PCBs: A Contributor to Many Rapidly Increasing Health Problems and Learning Disabilities?

As the decades go by it seems as if more and more people are being diagnosed with life altering conditions and life threatening conditions. While some of the reasons for our worsening overall health conditions as Americans may be somewhat our own fault in certain situations (such as unhealthy eating habits or other obvious factors) there are a few things that still seem to be baffling about the diseases and disorders that are running so rampid among us today. To take a few problems that are known about but just as much not known about such as cancer, autism and attention deficit disorder (ADD).

While I do understand that we have a vast amount of information about these issues there is one thing that seems to always be a topic of interest and a well debated topic at that. Why do cancer, autism, and attention deficit disorder seem to be present in more and more people as time goes on? Recent studies have shown that most people in America are walking around with some type of toxic chemical in their bodies. In fact, one study done showed that toxic chemicals were found in at least 99% of pregnant women. These toxic chemicals included certain PCBs, organochloride pesticides, PFCs, phenols, PBDEs, phthalates, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and perchlorate. It is hard not to think that the presence of these chemicals does not have something to do with the rapid increase in people with health issues like cancer, autism, attention deficit disorder.

One of the chemicals named in the study is PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyl). Studies on PCBs are ongoing still but it is believed that they can cause or increase the chance of many health issues such as cancer, thyroid conditions, learning disabilities, developmental disabilities, and behavioral disabilities. Some of the specific issues associated with PCB overexposure are cancer, attention deficit disorder (ADD) and, possibly, autism spectrum disorders. The most interesting thing of all perhaps about PCBs is that they can be transfered from generation to generation and if each generation is exposed to an additional amount of PCBs they will have an even higher amount present in their body. So where are these PCBs that we are being exposed to? Some amount of PCBs are usually found in the soil and in food. This is because when PCB chemicals were found to be toxic in the late 1970's they were disposed of only to find out years later that PCBs are not biodegradable. So because of the improper disposal of PCBs they are now present in some soil areas and some food.

It is now being found out though that PCBs are present in high and unhealthy amounts in some buildings. Among those buildings with high amounts of PCBs present are some schools. It is hard to believe there is not a link between overexposure to PCBs and the issues that run so rapid today especially when children spend the majority of their day in school from the time they are in kindergarten through their senior year in high school but only time and research will tell the exact issues associated with the overexposure to PCBs and the length of time it takes for it to become toxic to the body.

For additional information about overexposure of PCBs in Staten Island and Brooklyn contact Frank J. Dito Jr. at 718-979-4300.