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What Kind of Skin Eruptions Come From PCBs Contamination?

Products containing polychlorinated biphenyl, or PCBs, have been banned in the United States since 1979 due to their extreme toxicity. They were formerly used as dielectric fluids in transformers, coolants and other products in the U.S. and many other parts of the world. Although their use has been all but eliminated worldwide, a 1985 study on the effects of PCB poisoning in Japan conducted by Harukuni Urabe and Masakazu Asahi sheds light on the kind of skin eruptions that can come from PCB contamination.

  1. Closed Comedones

    • Symptoms of PCB exposure on the skin mimic acne and can include closed comedones, or whiteheads, where a pore is plugged by serum and oils. Urabe and Asahi write that "closed comedones and cysts of various sizes up to finger-tip size were numerous" on the skin of people who used cooking oil contaminated with PCBs.

    Open Comedones

    • Open comedones, or blackheads, are another kind of skin eruption that can occur from PCBs contamination. These formations occur when a large amount of melanin, or pigment gathers in splotches on the surface of the skin.

    Follicular Dots

    • Another type of skin eruption associated with PCBs contamination is the formation of follicular dots, a condition more often associated with melanoma. These dots form when masses of black tissue plug dilated follicles. Urabe and Asahi write that these eruptions were found on the armpit, elbow and knee of those suffering severe contamination from PCBs.

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