Effects on Fish and Other Animals

Congener 126 is the most potent of the PCBs in binding to the AHH receptor of fish [57]. A number of studies demonstrated the correlation between organic contaminant levels and fish reproductive effects, but specific mechanisms were not identified [58-60] it was assumed that PCBs and PCDD/Fs were the causative contaminants. Wilson et al. [61] demonstrated that fish eggs injected with Lake Michigan lake trout extract exhibited embryonic toxicity. 

One of the most sensitive mammals to dioxin-like PCB and dioxin exposure is the mink. Effects have been documented in both farmed mink [65,66] and wild mink [67-72], Extensive work was done in the 1970s and 1980s by Auerlich, Ringer, and colleagues [65,66,73-76] that documented the impact of feeding Great Lakes fish to mink. These impacts included reproductive 

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