Monitoring concentration of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) among the workers of ship industries: An urgent need for epidemiological studies

The present study was conducted from October to December 2008 under the banner of Earthforum, Stamford University Bangladesh to evaluate the necessity of monitoring programs and epidemiological studies on polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) exposure among the workers in ship breaking industries as well as the laboratory facilities existing in the country. PCBs arc organic compounds of anthropogenic origin that resist degradation and accumulate in the food chains and one of the important persistent organic pollutants (POPs) declared by UNEP. Human exposures to PCBs in Bangladesh are associated with the old electric transformers and ship breaking industries. Ship breaking industries in Chittagong has left many workers (men, women and children) at risk of great toxicity which really doesn't have any statistics. Their toxicity. potential risks and health hazards are associated with their working environments. With the signing of the Stockholm convention on POPs and the development of global monitoring programs, there is an increased need for laboratories equipped with instruments, epidemiological studies of exposure in human and to determine background level of PCBs in the environmental components.