Page "Polychlorinated biphenyl" Paragraph 3

PCBs were widely used as dielectric and coolant fluids, for example in transformers, capacitors, and electric motors.

Due to PCBs ' environmental toxicity and classification as a persistent organic pollutant, PCB production was banned by the United States Congress in 1979 and by the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants in 2001.

According to the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA ), PCBs have been shown to cause cancer in animals, and there is also evidence that they can cause cancer in humans.

A number of peer-reviewed health studies have also shown a causal link between exposure to PCBs and non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, a frequently fatal form of cancer.