Document 1Q4nvkDdb6o6XkjOv1eoarkNZ

A'CU .'itijTy Crlf, 'J\ L'fV ^ j, JUL 1 0 1377 ^ Hunting a Chemical in the Haystack I.nil of thne parti ll. Shmrl Itmnmnd Nr**.rtfci Ftmronflwnl Wrlrr M yitu wanted to pifit tlir best place for a love th,.ntstcl tr> g*i into Jl.c environment And mure wtd> S'lfud health problems where would you pul It' H"t* alwot m nisiiiir p.imU on the outside of beftfr s-ci it washes into the Haler'1 Or in ulrh^-t w> a ha^hes into the soil' Or in fiUt> million flour* steal light fixture*; buttons of shifts of paper and ivumlet* appliance* sc that it would be almost ini|h**itilc lo retrieve it7 Thin i* what has been allowed to lisppen dunna the p**i five decades with a {roup of flame retar danl ehrmirtli called PCBa polycliloimated bi phenyl* 1 liry came Into wide use a* an insulator >u electntai equipment and as a preservative in r-u rtKTouf other items Now they have been shown lo eauw rnniri and reproductive failure m lest am malt and skin lemons in }*ople Nine yean ago, the first serious iJlne*e were reported in humans from iVb poisoning--hebru ary 1Wi& in tusho Japan Five yean ago, Japan Umiwd the chemical and an American in<erjj'eney Laah force concluded that FCBs are highly perg> tern. cnuld be found in all parts of the environment and enuld have serious aflveiwc affects on human health And during the pa*t four yean, the Environ menuI IkfiMiac Hund arid the Natural Reaouicrs IfcfetiK Council, two leading American environ mentJil groups petti toned and sued the federal gov eminent, demanding si net ri^ulatiODS to limit do* niesttc uk vf tl*e chemical and its exposures in the population Yti Hie federal government Still has nol set minimum allowable limits that many scientists eonerdrr safe fur all acgntenls of society in the eon aumpiion of I'CO-contacnmaled fish, Die ctiemicils elite) pathway to people Further, there are no reg ulstion* to prevent Die hundreds of millions of pound* of tl*e Disk chemical now in use from get ling min lhr environment and causing more harm Jn February, the federal government banned disciterpen of l*CHa into the environment as of Ktb S, 1978 Monsanto Chemical Co , the nation * sole upphn of PCtti. he< announced il wilt cease msk mg the chemical by Oct 31 of Una year Dul since the Yuaho incident, Monsanto has produced moje than <0(1 million pounds of PCD*, and thousands of pounds have been discharged into the environment by industries, homeowners, feusinetor* and a muliitwh of other source* Thi hood and drug AdinimsirstJOu n proposing to lover by 60 pei cent its limits on lire cotmiimpOOn of con taminalcd fwh. but even then it concedes, the dose* will nol be safe enough for children and worn- eu of child beiinng ages to eat mart than four tut*I* of svkIs full (irr immth Hh1 Fnviioru'Hiital Prvletlion Agency is pro paruif regulitlHifit fur the fciff disposal of the more limn throe puoriert of a billion pound* of PCUi still inuk ItwiuiNupposMllornacttheregulalrons by July 1, bul ll naan1! ruufy The propoarla pcunttdfy cienipi a targe propoihon of Die PCHi from regulation bcvM*e I he agenev doesn't know how lo culkri the suMance The agcitcv's OfTiee of Tu\ic Sttlwieuriw is Kill grappling with the problem, and ruV arc expected within Iwo month* "The K1*A`* proposed regulations are *in> eini* on oulrtutcou* n spouse to the problem," chirp'd Jumph Highland, biochemist for the t nvi- ronnieulnl J A. feme Fund "I kindreds of nwtlicin of pound* ol tliH sinIT will vmd up rn Ihe cm iron mi nt burnt* Dir gov* rumrnl i* unwilling In rt'gu* lair tl If lliul mairnul rc<ioi>i llu*re there Hill be* t nnliiHial fnlu'tiopbe ' Jbpblwid s group fit-.il sued the fcTA m ITTH he cause t| h#d not lirmUd diulierges of loxif chrnti ral-i ai |irwidid m Ihr iVeli i FuMulion Cnnlrol Acl of 1^7'/ 'lire Kl'A linn tried to prP!v Imitip for nmc duniHul^ liui Hav OMivln.lnu.0 by ixrlm-Uy ailurnn\k)]i AHft foil Iff r isurl Lnia( ltiu**4 ll liHin m unr uf lua fuuil iirltii* nu oaJgning Ll'A admiiuHiat.ir vumd tlit diathurge bun *m Jon Id ol thtv ><Jir nrnro limn four )enm after |he dtx cliaigi siuiid^rdb wrri mamJHUd bj Cui^tess *,. f,( i" , l kedrrol oHiri if* t|iM.'