ABSTRACT
Polychlorinated aromatic compounds (PCA), especially polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins have received enormous attention by scientists, regulators, the press, and the public resulting in an inconceivable. Epidemiological studies have associated prenatal PCB exposure with behavioral and learning decrements in humans, further confirmed by experimental exposures in rodents and primates Most halogenated aromatic compounds are toxic hazards and conditions favoring exposure to them have established there are significant health risks associated with the current usage and/or environmental disposition. The environmental toxicology of the polychlorinated aromatics must be based on the systematic evaluation of many diverse factors and the careful integration of these factors with observed incidents. Each additional halogen on the benzene ring decreases the strength of the individual carbon halogen bond thus making them more susceptible to dehalogenation in the environment. The increase in warnings from comparative environmental toxicology may have serious implications regarding the impact of PCAs, and particularly PCBs, on human environmental health.
