Study Finds Elevated PCB Levels in Homes

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are persistent, bioaccumulative chemicals that can cause both acute and chronic health problems in humans and may cause cancer; their production was banned in the U.S. in the 1970s. Most studies have focused on how these chemicals enter the human body through the food chain, but a new study published in the online journal

Environmental Health implicates another mechanism. An earlier study had found elevated PCB levels in 31% of 120 homes studied; the homes studied belonged to breast cancer patients and a control group. The current study looked more closely at two of the homes, and the high levels of PCBs were traced to finishes used in the 1950s and 1960s on hardwood floors. Based on their findings, the study’s authors believe that floor finishes and other building products may be contributing significantly to PCB exposure, and that the effect of this exposure has been underestimated and requires further research. The full study is available at www.ehjournal.net/content/7/1/2/.