Sources of Airborne PCB Congeners

Goal

Quantify the relationship between observed concentrations of PCBs in air, their specific sources, and the potential to reduce PCB exposure to sensitive populations.

Objective

Examine two major categories of airborne PCB sources: materials found in schools and homes; and highly contaminated waterways.

Aims

1) Develop novel passive sampling materials.

2) Identify specific sources in schools and homes.

     Project 4 has released several significant findings in the last few years. Please see our Publications page under the heading "PCBs measured in Schools and Buildings."

3) Characterize emissions from contaminated waters nationwide.

     Project 4 and the Data Management and Analysis Core have released a webpage that displays the surficial water concentrations of total PCBs across 32 locations in the United States, including 22 states, the District of Columbia, and Ontario, Canada. The dataset spans from 1979 to 2020 and includes 5,138 individual samples. Most data was obtained from U.S. EPA reports and their contractors from PCB Superfund sites.

Findings from Project 4 research will provide strategies to remediation options that focus on reduction of exposure to PCBs and that are technically and economically practical.