Poly Chlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), considered harmful when exposed to high levels for a long time, is most likely present in which of the following?

The correct answer is Electronic appliances.

Key Points

• Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been used as coolants and lubricants in transformers, capacitors and other electrical equipment because they do not burn easily and are good insulators. Hence option 1 is the correct answer.
• Among other things, products that may contain PCBs include old fluorescent lighting fixtures and electrical devices with PCB capacitors.
• PCBs can also be released as a by-product of combustion and industrial processes.
• The most commonly observed health effects in people exposed to large amounts of PCBs are skin conditions. 
• PCBs are one of the first 12 POPs under the Stockholm Convention
  • ​The first 12 POPs banned through the convention were aldrin, chlordane, dieldrin, endrin, heptachlor, hexachlorobenzene, mirex, toxaphene, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), DDT, PCDD (dioxins) and PCDF (furans).
• India has banned the manufacture and import of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), as well as the import of equipment containing these carcinogenic, synthetic organic chemicals.
  • Through an order, India’s Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change announced, “the use of PCBs in any form shall be completely prohibited” by the end of 2025.
  • The decision is in line with the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants that India signed in May 2002 and ratified in January 2006.
  • Import, export, or trade of PCB-contaminated equipment will be regulated as hazardous waste under the new directive.
  • The use of PCB-containing equipment shall be permitted for the equipment’s certified lifetime or until Dec. 31, 2025, whichever is earlier, provided the equipment is maintained properly without the possibility of leakage or release of PCBs into the environment.