PCB's (polychlorinated biphenyles) have been used in industry since 1929 and have
been enjoying greater popularity in recent years (Table 38). They are oily substances
which barely react with other substances and are also impervious to high temperatures. For this reason, they are used for cooling and heat transfer, for example in
electrical transformers and capacitors. But they were also widely used as hydraulic
fluid, and as a carrrier of other substances. A few years ago, chloro-rubber paints and
PVC contained around 5%-8%, and colorless copy paper 1 %-2% PCB's (Jensen
1972). The total amount of PCB's produced up to now by the chemical industry
(about 1 million t) is less than the amount of chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticides.
Since 1971, PCB production has been drastically reduced (Table 38). In 1973 the
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) made a decision
regarding Protection of the Environment by Control of Polychlorinated Biphenyls.
Member states reduced production to about 23,000 t, consumption to about 7000 t
in 1977 and decreated restrictions of handling, use and disposal. Dissipative uses in
paints, plastics and lubricants ceased; unfortunately they continue with small capacitors as used for luminescent tubes. PCB is still used to maintain existing transformators.
Diphenylether (Ph2 0) has been proposed to be used in industry as a substitute for
PCB's, because some properties are similar. However, this compound seems to accumulate in a similar manner, in the marine environment too; concentrations of 3-130 ng/l
have been analyzed in seawater from Halifax, Canada, and concentrations, on fat
basis, in the blubber of the grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) and in the liver of cod
(Gadus morhua) are 1-4 mg/kg (Addison 1977).
Table 38. U.S.A. production of PCB's. World production was approximately twice as large. In
1971, 8000 t of PCB's were produced in the Federal Republic of Germany, 7600 t in France,
6800 t in Japan, 5000 t in Great Britain, and around 1500 t apiece in Spain and Italy. Data in
1000 t (Longhurst and Radford 1975; Risebrough et aI. 1976b)
1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972-1974
17.2 16.6 17.4 20.3 23.1 27.5 29.5 34.2 37.2 34.7 38.6 18.3 18-19
In some countries polychlorinated terphenyls (PCT's) had been produced for similar
industrial use as PCB's, as a flame-retardant, and for paints and glues. Two thousand
seven hundred t of PCT's had been produced from 1954 to 1972 in Japan (Doduchi
1977), when it became evident that PCT's are toxic, persistent, and accumulating in
organisms; production in Japan and in the U.S.A. ceased in 1972. PCT's have been
analyzed with 0.5-1 mg/kg in the blubber of Baltic gray seal, along with 48-190 mg/
kg of PCB's. It is only in the last few years that modern gas chromatographic techniques have allowed to distinguish between PCB's and PCT's in such samples
(Renberg et al. 1978).
DDT (pp'DDT, 2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl-I,I,I-trichlorethane) has, to be sure, been
known for a century as a compound, but it was not put to use as an insecticide until
the Second World War. The annual production in the U.S.A. rose from 4400 t in 1944
166
been enjoying greater popularity in recent years (Table 38). They are oily substances
which barely react with other substances and are also impervious to high temperatures. For this reason, they are used for cooling and heat transfer, for example in
electrical transformers and capacitors. But they were also widely used as hydraulic
fluid, and as a carrrier of other substances. A few years ago, chloro-rubber paints and
PVC contained around 5%-8%, and colorless copy paper 1 %-2% PCB's (Jensen
1972). The total amount of PCB's produced up to now by the chemical industry
(about 1 million t) is less than the amount of chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticides.
Since 1971, PCB production has been drastically reduced (Table 38). In 1973 the
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) made a decision
regarding Protection of the Environment by Control of Polychlorinated Biphenyls.
Member states reduced production to about 23,000 t, consumption to about 7000 t
in 1977 and decreated restrictions of handling, use and disposal. Dissipative uses in
paints, plastics and lubricants ceased; unfortunately they continue with small capacitors as used for luminescent tubes. PCB is still used to maintain existing transformators.
Diphenylether (Ph2 0) has been proposed to be used in industry as a substitute for
PCB's, because some properties are similar. However, this compound seems to accumulate in a similar manner, in the marine environment too; concentrations of 3-130 ng/l
have been analyzed in seawater from Halifax, Canada, and concentrations, on fat
basis, in the blubber of the grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) and in the liver of cod
(Gadus morhua) are 1-4 mg/kg (Addison 1977).
Table 38. U.S.A. production of PCB's. World production was approximately twice as large. In
1971, 8000 t of PCB's were produced in the Federal Republic of Germany, 7600 t in France,
6800 t in Japan, 5000 t in Great Britain, and around 1500 t apiece in Spain and Italy. Data in
1000 t (Longhurst and Radford 1975; Risebrough et aI. 1976b)
1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972-1974
17.2 16.6 17.4 20.3 23.1 27.5 29.5 34.2 37.2 34.7 38.6 18.3 18-19
In some countries polychlorinated terphenyls (PCT's) had been produced for similar
industrial use as PCB's, as a flame-retardant, and for paints and glues. Two thousand
seven hundred t of PCT's had been produced from 1954 to 1972 in Japan (Doduchi
1977), when it became evident that PCT's are toxic, persistent, and accumulating in
organisms; production in Japan and in the U.S.A. ceased in 1972. PCT's have been
analyzed with 0.5-1 mg/kg in the blubber of Baltic gray seal, along with 48-190 mg/
kg of PCB's. It is only in the last few years that modern gas chromatographic techniques have allowed to distinguish between PCB's and PCT's in such samples
(Renberg et al. 1978).
DDT (pp'DDT, 2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl-I,I,I-trichlorethane) has, to be sure, been
known for a century as a compound, but it was not put to use as an insecticide until
the Second World War. The annual production in the U.S.A. rose from 4400 t in 1944
166