Use of PCB blood levels to assess potential exposure following an electrical transformer explosion.
Following the explosion of a transformer, passersby, building occupants, and cleanup personnel had potential exposure to the transformer dielectric fluid containing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). As part of a medical evaluation, blood serum was analyzed for PCBs, and the concentrations found were similar to that of a regional comparison group (median 4.0 ng/mL or parts per billion, range 1-10, n = 60). Some workers employed by the utility company that owned the transformer had potential exposure to PCBs in the past. This positive comparison group had significantly higher serum PCB concentrations, related to known direct contact (median 5.0, mean 14 ng/mL, 1-187, n = 25) or not (median 4.0, mean 11 ng/mL, 2-72, n = 17). Therefore, in this investigation, elevation of serum PCB levels could be related to past contact during work with transformers, but not to potential short-term exposure at the time of a transfer explosion.
Wolff
M S
MS
Division of Environmental and Occupational Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York 10029.
Schecter
A
A
D001140:Aroclors / Q000097:blood; D004560:Electricity; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005107:Explosions; D006801:Humans; D015146:Midwestern United States; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000097:blood*; D012044:Regression Analysis
D001140:Aroclors; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls