls. People can try avoiding contact with contaminated soils and sediments. (Wisconsin, 2012). Practice good hygiene habits. Limit their consumption of sport-caught fish. Wash fruits and vegetables before eating them. Also, if any member of the household works with old electrical equipment be sure the equipment is properly maintained and the area is well ventilated. (Wisconsin, 2012).

Polychlorinated Biphenyls are a chemical that will not go away. The Environmental Protection Agency is trying their best to rid the environment of its effects. The characteristics of the synthetic drug cause it to be transported easily and hard to break down. The drug has caused damaged to the environment, and the people around the environment. Polychlorinated Biphenyls will have a lifetime effect on the environment and people.

Sources

Barbalace, Roberta C. “The Chemistry of Polychlorinated Biphenyls.” : PCB, The Manmade Chemicals That Won’t Go Away (EnvironmentalChemistry.com). N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Aug. 2012. .

Environmental Protection Agency. “Polychlorinated Biphenyls.” EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d. Web. 7 Sept. 2012. .

Firestone, David. “Alabama Jury Says Monsanto Polluted Town.” The New York Times. N.p., 23 Feb. 2002. Web. 7 Sept. 2012. .

Grunwald, Michael. “Monsanto Held Liable For PCB Dumping.” The Washington Post. Raw Food Info, 23 Feb. 2002. Web. 7 Sept. 2012. .

Lyon, Steve. “PCB Pollution in Anniston, Alabama.” Reading. Commonweal. Professor Raquel Pinderhughes. San Francisco State Unversity . Urban Studies and Environmental Programs, 2004. Web. 7 Sept. 2012. .

“Human Health Hazards – PCBs and Your Health.” Human Health Hazards – PCBs and Your Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Sept. 2012. .

The Hudson River PCB Story – A Toxic Heritage. Dir. Andy Mele. W. Alton Jones Foundation, 1998. Short Film. The Hudson River PCB Story – A Toxic Heritage. Web. 7 Sept. 2012. .

“What Are The Human Health Effects Of PCBs?” What Are The Human Health Effects Of PCBs? N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Sept. 2012. .