Document 0J1Bp0Vr1Q5XYE8O9N99ERerb

PATENT TRADER new tom cm mami UR TOMTOWN EDITION __ imiRS. 16.000 b. lun FEB 1 4 1976 r\ ^ ~\ Fishy itch spoils the catch KATONAH -The flat) was sllne striped but, fresh from the Hudson. Its oolor good, its (Mt firm. Within an hour after he'd pulled the 5 pounder from the Hudson's watera at Croton Point Park, Peter Phelps slapped the fish's body on Ms kitchen counter here, took out his sharpened cleaning knife and cut into its belly. T An avid and experienced fisherman, be worked only a few minutes before he had the entrails out, the scales scraped and rinsed, and the flab wrapped for the \ freeter. He folded the entrails in newqps* pec and tossed them in the tnuh. * [''An hour later, his hands began to ttch, ' Infuriatingly. Blotches appeared. The Itching lasted four days--from November 18(0 22.1975. , /. . . "Sounds like PCR fo me," FVed Dabback of Yonkers, coordinator of the "Save the Hudem Coalition." said (Ms week when he heard the Phelps story. "I would strongly nispect it," he said. Polychlorinated byphenyls, PCBs, have been the focue of a major contro versy over pollution of the Hudson and contamination of AA. The chemical is now considered so toxic and so prevalent in the Hudson that it threatens to end both commercial and sport fidling in the Hudson for at least three years. Itching and rashes on the hands were symptoms reported by workers In contact with PCBs at the General Electric plants along the river north of Albany. GE this week was found to have violat ed two state laws by its discharges of PCB into the Hudson. Hie company was told It would have to take steps to limit drasti cally the discharges,consider using substi tute chemicals, and explore how it could unflo damage already done to the river. The Phelpses kept the barn In tbeir freeaer for several weeks, convinced they dwukln't eat tt but wondering what It was that had caused aid) a strong reaction. Finally, one very cold day, they wrapped thefish tightly in newgpspeisand put it in the garbage on collection day. They had conriderod burying H In their garden but were afraid they would con taminate the soil. .> --.. J HONS 033060