Polybrominated biphenyls
Evaluates the risks to human health and the environment posed by exposure to polybrom-inated biphenyls (PBBs). These chemicals were introduced as flame retardants in the early 1970s and used in the manufacture of small appliances and in automotive applications, coatings, lacquers, and polyurethane f...
| Institution: | ETUI-European Trade Union Institute |
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| Format: | TEXT |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Geneva
1994
WHO |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.labourline.org/KENTIKA-19205811124910230939-Polybrominated-biphenyls.htm |
| Summary: | Evaluates the risks to human health and the environment posed by exposure to polybrom-inated biphenyls (PBBs). These chemicals were introduced as flame retardants in the early 1970s and used in the manufacture of small appliances and in automotive applications, coatings, lacquers, and polyurethane foam. Research on these chemicals has been especially intense following a 1973 poisoning disaster, in Michigan, USA, caused when the flame retardant FireMaster® was inadvertently confused with a magnesium oxide-based cattle feed supplement. The flame retardant was added to animal feed and widely distributed to farms within the state. The ensuing contamination of farm animals resulted in the destruction of tens of thousands of cattle, pigs, and sheep, and more than a million chickens. Since the cause of contamination remained undetected for almost a year, thousands of farmers and other consumers were exposed to PBBs through the consumption of contaminated meat, eggs, and dairy products.
Although production of PBBs has been halted or severely restricted in many parts of the world, these chemicals remain of enduring concern due to their extreme persistence in the environment, their concentration in the food chain, their marked tendency to bioaccumulate in living organisms, including humans, and the potential for adverse health effects following long-term exposure to very low levels.
The most extensive section assesses the large number of studies conducted in experimental animals and in vitro test systems. Toxic effects demonstrated in numerous studies and in many species include wasting syndrome, thymus atrophy, hepatotoxicity, liver cancer, skin disorders, and adverse effects on reproduction, including fetal wastage and decreased viability of offspring. Citing overwhelming evidence, the report concludes that commercial use of these compounds should cease. |
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| Physical Description: | 577 p. Paper |