Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)

New Orleans Carrollton Waterworks

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.

 

41

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018ND80ND
2019ND100ND
2020ND60ND
2021ND60ND
2022ND60ND
2023ND50ND

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
2018-03-1535380391002ND
2018-03-1535380391001ND
2018-03-1535380391001ND
2018-03-1535380391002ND
2018-08-1535411633001ND
2018-08-1535411633002ND
2018-08-1535411633002ND
2018-08-1535411633001ND
2019-02-2735451097001ND
2019-02-2735451098001ND
2019-02-2735451098001ND
2019-02-2735451097001ND
2019-08-0135486661001ND
2019-08-0135486665001ND
2019-08-0135486661001ND
2019-08-0135486665001ND
2019-09-1935499418001ND
2019-09-1935499418001ND
2020-03-2635540032001ND
2020-03-2635540029001ND
2020-03-2635540024001ND
2020-10-0835583702001ND
2020-10-0835583691001ND
2020-10-0835583701001ND
2021-03-2935622307001ND
2021-03-2935622309001ND
2021-03-2935622313001ND
2021-10-1435671090001ND
2021-10-1435671094001ND
2021-10-1435671099001ND
2022-03-1535704709001ND
2022-03-1535704707001ND
2022-03-1535704706001ND
2022-10-1335753420001ND
2022-10-1335753422001ND
2022-10-1335753419001ND
2023-03-0635783931001ND
2023-03-0635783938001ND
2023-03-0635783939001ND
2023-11-1635842434001ND
2023-11-1635842436001ND