TANAPAG residents have polychlorinated biphenyl levels that are way below the critical level of 200 parts per billion, according to the results of the long-awaited PCB congener-specific analysis released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.
The Department of Public Health received the results of the analysis from Dr. Wayman Turner of the Atlanta-based CDC on May 21, Variety learned yesterday.
Dr. Richard Brostrom, medical director of public health, yesterday said CDC’s analysis verified the accuracy of the blood tests for PCB conducted in the summer of 2000.
“The results of the PCB congener-specific analysis settles the question whether the tests conducted in 2000 were accurate. They showed that the earlier tests were accurate,” Brostrom said.
Some 1,200 Tanapag residents were tested in 2000 for possible PCB contamination in their blood.
Only 17 of them had been found to have over 10 ppb of PCB, which is far below the critical level of 200 ppb.
However, the Tanapag Action Group and the Department of Public Health wanted another round of tests among those with the highest PCB levels to ensure the veracity of the results.
The congener-specific analysis on 14 blood samples with PCB levels between 8.8 ppb and 36 ppb was then conducted.
Public Health drew the blood from these residents in February and sent them to CDC. The results came in last week.
TAG Chairman Juan I. Tenorio and other TAG officials could not be reached for comment as of press time yesterday.
Brostrom said Public Health had requested the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry to further interpret the levels of toxicity for each type of PCB found in the blood samples.
“Each individual type of PCB has separate toxicity, and interpreting those results require the expertise of a toxicologist that’s why we requested ATSDR to assist us,” said Brostrom.
PCB levels in blood are reported as parts PCB per billion. One ppb is equivalent to one second in 32 years. Usual levels of PCB in blood are less than 20 ppb.
The critical PCB level in human blood is 200 ppb, where a contaminated person may experience liver abnormalities and other symptoms.
