ATSDR Toxzine: PBBs: Polybrominated Biphenyls

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  United States. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
• Description:
  Polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) are chemicals that were added to plastics used in a variety of consumer products to make them difficult to burn.
  
  These products include items such as computer monitors, televisions, textiles, and plastic foams . Because PBBs were mixed into plastics rather than bound to them, they were able to leave the plastic and find their way into the environment . Commercial production of PBBs began in the 1970s . Manufacture of PBBs was discontinued in the United States in 1976 . Concern regarding PBBs is mainly related to exposures resulting from an agriculture contamination episode that occurred in Michigan over a 10-month period during 1973–1974.
  
  There are no known natural sources of PBBs in the environment . PBBs are solids and are colorless to off-white . PBBs enter the environment as mixtures containing a variety of individual brominated biphenyl (for PBBs) components, known as congeners . Some commercial PBB mixtures are known in the United States under the industrial trade name, FireMaster® . However, other flame retardant chemicals also may be identified by this name . PBBs are no longer used in North America because the agriculture contamination episode that occurred in Michigan in 1973– 1974 led to the cessation of its production.
  
  CS252396-A
  
  Publication date from document properties.
  
  pbbs_toxzine.pdf
  
  
• Subjects:
  Polybrominated Biphenyls/toxicity
• Series:
  ATSDR Toxzine
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Pamphlet (or booklet)
• Pages in Document:
  15 numbered pages
• Collection(s):
  Stephen B. Thacker CDC Library
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:d3b845ad428063a75b8e304af3c122898e45e93d54862527a6bd1ac7b7b429ee9261fbefc63eb8a135e48c816ad4e6bc6bb5baf03919f5a2b23536fd849b656f
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/45554/cdc_45554_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.43 MB ]