Current production of the cancer-causing man-made PCB chemicals may be at the highest levels despite being banned more than 40 years ago, a recent study has found.
What is going on?
PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, were banned from production in the US in 1979 and in Britain in 1981, the Guardian reported. However, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, PCBs are still produced as byproducts in various chemical manufacturing processes, such as the production of certain plastics, electrical equipment and even some paints, and can leach into soil and water supplies.
“This is mind-boggling… we should eliminate them under the Stockholm Convention,” Dr. Dave Megson, a forensic environmental scientist and lead researcher on the study, told the Guardian.
The research highlights a unique and alarming challenge. These byproduct PCBs slip under the radar of our current monitoring systems and pose a significant threat to our environment and health.
“The specific PCBs accidentally produced are different from the PCBs deliberately produced in the commercial mixtures of more than fifty years ago,” Megson told the Guardian.
Why are PCBs a concern?
PCBs are a type of “forever chemical” that poses a significant threat to the environment because they are difficult to break down, as the EPA explains.
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Of Americans, 97% have some level of forever chemicals in their blood, and long-term exposure can increase the risk of reproductive problems, childhood developmental delays and certain cancers.
PCBs are also present in our meat, fish and shellfish supplies, with the World Health Organization reporting that 90% of our contact occurs with these types of chemicals.
What is being done about PCBs?
Scientists in the US are making incredible breakthroughs in technology to break down chemicals forever.
Researchers at Northwestern University discovered a method to heat chemicals forever to help them break down. Scientists in California discovered that hydrogen significantly increased the effectiveness of UV light and destroyed chemicals in drinking water forever.
The EPA has taken an important step toward addressing the PCB problem. New regulations, coming into effect this year, promise to increase cleanup efforts, reduce waste and establish a more efficient system for handling PCB waste resulting from emergencies or natural disasters.
Since the 1979 ban, there have been protests across the country against the use of PCBs. In 1982, North Carolina residents protested the placement of a PCB-laden landfill in their community, ultimately losing the battle.
However, their struggle led to the environmental justice movement, which advocated for a fair distribution of environmental benefits and responsibilities, which continues to shape environmental policy today.
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