Emory pilot study finds elevated PCBs and toxaphene in Glynn County residents; county urged to press EPA, DNR and trustees to finish remediation

A pilot human exposure study led by Emory University found higher-than-expected levels of certain polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and toxaphene in blood samples from about 100 Glynn County adults, researchers told the Glynn County Board of Commissioners on March 18.

The study ‘‘did not find any evidence that there were elevated exposures’’ to mercury, but ‘‘we did find evidence of elevated exposures for PCBs and for toxaphene,’’ Emory faculty member Dr. Noah Skovranick said, summarizing the team’s results. For three PCB congeners that the researchers linked to the former LCP Chloralkali site, ‘‘the average exposures … were higher than the average level we would expect in the general population of the United States,’’ and almost 40 percent of study participants measured above the U.S. 95th percentile for PCB-206, he said. For toxaphene, roughly 20–25 percent of participants were in the highly exposed category, the team said.

Why it matters: County and local nonprofit leaders said the results strengthen calls to accelerate cleanup plans and to fund further health and environmental study. Alice Keys of the coalition Healthy Coastal Neighborhoods told…