Health chiefs advise against PCB blood tests for communities near contaminated land

Nation.Cymru staff

Public health experts have advised against blood testing people living near contaminated land in Wales for potentially harmful chemicals, despite calls from affected communities.

Public Health Wales (PHW) said it acknowledged concerns about exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and supported the Welsh Government’s position that dealing with historic contaminated land should be a priority.

However, it said testing people for PCBs in their blood was not recommended as a public health measure because results could not reliably establish either the source of exposure or the potential impact on an individual’s health.

PCBs are a group of toxic, man-made chemicals which can have harmful effects on human health and the environment.

Their production was banned in 2001, but the chemicals persist in the environment and PHW said people around the world were likely to have some level of PCBs in their bodies.

People can be exposed through inhalation, ingestion or skin contact, with potential sources including food – particularly fish, dairy products and meat – as well as materials used in homes and other buildings.

PHW said finding elevated levels of PCBs at a particular location did not necessarily mean that was the source of PCBs detected in someone’s body.

Individual factors could also influence the amount retained by the body, while diet, smoking and physical activity may affect their potential health impact.

PHW said: “Testing for PCBs in blood does not tell us how or where people may have been exposed to them.

“We also do not currently have a good understanding of how different PCBs interact in the body.”

It added that factors including genetics and the level of exposure meant PCBs could affect people differently.

The public health body also warned that introducing blood testing could cause unnecessary anxiety if PCBs were detected.

It said: “There is no way to treat or manage a particular PCB level in someone’s blood, even if we measured it.”

PHW said it was working with the Welsh Government and other partners on addressing problems associated with contaminated land.

The statement follows calls for PCB testing to be offered to communities living near contaminated sites in Wales.

---

Get more trusted Welsh news

Choose Nation.Cymru as a preferred source in Google News to see more of our journalism.