1973 Michigan PBB incident. A flame retardant mixture of polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs), was accidentally added to livestock feed distributed throughout Michigan. People ate the contaminated food until the animals were culled. Studies continue to find effects in the grandchildren of people who consumed the tainted food.
Carter L. J. (1976). Michigan’s PBB Incident: Chemical Mix-Up Leads to Disaster. Science (New York, N.Y.), 192(4236), 240–243.
Egginton, J. (2009). The Poisoning of Michigan. Michigan State University Press.
Some of the most important findings to come out of the PBB study include associations with:
Early puberty:
Blanck, H. M., Marcus, M., Tolbert, P. E., Rubin, C., Henderson, A. K., Hertzberg, V. S., Zhang, R. H., & Cameron, L. (2000). Age at menarche and tanner stage in girls exposed in utero and postnatally to polybrominated biphenyl. Epidemiology (Cambridge, Mass.), 11(6), 641–647.
Urinary/genital problems:
Small, C. M., DeCaro, J. J., Terrell, M. L., Dominguez, C., Cameron, L. L., Wirth, J., & Marcus, M. (2009). Maternal exposure to a brominated flame retardant and genitourinary conditions in male offspring. Environmental health perspectives, 117(7), 1175–1179.
Miscarriage:
Small, C. M., Murray, D., Terrell, M. L., & Marcus, M. (2011). Reproductive outcomes among women exposed to a brominated flame retardant in utero. Archives of environmental & occupational health, 66(4), 201–208.
Breast cancer:
Terrell, M. L., Rosenblatt, K. A., Wirth, J., Cameron, L. L., & Marcus, M. (2016). Breast cancer among women in Michigan following exposure to brominated flame retardants. Occupational and environmental medicine, 73(8), 564–567.
Birth outcomes:
Terrell, M. L., Hartnett, K. P., Lim, H., Wirth, J., & Marcus, M. (2015). Maternal exposure to brominated flame retardants and infant Apgar scores. Chemosphere, 118, 178–186.