Food & Drink / Compounds / Hexachlorobiphenyl (CAS 35065-28-2)

Hexachlorobiphenyl (CAS 35065-28-2) in food: ingestion safety

High risk

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(People-specific data is limited; this page draws from human adult context.) PCB-180 (2,2',3,4,4',5,5'-heptachlorobiphenyl) — persistent organic pollutant / heavy metal. See EDC classification.

What is hexachlorobiphenyl (cas 35065-28-2)?

Also known as: 2,2',3,4,4',5'-HEXACHLOROBIPHENYL, PCB 138, 1,2,3-trichloro-4-(2,4,5-trichlorophenyl)benzene, 2,2',3,4,4',5'-Hexachloro-1,1'-biphenyl.

CAS number
35065-28-2
Molecular formula
C12H4Cl6
Molecular weight
360.9 g/mol
SMILES
C1=CC(=C(C(=C1C2=CC(=C(C=C2Cl)Cl)Cl)Cl)Cl)Cl
PubChem CID
37035

Risk for people

High risk

PCB-180 (2,2',3,4,4',5,5'-heptachlorobiphenyl) — persistent organic pollutant / heavy metal. See EDC classification.

Regulatory consensus

2 regulatory and scientific bodies have classified Hexachlorobiphenyl (CAS 35065-28-2). The classifications differ — that's the data.

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
IARC2016Group 1Group 1 via the IARC class entity 'Polychlorinated biphenyls' (Vols 18, Sup 7, 107), evaluated as a group. PCB-138 is not among the twelve dioxin-like TEF congeners and was not separately evaluated (Vol 107: inadequate evidence for PCB-138 individually).
EDC Assessment—Confirmed endocrine disruptor

Regulators apply different standards of evidence — animal-data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds — which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. The disagreement is the data.

Where you encounter hexachlorobiphenyl (cas 35065-28-2)

  • Food Chain — fish, dairy, meat (bioaccumulation)

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Hexachlorobiphenyl (CAS 35065-28-2):

  • N/A — exposure reduction
    Trade-offs: Exposure reduction does not eliminate the hazard but lowers risk to acceptable levels when alternatives are not available or practical. Requires ongoing monitoring and compliance.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×

Frequently asked questions

What products contain hexachlorobiphenyl (cas 35065-28-2)?

Hexachlorobiphenyl (CAS 35065-28-2) appears in: fish (Food chain); dairy (Food chain).

See Hexachlorobiphenyl (CAS 35065-28-2) in the food app

Look up products containing hexachlorobiphenyl (cas 35065-28-2), compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.

Open in food View raw API data

Sources (2)
  1. PubChem (2026) — database
  2. IARC Monographs Vol 107: Polychlorinated Biphenyls and Polybrominated Biphenyls — PCBs Group 1 (carcinogenic to humans); sufficient evidence from occupational cohort studies; NHL, melanoma, liver cancer; AhR and non-AhR mechanisms; Aroclor mixtures and dioxin-like congeners evaluated (2016) (2016) — iarc_monograph

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