Chlorinated biphenyls
MAK Value Documentation, addendum – Translation of the German version from 2025
Andrea Hartwig1 (Chair of the Permanent Senate Commission for the Investigation of Health Hazards of Chemical Compounds in the Work Area, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft)MAK Commission2
1 Institute of Applied Biosciences, Department of Food Chemistry and Toxicology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Adenauerring 20a, Building 50.41, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
2 Permanent Senate Commission for the Investigation of Health Hazards of Chemical Compounds in the Work Area, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Kennedyallee 40, 53175 Bonn, Germany
Abstract
The German Senate Commission for the Investigation of Health Hazards of Chemical Compounds in the Work Area (MAK Commission) derived a concentration in workplace air for chlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) [1336-36-3] which is without risk to the developing foetus (corresponding to Pregnancy Risk Group C). The derivation is based on the prerequisite for the classification in Pregnancy Risk Group C at 3.5 μg/l plasma for the sum of the 6 indicator congeners (6IC) PCB 28, PCB 52, PCB 101, PCB 138, PCB 153 and PCB 180. Assuming a background concentration of 2 μg 6IC/l plasma for women up to 45 years of age with data from about 2010, an increment of 1.5 μg 6IC/l plasma is thus tolerable. This increment was estimated to correspond to a total PCB concentration in air of 0.0008 mg/m3 measured as the sum of the 6IC multiplied by 5. This concentration represents a rather conservative estimate, as the background concentration in plasma has reduced since and a respiratory volume of 10 m3 has been assumed, which might overpredict the exposure at workplaces in PCB-contaminated office or public buildings. Additionally, age and duration of exposure are important determinants for the inner exposure. These factors should be considered when evaluating the measurement results.