*lionud do not di^pule the aubnlanre cr fhi lil-md's cimnirui* rboul ihe dan eers of rCIU Dui ihrv refund to t.ik< Hie blame for Llic dtluys or fur tlio rcirulahuns "We have a vrrv perplex mg rt-oUvni here,' said George W irlh, a ekemuHi cn^mcu whose umt in FI'A urole llw disposal regulation-. 1'CIU are piarlirahy tn lltr hand* of every Anun*un ll is tlir foul I of the society as wMc Umt we did not inke belter enre of nhai hq |im<? productd and dwte wtlh tht* chemirnl finer P iv One w PCBa are smnlwr in strurlure to Ihe m^rlicide PPT and b< oil.* r nrgnmc rohentr find [Kf*&,*tlero Hut bC'BsSrr mini* morcai.ihlc--Iv snds, Iiaik* and biological broakdawn ILr^use of lhi* FCUa |iiw U< ti ukiI ut a mvnd ofeverydav pnv duils-a* m^ulntorr, hr.it eundiulrt'., ruiiictrni*ve amenta and pi*i>iur/t rs Antoni, the producuurc re frigerutoro, Itkvisuw sets, trii'Horiinrx saiian tors, smliUR ni'tntr ink*, fnpy p/ptr, rtectric mo* tors, mtrruwAvo cucn* iMinltand vHniialirK Not all of thru1 ilt'rv roniam I'l'll'.- in Let. niany do nut llul jI * diBunli r im |JO<r*Mc h-i I hr DCH* i * port lo Ji W if|lr ifiLii.itjl lo pit i'tii I siiellv llic ftibsf.iHCt i* ml h'li ri u> an ji , n l >i mill jihiw'.l never as I'Cfla htonvnilu* ni rknuip jwnic a Arvchlor but tl Intv uIim Urn iu'u in this country t I I . t 1,1 , ip. -........ .... i < 111 11 , ,1 under the nnmci of Clikrcilof pikanuf I urk. it, Notarnot, ivaruol and Tlurminol About 1 4 billion pouitd*of l*Tlt' have Urn pro duritJ in ihut eovrilry, Mid nrlv unflmn .1^, Of 4 prr crjil, hait 1K\IV dc**rod^d tn ihr I'mron men! or dcslroitd by S|*eiil higlflempirHtiiu m emeniiion Another 1^0 ntillu/n pounjf fit }l t* f ccntd banc bicn rtKa-ed tv tiic cnvirurii icm am! are in lbe air, waier and foil An ptiual #nr.n li.i* Utn exported Thai leaves hltlc merr limn Llium i Of that, about 300 milboi* aro m varying di ,'iu uf conlrol m land(ilis and atniuf 750 milium jc in use lbe El^A s propoHil innkjtt* nnd d'-j>,,+ '1 rt rn Inhons are auneJ at Ihh tSirit- of ih* u poundh m use 'Iho^t It'll- ^ i h.-imImm.j in *. l unltjoii Inrrr tian*fwrni-krv aiwI ) ! 1< vdt <i * t % n - tiT4 iik*I b uiilv.its nod m ijui imJjsii i* J' d they are fnirly well nivuiumj mid msirito "J 11 tlictr owner* 1 bv Ft'A pi >w* is d*..'s nj xtrn i r 'u (nr tl*e Oidcily rnllroJ,o*i an 1 di ol l*ir ftfhi m ofiumved chemical Iji J jIis <em'I Juft I, tJl?s#. by uiciiM mi urn Thit Jcnuw uih'Ul 2 nuJlu u nMM- d*fjierwd innnlhtiim *ruti i' u K-'-i m -- Lonliiiuul * n 11 i D * ll f,i h * f * 11 i HONS 202530 ~ - PCB: THE CBIQEITOIS COXTAIflIXAIXT 4- Looking for a Chemical in the Haystack Continued from Pip 6 K8i In sufterniration* below 500 part* per mil (the health problem* without It will eom even the ml ion* highway light*, In air-conditioning mo tore In numerous commercial building* in Individ ual amtlt appliance* and in fluorescent light fie lure* Each item contains an average of 3 5 pound* of PCft* although some have only a few ounce* of the chemical Not only U the EPA unsure what to do about ihl* material, but the agency acknowledge* that moil of It m*y eventually wind up in the environ' ment, ai appliance* arc discarded and leak, paint* erode, and fish--end people--consuma the residue The agency alao behove* some of the material now fn landfill* eventually may find it* way into tha oil and water All told, Lhe EPA aays, 640 million pound* of the chemical could windup free tn the nvlronment That ii more than a third of the en tire domestic production amee it began 48 year* go And It ia 2W times the amount now free in the environment "Although banning lhe production of PCBt mil help the problem of tone contamination, tt will not solve It," any* Nolan A Currey, an expert consul' tanl on hazardous chemical* for the EPA "The cam of aealed unit* (appliances, etc 1 now in use can be ruptured, and will discharge PCB* Con trol of Lite disposal of electrical units now tn use will also be difficult And the job of intercepting and destroying toxica after discharge Into tlte euvi* moment will be more diflicult, iT not impossible p The agency's proposed regulations, in fact, exempt the owners of the 600 million fluorescent light fixtures