What are PCBs?
- Polychlorinated Biphenyl is a chemical that was manufactured from 1929 up until they were banned in 1979.
- They were found in industrial electrical, heat transfer, and hydraulic properties such as, plasticizers in paints, plastics, and rubber products. Also, they could be found in pigments, dyes, and carbonless copy paper, cable insulation, etc.
- Before they were banned, PCBs were released in the environment when they were being manufactured, and can still be released in the environment from a poorly maintained hazardous waste sites that contain PCB.
- PCBs do not break down easily and can be in the environment for a long time during the cycling periods between air, water, and soil.
- PCBs have shown to cause cancer and other adverse reaction to your immune system, reproductive system, nervous system, and endocrine system.
How are the
fish exposed?
- When the PCBs are leaked into the environment, particularly the water, fishes will end up digesting the PCBs in their system
- Since PCBs become attached to particles in the water, they settle in the bottom of the sediments
- Small microorganism will ingest the sediments, and then passed up to the food chain to the large fish and mammals.
- The PCBs will build up in the fatty tissue of the fish.
- Many large fishes, such as trout, carp, and Chinook salmon, have been found to contain high concentration of PCBs
- This will make the fish highly toxic to anyone who consumes the infected fish.
How to eat
contaminated fish safely
- The internal organs, skin, head, and tail need to be thrown away
- The skin needs to be removed
- All the dark fat on top of the fish and along its backbone needs to be cut away.
- Never eat raw fish
- The dark, V-shaped wedge of fat located along the lateral line of each side of the fish needs to be cut away.
- Bake or broil skinned, trimmed fish on a rack or grill so the fat drips off and throw the discard drippings away.
