PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls)

PCBs have been banned in Canada since 1977, yet they continue to be released into the environment from sources in other countries, and from PCB-containing industrial equipment that is still in use here at home. PCBs are highly toxic and persistent chemicals that have been building up in wildlife and people through the process of bioaccumulation. PCBs cause many types of cancer and damages the nervous, immune and cardiovascular systems, leading to birth defects, brain damage and decreased immune function.