Chronic exposure of other animals to PCBs can lead to disrupted hormone balances, reproductive failures, tetromas, or carcinomas. Plants, however, do not appear to exhibit detectable toxicity responses to PCBs. A more significant health impact of PCBs may be caused by their incomplete combustion during thermal treatment processes. These are of concern due to their toxicological and lethal effects on laboratory animals. Although the full range of health effects for humans has not been characterized, it is known that once PCBs enter the body they become stored in fat tissue.
Liver damage can also occur.
People working extensively with PCBs are at a greater risk and may develop a painful and disfiguring condition called chloracne. This page was last updated on August 26, 2001. All rights reserved.