Abstract
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been the subject of extensive experimental and epidemiological investigation as potential carcinogens. The available evidence indicates that PCBs are weak genotoxicants and initiators of carcinogenesis. However, at levels above a threshold, PCBs are potent promoters of hepatic carcinogenesis in laboratory rodents. While PCBs are able to enhance the biological generation of genotoxic metabolites of many carcinogens in vitro, they usually have the opposite effect in vivo and are capable of preventing carcinogenicity of various organ-specific carcinogens. Epidemiological studies on human and animal populations exposed to PCBs in the environment have so far not revealed clear evidence for carcinogenicity of PCBs under natural exposure circumstances. This review examines the available evidence for and against the view that environmental PCBs represent a significant potential carcinogen to humans. This evidence is interpreted on the basis of mechanistic analysis of the biological processes involved in chemical carcinogenesis. This analysis suggests that much of the evidence for potential carcinogenicity of PCBs in experimental systems leads to a substantial overestimate of the real risks to humans exposed to environmental levels of PCBs.
Keywords
- Mutagenic Effect
- Chemical Carcinogenesis
- Genotoxic Carcinogen
- Polluted Aquatic Environment
- Genotoxic Metabolite
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Hayes, M.A. (1987). Carcinogenic and Mutagenic Effects of PCBs. In: Safe, S. (eds) Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs): Mammalian and Environmental Toxicology. Environmental Toxin Series, vol 1. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-70550-2_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-70550-2_4
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