and 60 million small appliance* from m*rkmg and disposal "This mean* that the article can be placed into the normal traah collection ays' lem used by the occupant*." the regulations say The article would then be taken to dump ar inein- crated with ether refuae lion that too will go unregulated under the new guidel.nea Recant survey* have disclosed the tone chemical re a number of the nahons sewage tfOuenla--In Illinois Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio. California New York and Honda, among others Beyond that, discharges from plant* that produce rocytlad paper often contain rCB* in concentre turn* helm*. 600 porta per million, 00 they, too, wi 11 be exempt from regulation The chemical wind* up in ouch discharges because of ita presence in the original Slock The Incineration of PCB* also poses problem* The material can be destroyed only by burning at 2,200 to 2,900 degree* Fahrenheit If anything goes wrong with the process, the chemical will merely be spewed into th* sir with the combustion gsaea Moat municipal incinerators burn at only 1,500 to 1,600 degrees Fahrenheit Thua, any PCB-ledsn material being incinerated now ia winding up in the environment intact To construct apocial, high temperature incinerators would cost a large mount or money, he oatd "Basically, you would have to build blast furnacessaid Kopp of the EPA The Environments! Defense Fund's Highland suggested a national mobilisation program otmilar to the one during World War 11 ` If people realized the significance of the problem, a small effort by a lot of people would solve it The government should enact regulations requiring the return of these ms* tonal* " Restrictions on the aonaumption of PCB-ccnUimitated food were firat act by the FDA In 1676. In that year, tiro amount of PCB* in the overage American diet reached iu highest level over The chemical allowed up in baby cereal, a variety of pro cessed foods and numerous other items more " Beyond these problems it thr imu* of hi^ ta pu rtfy tbe toil* and river sediment* already mmsmi natad Even if th* sediment* ennuin Pt B level* above 500 parts per million, the EPA rulr* would exempt them from regulation unless the m*tarrel 10 removed from the waterway The same is true with contaminated toll The city or Bloomington ln<f, for example, faoaa a coat or 625 millmn 7m repUc tag sewer linos and cleaning up the local nv*i *nr Waatinghauao Corp discharged (on of Pi" ft con taminated effluent into a landfill and inn- the mu nicipal treatment plants Resident* also ward n*iwration because they unknowingly plmted ibvn gar. dens with PCD contaminated toil ctindii*'w> from the treatment plant Now they can't eat thru vege tables or drink milk from their cows Nut <mi> thy fiali in 40 miles of the locol river In New vork State, the Hudson River ha* arey mutated sediment levels or PCB* that tnr**yre up to 6,000 parts per million- 3 000 Inner, the pro posed limits for edible fiah--from 4>m barge* by General Electric Co 1 plants near Albany Ufluial* aetimole it will cost up to $30 million to dean up the waterway Numerous substitute* for PCB* have been de veloped amec 1971, none of them with tht Firvyiiof qualities of PCB*, but oil of thrm lecstuxir To pie vent fires, Underwriters Laboratories <ll require special protection of items containing lit* new ms teriols, a lob official xaid Since Japan ha* banned the use of PCBa, indications are that there ha* been no increase In (Ires traceable to the autwtitulea, EPA* Kopp said The question of why it hat taken *0 long for the United States to get to the point that Japan arrived at four year* ago continue* to be 0 touch* *ubtect with many official* "Sure, we can be faulted for llie EPA suggest! su educational program to The FDA's limits were five parts per million in not acting two or throe years earlier." said John encourage repair strops and commercial building* fiah and lower for moat other foods Within two Spagnoh, head of PC8 monitoring tnd re^earch for to turn In thnr PCB laden equipment when the years, the amount of PCBa in the average Ameri the state conservation dei'iriment "But wr didu t equipment ia no longer useful over