# How dangerous is this? (PCB) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 7, 2008, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-is-this-pcb/476067 "2008-12-07T00:16:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Laudenum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Laudenum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laudenum)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2008, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-is-this-pcb/476067/1 "2008-12-07T00:16:21Z")
[http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055435388](http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055435388) > [@](#): > > The Food Safety Authority of Ireland has ordered the withdrawal and recall of all Irish pork products dating back to 1 September. > > It follows the discovery of a contaminant in pig feed by a dioxin known as PCB at levels between 80 and 200 times the safe limits. > > PCBs are highly dangerous man-made chemicals that were banned in 1979. They effect the immune and reproductive systems and can, in certain cases, cause cancers. > > AdvertisementThey can still be found in certain products made before the ban came into force. > The contamination first came to light last Monday, but the positive tests in the pork was only confirmed this afternoon. > > The public have been advised to destroy all pork products > purchased since September. > > Contaminated feed was used at a total of 47 farms. > > Nine of these were pork producing farms. The remaining 38 were beef farms, with one of those also producing pork products. > > But the FSAI has advised that it is not necessary at this time to have a similar withdrawal of beef products. > The Taoiseach and Minister for Agriculture Brendan Smith, have attended crisis talks at the Department of Agriculture following the discovery of the toxic substance in slaughtered pigs. > > The discovery has provoked concern in the farming community. > > The pork industry is the fourth biggest in the agriculture sector and is worth around €400 million per year. > > The movement of animals at some 30 farms has been restricted. > > A major investigation has been launched by the Department of Agriculture and the Food Safety Authority. > > Restrictions on pig production units > > Minister of State for Food Policy Trevor Sargent said the Government had acted swiftly to deal with the situation. > > Mr Sargent said the affected animal feed had been banned and the pig production units using it had been restricted. > > He said he would be working with An Bord Bia to ensure that quality pigmeat products - including those organically certified - can be brought back into the market as quickly as possible. > > Meanwhile, Labour’s spokesperson on agriculture and food Sean Sherlock, has called for a full account of the extent of the risk to human health. > Fine Gael’s spokesperson on agriculture, Michael Creed described the discovery as potentially the biggest threat to the agri-food sector since the outbreak Foot & Mouth disease. > > Chief Medical Officer says move is precautionary > > The state’s Chief Medical Officer said there was no need for the public to worry and that the government had taken a precautionary approach to minimise the risk to public health. > > Dr Tony Holohan said the public should simply destroy what pork products they have in their fridge and freezer. > > He said the dioxin is only dangerous if a person is exposed to it over a long period of time. In such circumstances, he said, it can have a range of effects on organs such as the liver and nervous system. > > But he stressed that the period in question here is much shorter, and such effects should not arise as the exposure has been identified at an early stage. > > Dr Holohan said because there is no risk from the low exposure, people do not need to seek medical help. How dangerous is this? Will people get sick? Some people I know are panicking, I want to eaither reassure them or inform them. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2008, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-is-this-pcb/476067/2 "2008-12-07T00:23:27Z")
Call me crazy, but doesn’t your quote right there answer your question? > [@Your quote](#): > > Dr Tony Holohan said the public should simply destroy what pork products they have in their fridge and freezer. > > He said the dioxin is only dangerous if a person is exposed to it over a long period of time. In such circumstances, he said, it can have a range of effects on organs such as the liver and nervous system. > > But he stressed that the period in question here is much shorter, and such effects should not arise as the exposure has been identified at an early stage. > > Dr Holohan said because there is no risk from the low exposure, people do not need to seek medical help. ---
**Author:** ![Laudenum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Laudenum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laudenum)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2008, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-is-this-pcb/476067/3 "2008-12-07T00:29:19Z")
Alot of people on Irish bulletin boards (and in RL, but that doesn’t count;)), are still freaking out, and tbh, don’t really trust him (I know it’s silly, but they think he’s just trying to keep people calm - which he is). I was hoping to get something a little more factual, which I could show them, so they’d stop panicking. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2008, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-is-this-pcb/476067/4 "2008-12-07T02:44:00Z")
Okay, it’s anectdotal, but I worked with and in PCB’s for years at a facility that produced large power factor capacitors. At times I and my cow-orkers were literally up to our elbows in the stuff. After years of exposure we were extensively studied by researchers at the Mt. Sinai Medical Institute in New York City and no link to cancer or any other disease was found. [Here](http://www.junkscience.com/mar99/kimbro.htm) is a link to a newspaper article describing the findings. The Junk Science website is not the best source for information, but in this case I can, with first hand experience, say it is accurate. I worked for close to 20 years with and in polychlorinated biphenyls, and other than the scar left by the liver biopsy those guys from the Sinai Clinic did, have no ill effects. Some of us did have chloracne, but most didn’t have even that. ---
**Author:** ![BorgHunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@BorgHunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BorgHunter)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2008, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-is-this-pcb/476067/5 "2008-12-07T06:52:21Z")
> [@Bill\_Door](#): > > Okay, it’s anectdotal, but I worked with and in PCB’s for years at a facility that produced large power factor capacitors. At times I and my cow-orkers were literally up to our elbows in the stuff. After years of exposure we were extensively studied by researchers at the Mt. Sinai Medical Institute in New York City and no link to cancer or any other disease was found. [Here](http://www.junkscience.com/mar99/kimbro.htm) is a link to a newspaper article describing the findings. Yes, but eating/inhaling PCBs and merely touching PCBs are two different ballgames altogether. Sidebar: When I worked at Fermilab, I noticed that any equipment containing PCBs (generally capacitors) had to be labeled with a big yellow sticker apprising people of the fact. As far as I know, the reason for this is if a capacitor starts burning, or explodes, or whatnot, people should take due precautions to avoid inhaling the stuff. Granted, I never worked on or around said PCBs, so I’m not totally clear on the exact things to avoid doing, but common sense should tell you that bad stuff in your body is a lot worse than bad stuff on skin. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2008, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-is-this-pcb/476067/6 "2008-12-07T13:17:07Z")
> [@BorgHunter](#): > > Yes, but eating/inhaling PCBs and merely touching PCBs are two different ballgames altogether. > > Sidebar: When I worked at Fermilab, I noticed that any equipment containing PCBs (generally capacitors) had to be labeled with a big yellow sticker apprising people of the fact. As far as I know, the reason for this is if a capacitor starts burning, or explodes, or whatnot, people should take due precautions to avoid inhaling the stuff. Granted, I never worked on or around said PCBs, so I’m not totally clear on the exact things to avoid doing, but common sense should tell you that bad stuff in your body is a lot worse than bad stuff on skin. You did note this line in the report: The Agency for Toxic substances and Disease Registry reports that the average blood level of PCBs in people who have been tested ranges from 4 to 8 parts per billion. Some of the GE workers in our study had levels 300 to 600 times higher. We were not only exposed, we had absorbed, inhaled, and swallowed doses of the stuff far in excess of what would be considered normal doses without significant ill effects. ---
**Author:** ![scm1001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@scm1001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scm1001)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2008, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-is-this-pcb/476067/7 "2008-12-07T20:22:47Z")
The main effect of PCBs may be on develpment, e.g. fetuses and children esp at risk [http://www.clearwater.org/news/pcbhealth.html](http://www.clearwater.org/news/pcbhealth.html) The acute toxicity of PCBS is low (which is why they were used in the first place). Some good evidence for cancer links [http://www.foxriverwatch.com/cancer\_pcb\_pcbs\_1.html#top](http://www.foxriverwatch.com/cancer_pcb_pcbs_1.html#top) So a little exposure will probably not harm an adult, but long term may increase your cancer risk