Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)

City of Post Falls

PCBs are synthetic chemicals banned in the U.S. since the 1970s because of their toxicity. PCBs contaminate water by leaching from landfills and hazardous waste clean-up sites. PCBs increase the risk of cancer. Read More.

Up until the late 1970s, PCBs were used widely as coolants and lubricants in transformers, capacitors and other electrical equipment. Currently, PCBs are widely detected in the general population. They build up and are stored in fatty tissues and fluids such as breast milk, and can be passed on to fetuses and infants during pregnancy and breast-feeding. In human epidemiological studies, PCBs have been associated with an elevated risk of breast and prostate cancers. Infants and children with higher PCB exposures during development score lower on measures of neurological function, ranging from decreased IQ scores to� reduced hearing sensitivity. PCBs also affect hormones and damage the immune system.

 

29

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018N/A00N/A
2019ND70ND
2020ND80ND
2021ND10ND
2022ND100ND
2023ND30ND

ppb = parts per billion

State, National, and Health Guidelines for Drinking Water

EWG Health Guideline: 0.09 ppb

The EWG Health Guideline of 0.09 ppb for PCBs was defined by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment as a public health goal, the level of a drinking water contaminant that does not pose a significant health risk. This health guideline protects against cancer.

EPA Maximum Contaminant
Level (MCL): 0.5 ppb

The legal limit for PCBs, established in 1991, was based on analytical detection limits at the time that the standard was set. This limit may not fully protect against the risk of cancer due to PCB exposure.

ppb = parts per billion

All test results

Date Lab ID Result
2019-11-13S210893ND
2019-11-13S210943ND
2019-11-18S211061ND
2019-12-09S211718ND
2019-12-16S211919ND
2019-12-18S211064ND
2019-12-19S211105ND
2020-01-08S202001013101ND
2020-01-08S212482ND
2020-01-08S212481ND
2020-01-08S212480ND
2020-01-08S212478ND
2020-01-08S212477ND
2020-01-08S212476ND
2020-01-08S212479ND
2021-11-30S202111052501ND
2022-02-09S202202020201ND
2022-03-09S202203020202ND
2022-03-09S202203020102ND
2022-03-14S202203025401ND
2022-03-14S202203025301ND
2022-04-27S202204053601ND
2022-06-06S202206008601ND
2022-06-07S202206010001ND
2022-07-13S202207033801ND
2022-11-01S2022110039ND
2023-01-25S202301040801ND
2023-05-15S202305028801ND
2023-12-13S202312023501ND