Use of PCB blood levels to assess potential exposure following an electrical transformer explosion
- Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY (United States)
Following the explosion of a transformer, passersby, building occupants, and cleanup personnel had potential exposure to the transformer dielectric fluid containing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). As part of a medical evaluation, blood serum was analyzed for PCBs, and the concentrations found were similar to that of a regional comparison group (median 4.0 ng/mL or parts per billion, range 1-10, n = 60). Some workers employed by the utility company that owned the transformer had potential exposure to PCBs in the past. This positive comparison group had significantly higher serum PCB concentrations, related to known direct contact (median 5.0, mean 14 ng/mL, 1-187, n = 25) or not (median 4.0, mean 11 ng/mL, 2-72, n = 17). Therefore, in this investigation, elevation of serum PCB levels could be related to past contact during work with transformers, but not to potential short-term exposure at the time of a transfer explosion.
- OSTI ID:
- 6833485
- Journal Information:
- JOM, Journal of Occupational Medicine; (United States), Vol. 34:11; ISSN 0096-1736
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
BLOOD SERUM
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
PERSONNEL
OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE
POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS
ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE
TRANSFORMERS
EXPLOSIONS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
ELECTRICITY
EVALUATION
LEVELS
REGRESSION ANALYSIS
ANIMALS
AROMATICS
CHLORINATED AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
EQUIPMENT
HALOGENATED AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
MAMMALS
MAN
MATHEMATICS
ORGANIC CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
PRIMATES
STATISTICS
VERTEBRATES
560300* - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology