Neuropsychiatric findings in patients exposed to polybrominated biphenyls.

The inadvertent mixing of polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) into animal feed in 1973 resulted in the contamination of thousands of Michigan farms. Farm animals who ingested this feed suffered various consequences including weight loss, decreased productivity, frequent infections, skin changes, and reproductive abnormalities.' This error was not initially known, and widespread contamination of humans occurred through the consumption of animals and animal products. Families from quarantined farms were thought to have the heaviest exposure, with consumers of products from quarantined farms and chemical workers directly associated with PBBs also receiving heavy exposure. At the time of this incident, little was known about the possible health effects of PBBs in humans. The only related experience was an accidental ingestion of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) that occurred in Japan and caused many health