Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)

Hickory Grove Water System

NOTE: Hickory Grove Water System purchases water from Fairview Union Water System which is required to test for polychlorinated biphenyls (pcbs). Sample information shown below was taken by Fairview Union Water System.

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.

 

16

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018ND40ND
2019ND80ND
2020ND20ND
2021ND40ND
2022ND20ND
2023ND20ND

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

NOTE: Hickory Grove Water System purchases water from Fairview Union Water System which is required to test for polychlorinated biphenyls (pcbs). Sample information shown below was taken by Fairview Union Water System.

Date Lab ID Result
2018-01-2235370033001ND
2018-01-2235370033001ND
2018-07-3135408507001ND
2018-07-3135408507001ND
2019-02-2535450972001ND
2019-02-2535450972001ND
2019-08-2635493338001ND
2019-08-2635493338001ND
2020-02-1735531817001ND
2020-09-1735578826001ND
2021-01-1435604986002ND
2021-08-1835657244007ND
2022-02-0135694942005ND
2022-08-0835738986003ND
2023-03-0635784946001ND
2023-08-2235823283001ND