Editing Polychlorinated biphenyl (section)

===Exposure and excretion===
In general, people are exposed to PCBs overwhelmingly through food, much less so by breathing contaminated air, and least by skin contact. Once exposed, some PCBs may change to other chemicals inside the body. These chemicals or unchanged PCBs can be excreted in feces or may remain in a person's body for years, with half lives estimated at 10–15 years.<ref name=Crinnion/> PCBs collect in [[body fat]] and milk fat.<ref name=ATSDR>{{cite web |title=Public Health Statement for Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) |website=Toxic Substances Portal |publisher=U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry |location=Atlanta, GA |url=https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/PHS/PHS.asp?id=139&tid=26 |date=2015-01-21 |access-date=2020-05-24 |archive-date=2020-06-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200621121007/https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/phs/phs.asp?id=139&tid=26 |url-status=dead }}</ref> PCBs [[biomagnification|biomagnify]] up the [[food web]] and are present in fish and overflow of contaminated aquifers.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Purdue University |author2=EPA |title=Exploring the Great Lakes. Bioaccumulation/Biomagnification Effects |url=http://www2.epa.gov/sites/production/files/documents/bioaccumulationbiomagnificationeffects.pdf |publisher=EPA |location=Chicago, IL |access-date=3 October 2015 |pages=2 |date=n.d. |archive-date=17 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017184752/https://www2.epa.gov/sites/production/files/documents/bioaccumulationbiomagnificationeffects.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> Human infants are exposed to PCBs through [[breast milk]] or by [[Environmental toxins in pregnancy|intrauterine exposure]] through transplacental transfer of PCBs<ref name=ATSDR/> and are at the top of the food chain.<ref>{{cite book | vauthors = Steingraber S |title=Having Faith : an ecologist's journey to motherhood |date=2001 |publisher=Berkley |location=New York |isbn=978-0425189993 |edition=Berkley trade pbk. |chapter=12 |chapter-url-access=registration |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/havingfaithecolo00stei}}</ref>{{rp|249ff}}

Workers recycling old equipment in the electronics recycling industry can also be exposed to PCBs.<ref name="E-scrap News"/>