Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB) Toxicity
Other Sources of Information
More information on the adverse effects of PCBs and the treatment and management of PCB-exposed persons can be obtained from ATSDR, your state and local health departments, and university medical centers. For clinical inquiries, contact the Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics (AOEC), the
Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units (PEHSUs), ACMT, or the American Association of Poison Control Centers.
AOEC is a network of more than 60 clinics and more than 250 individuals committed to improving the practice of occupational and environmental medicine through information sharing and collaborative research.
The primary goal of AOEC is to facilitate the prevention and treatment of occupational and environmental illnesses and injuries through collaborative reporting and investigation of health problems. AOEC members develop curriculum materials in occupational and environmental health and provide Education Activities (EA) programs for primary care practitioners and others.
For more information and a listing of AOEC clinics in your area, contact the AOEC office:
1010 Vermont Avenue, NW #513
Washington, DC 20005
Telephone: 202-347-4976
Fax: 202-347-4950
Web site: www.aoec.org. 
The PEHSUs are a resource for pediatricians, other health care providers, parents, teachers, the general public, and EPA and ATSDR staff members nationwide. PEHSUs provide medical education and training, consultation, and clinical specialty referrals. Health care providers can use this resource when responding to suspected clinical presentations, known exposures, and in community settings.
Ten PESHUs are now in operation across the United States; contact information for each unit is listed below. Check AOECs Web site (www.aoec.org/PEHSU/) for the most up-to-date information on the units.
Region 1, Massachusetts:
Pediatric Environmental Health Center, Children Hospital, Boston
Telephone: 1-888-Child14
Web site: www.childrenshospital.org
(In the "find" box, enter the key word "environmental")
Region 2, New York:
Mt. Sinai Pediatric Environmental Health Unit/Mt. Sinai-Irving J.
Selikoff Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine, New York
Telephone: 212-241-6173
Web site: www.mssm.edu/cpm/peds_environ.shtml
Region 3, Washington, District of Columbia:
Mid-Atlantic Center for Childrens Health and the Environment (MACCHE)
George Washington University
Washington, District of Columbia
Telephone: 1-866-MACCHE1 (1-866-622-2431)
Web site: www.health-e-kids.org
Region 4, Georgia:
The Southeast Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit at
Emory University, Atlanta
Telephone: 1-877-337-3478 (1-877-33PEHSU)
Web site: www.sph.emory.edu/PEHSU
Region 5, Illinois:
Great Lakes Center for Childrens Environmental Health, Cook County Hospital, Chicago
Telephone: 1-800-672-3113 (toll-free) or 312-633-5310
Web site: www.uic.edu/sph/glakes/kids
Region 6, Texas:
Southwest Center for Pediatric Environmental Health, University of Texas Health Center at Tyler, Tyler, Texas
Telephone: 1-888-901-5665 (toll-free)
Web site: www.swcpeh.org/
Region 7, Kansas:
The University of Kansas Medical Center Kansas City, Kansas Toll Free: Phone: (913) 588-6638 (outside of Region 7)
Telephone: 1-800-421-9916
Web site: www2.kumc.edu/mapehsu/
Region 8, Colorado:
Rocky Mountain Regional Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit, National Jewish Medical and Research Center, Denver
Telephone: 1-877-800-5554 (toll-free)
Web site: rmrpehsu.org
Region 9, California:
University of California-San Francisco (UCSF)/University of California-Irvine (UCI)
Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit
Telephone: 1-415-206-4320 (for both sites)
Web site: www.ucsf.edu/ucpehsu
Region 10, Washington State:
Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit, Harborview Medical Center, Seattle
Telephone: 1-887-KID-CHEM (toll-free west of the Mississippi River) or 206-526-2121
Web site: depts.washington.edu/pehsu/
ACMT is a professional, nonprofit association of physicians with recognized expertise in medical toxicology. ACMT is dedicated to advancing the science and practice of medical toxicology through a variety of activities, including scientific meetings, communication and networking, public policy, medical toxicology practice, and fellowship training in medical toxicology.
For more information about ACMT, contact the ACMT office:
American College of Medical Toxicology
777 East Park Drive
PO Box 8820
Harrisburg, PA 17105-8820
Web site: www.acmt.net
E-mail: ACMT@pamedsoc.org.
Poison control centers were established in 1953 to help physicians and other clinicians deal with poisonings of adults and children in the United States. In 1983, the American Association of Poison Control Centers was established as the professional organization for poison control centers. The regional poison control centers can act as valuable resources in providing information about the toxicity and health effects of hazardous exposures involved in poisonings.
The local poison control center can specify the ingredients of common household products when labels do not provide adequate information.
Each certified poison control center is required to publicize its location and methods of contact. Typically, the contact telephone number can be found on the inside front cover of telephone books, where other emergency numbers are usually located.
The main emergency number across the country is 1-800-222-1222, although some states have other contact numbers as well as a number for the hearing impaired. For more information, contact the American Association of Poison Control Centers:
American Association of Poison Control Centers
3201 New Mexico Avenue, Suite 310
Washington, DC 20016
Telephone: (202) 362-7217
Web site: www.aapcc.org
E-mail: aapcc@poison.org.
For poisoning emergencies, call 1-800-222-1222. APCC does not manage poison exposure cases.
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