Definition of polychlorinated biphenyl in US English:
polychlorinated biphenyl
(also PCB)
nounˌpälēˈklôrəˌnātid bīˈfenəl
Chemistry Any of a class of toxic aromatic compounds, often formed as waste in industrial processes, whose molecules contain two benzene rings in which hydrogen atoms have been replaced by chlorine atoms.
〔化〕多氯化联（二）苯
Example sentencesExamples
- Although trained as a veterinarian, Miyata cut his teeth as an environmental scientist researching another toxic chemical, polychlorinated biphenyl, at the Osaka Prefecture Institute of Public Health.
- Presumed modern substances, dioxins typically are byproducts of the production of industrial chemicals such as polychlorinated biphenyls and some pesticides.
- Further tests discovered traces of some of the world's most toxic industrial chemicals, including polychlorinated biphenyls and dioxin, in Arctic wildlife.
- With respect to chemical potency and brain impairment, we found that hydrogen sulfide and polychlorinated biphenyls caused the most abnormalities in brain function - an average of 15.
- This is an important convention, as it provides for the safe disposal of persistent organic pollutants, including polychlorinated biphenyl.