Current Intelligence Bulletin 45, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs): potential health hazards form electrical equipment fires or failures

Technical Report · Fri Jan 31 23:00:00 EST 1986

OSTI ID:5269536

Numerous fire-related incidents involving electrical equipment containing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB's) have resulted in widespread contamination of buildings with PCB's and, in some cases, with polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDF's) and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin (PCDD's), including 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). Emergency-response personnel, maintenance or cleanup workers, or building occupants may be exposed to the compounds by inhalation, ingestion, or skin contact. Based on existing evidence, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) continues to recommend the PCB's and TCDD be regarded as potential human carcinogens in the workplace. Existing evidence also suggests that PCDF's may pose a risk to human health. Therefore, NIOSH recommends that occupational exposure to PCB's, PCDF's, and PCDD's resulting from electrical equipment fires or failures be controlled to the lowest feasible limit, and that workers involved in decontamination activities use all necessary protective measures to prevent exposure.

• Research Organization: National Inst. for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5269536
• Report Number(s): PB-86-208295/XAB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

552000* -- Public Health
99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS
AROMATICS
CARCINOGENS
CHLORINATED AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
EQUIPMENT
HALOGENATED AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
HAZARDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NIOSH
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY
ORGANIC CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
RECOMMENDATIONS
SAFETY
TRANSFORMERS
US ORGANIZATIONS