the next SO to can diet dropped by half, although 40 per cent of know about the health problems Only thv -wi- 60 yean tht meat, fish and poultry stilt contained traeea enttata knew about the henjth proUemn *Fte< Vu- llui how successful could the! be* "How 0000000- The only food In which PCB content had not iho Those thingatake time A|enciedn t as ful is the paper recycling program In this country*" dropped was Hah, which continued ta spawn in riv closely as they should The point ta, were doing said Thomua Kopp a cnenncal engineer with the er* and lakes where th* ehomical w*a being dii- something about it now " oflire of toxic *ubalance*. "How successful were the charged In 1676, the Environmental Defense Fund The FDV* prupOM.-d limit of two pari* p*r mil attempt* to cut the uec of gasoline? Not too success* Cam urged the FDA to lower the standards After lion in fish will affect only those sum in inti ivtate ful" the Environmental Defense Fund threatened amt commerce Slate official* are opposed to a similar Some officials balk at a full program to Inform on numerous occasion* following months of inac' ban for fish caught and told within the state 1 h<-y people of the neks of l>CB* oo they will not discard tion, the FDA tldi past April proposed lowering the plan to issue onl) a caution and tel pei>irfe decide Item* containing the chemical TN problem is maximum PCB level for edible fish If taro parts per for themselves that we don't wont to scare people,M oatd David million Long Island would be principal area tar- "Everything hat sonic contamination in it " **td GWagner of the EISA's toxic-stibstajict* office Another suggestion by the agency is to psy peo- tad by the government Both wuefish end striped Anthony Taormina, in charge of preserving lo*uI *a m Long Inland waters exceed those limits, ac roaouroe* for the state environmental uhu. "Of tc 0 "homily* ta tsrft In their PCH-laden item* A cording to recent tests by the Stale Department of couroe we ttauld reduce the risks ftul hi nu r2 bounty on each JUni, however, would mean a Environmental Conservation government outlay of $i 6 UHhmi That does not Many East End residents and H*hermen ore op r**ka from eating fish i* Co expect no nA |rum ffying in an airplane Ii 1* part nf out t*d> iul ^k.*I count collection and advertising costa The EPA posed to the new limits expected to be enacted tin* ocielj Whrllier good ot bad, this m tin pi nr we ays it ha* "rearrestiou*" about the practicality of year, because or (lie loa of revenue the) would have to pity" collecting those items 1| is asking for suggestions cause--It S million annually, according to atete ea With PCBa, however, the price is cnnlmuslly lhe proposed regulations also would not control timales The national liw esiimoiod by the FDA rising First, acattered chicken* were drHtfuyrd the disposal or PCft* in "widely uaed commercial arould be 646 mill von a year Then, commercial fishing ** 111 l*k* product*," if the concentre! ton* of the chemical are The Environ mental Defense fund oppose* the Michigan Then. Lake Ontario was cfo-oi linn lhe below 600 parti per million Theoe product* art too new standard* from the other side Tt went* the al Hudson River Koppuid the new kflA ItnuK will numerous for the agency ~to define the carbonic** lowable ll'R Umit to be zero--or, if that n not po destroy the fresh-water Hshing induct/ m must copy paper sitting in rift cabinet inventories, the sible because of detection problems one pari per part* of the country half-can* of mftuiic paint on |wo|ile*s shelves, the million "Wherever you look, you are goirg to find `l " caulking compounds on window* These trace* total "Sports fishermen should be advucd of lhe risk* he tatd "And if you find it, wh*f aie g- 'i'.K 6 million pound* or PCft*. m addition to the 760 Involved in eating these fish and of feeding It ta tell people9 Wc have no answer It* lhvr It million eotrcMtly m use and accountable thetT favmhcj," Highland scd The wro tolerance shouldn't be H r*nt good Since municipal towage and sludge usually ho* could coat (the fialnng imJuilnJ a lot of money bill "W'e have seen onl> the tip of live c`<rg* MONS 20253?