New perception into how long-banned chemical compounds (PCBs) unleash their toxicity contained in the physique

Prior to now, PCBs have been utilized in an unlimited vary of commercial and industrial merchandise. These extremely carcinogenic chemical compounds stay in the environment and accumulate inside organisms. Chiral PCBs are notably harmful as a result of they’ve extra chlorine atoms, that are onerous for the physique to interrupt down, to allow them to accumulate within the physique simply. Additionally, their isomers are metabolized otherwise, inflicting isomer-specific toxicity (notably neurodevelopmental points). Scientists reveal precisely how enzymes produced by the physique erratically metabolize chiral PCBs’ mirror-image isomers. These findings will enhance understanding of PCBs’ toxicity in people and different mammals.