The determination of polychlorinated biphenyls in selected household products

Trends in heavy metals, polychlorinated biphenyls and toxicity from sediment cores of the inner River Thames estuary, London, UK

“…Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were commercially available from 1929 and were used into the late 1970s in a variety of products including dielectric and coolant uids in electrical apparatus, carbonless copy paper, paint, resins, sealants as well as hydraulic and heat transfer uids and plaster board. [68][69][70][71] Although approximately 100 ton of PCBs were imported to the UK from 1930s to early 1950s the chemical product was not widely available until the onset of UK production in 1954; thereaer, approximately 66 748 ton were produced in the UK of which 39 466 ton were sold in the UK. 72 It is generally accepted that their presence in the UK broadly followed sales gures from the main manufacturers (Monsanto Industrial Chemicals Company, USA) which increased from 1957 to peak sales in 1968-1970 and then declined in the 1970s (Fig.…”