Description:
The PCBs Profile can help identify which of the most toxic PCBs a patient has been exposed to and the body burden that patient is carrrying.


Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) were used as lubricants and coolants in transformers, capacitors, and electronic equipment because of a high resistance to heat. Unfortunately, due to the stability of PCBs, they also do not break down in the environment and bioaccumulate in animals and humans.


PCBs were banned from use in the US in 1979 by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). However, due to the persistence of PCBs in the environment, PCBs continue to leach into soil and groundwater from hazardous waste sites and landfills.  Since PCBs bioaccumulate, we are exposed through our food chain by eating fish, meat, and dairy products, especially from areas of the country considered contaminated.


Once PCBs enter the body, they are absorbed by our fat cells and stored. Since PCBs are not water-soluble, they are not excreted from the body and accumulate over a person's lifetime, increasing that person's body burden of PCBs. Polychlorinated biphenyl testing can help you determine the extent of this PCB burden.


In adults, a heavy burden of PCBs over time can cause impairments in the brain, nervous system, endocrine system, and immune system, and may cause fertility issues.


A PCB burden affects children more than adults.  PCBs are most often passed to children through breastfeeding and trans-placental transfer.  PCB exposure in children can impede neurobehavioral and immune system development.  These impediments may cause delayed neurobehavioral development in motor skills and short term memory, and lower scores on intelligence, psychomotor, and behavioral tests.  A lowered immune system can create many problems in children including allergies, sensitivities, and chronic infections.


The PCBs Profile measures eight common PCBs that are shown to cause health problems with neurobehavioral and immune system development. Such problems may include psychomotor and behavioral problems, allergies, obesity, fatigue, and even some cancers. PCBs are stored in fatty tissues and bioaccumulate over a patient’s lifetime. Knowing a patient’s PCB burden can assist in creating treatment plans to help achieve patient wellness
Tests for:
Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) toxicity and exposure


Symptoms and conditions:
  • Impaired neurological development such as:
  • Abnormal behavior responses
  • Decreased motor skills
  • Decreased short-term memory
  • Decreased intelligence
  • Lowered immune system
  • Allergies
  • Chronic infections
  • Chemical sensitivity
  • Severe acne
  • Rash
  • Eye irritation
  • Liver damage
  • Weakened immune system
  • Chemical sensitivity
  • Allergies
  • Obesity
  • Fatigue
  • Certain cancers
  • Allergies
  • Asthma
  • Autoimmune conditions
  • Brain fog
  • Certain cancers
  • Chemical sensitivities
  • Chronic infections
  • Chronic neurological illnesses
  • Cognitive difficulties
  • Development disorders
  • Diabetes
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Hormonal imbalances
  • Infertility
  • Mood disorders
  • Obesity
  • Tremors


Sources:
  • Consuming contaminated food such as fish, meat, and dairy products
  • Drinking contaminated well water
  • Living near hazardous waste sites
  • Using old fluorescent lighting fixtures or electronics
  • Working with PCB transformers, hydraulic fluids, and other PCB-containing compounds


Analytes measured:
Dioxin-like Polychlorinated Biphenyls:
  • 2,3',4,4',5-Pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB 118)
  • 3,3',4,4',5-Pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB 126)
  • 2,3,3',4,4',5-Hexachlorobiphenyl (PCB 156)
  • 3,3',4,4',5,5'-Hexachlorobiphenyl(PCB 169)
 
Non-dioxin-like Polychlorinated Biphenyls:
  • 2,4,4',5-Tetrachlorobiphenyl (PCB 74)
  • 2,2',3,4,4',5'-Hexachlorobiphenyl (PCB 138)
  • 2,2',4,4',5,5'-Hexachlorobiphenyl (PCB 153)
  • 2,2',3,4,4',5,5'-Heptachlorobiphenyl (PCB 180)