ABSTRACT
Literature published from 1970 through mid-1984 on polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contamination of foods, including fish, dairy products, packaged and processed food and human milk, is reviewed. Sources of the contamination are discussed. The reports show that although PCBs are no longer manufactured in this country, large quantities have entered the environment. High concentrations in sediments of some streams and lakes are a continuing source of PCB entry into the food chain via the fish caught in these waters. Accidental leakage and spills from electrical transformers containing PCBs, which are in use, can also be a source of contamination. Other sources of PCB contamination such as silo sealants and packaging materials manufactured from carbonless paper containing PCBs have been essentially eliminated.
ABSTRACT
Plants accumulated PCBs (Aroclors) from soil amended with lake sediment contaminated with Aroclors 1248, 1254, and 1260. Uptake into different parts of vegetable plants was investigated in the field by growing beets ( Beta vulgaris L .), turnips ( Brassica rapa L .) and beans ( Phaseolus vulgaris L .). In beets and turnips, leaves accumulated larger concentrations of PCBs than the roots. In beans, leaves and pods contained higher concentrations than the stems, while only low concentrations were detected in the seeds. Bioaccumulation of Aroclors by plants was in the following order: Aroclor 1248 > 1254 > 1260. Relative to their concentration in the soil, the lower chlorinated PCB isomers which are more soluble in water and more volatile were more abundant in plants then the higher chlorinated isomers.
