Hexachlorobenzene in blood

Hexachlorobenzene (HCB) is a ubiquitous, persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic substance that has been banned in Austria since 1992. For the first time, the Federal Environment Agency has established comparative values for Austria in order to determine the average age- and gender-specific HCB load. HCB concentrations were analysed in the blood plasma of men and women aged 20 to 69 from predominantly rural regions (all Länder except Carinthia) based on mixed samples. HCB concentrations ranged from 0.15 µg/l (women, 20-29 years) to 0.6 µg/l (women, 60-69 years). The studies showed some gender differences with higher strains on women, as well as a clear age-dependent increase in the burden with increasing age.