PCBs bioaccumulate (are stored and saved) in the fatty tissue of fish which has led to a New York State "Eat None" health advisory indicating that women of child bearing age and children should not consume any fish taken from the Hudson River. Others should limit their intake of fish.
PCBs cause cancer in animals and probably cause cancer in humans.
Research shows that PCBs have other health effects at lower levels. PCBs are now understood to have subtle but indelible effects on neurological, hormonal and reproductive systems of animals and humans; and the ability to permanently affect intelligence and behavior, including I.Q., attention span and irritability.
PCBs and other chemicals, referred to as endocrine disruptors, can block or mimic the action of hormones and are being linked to deformities and reproductive abnormalities in animals.
As with other persistent chemicals that accumulate in our bodies over a lifetime, these substances are passed from one generation to the next before birth and passed from mother to child through breast milk. |
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| Signs posted along the river warn of the dangers of eating fish because of PCBs. |
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