Document 1gakLr5dxGjR9qMV1knadxVM5

THE CHARLOTTE RE'S CHARLOTTE, N. C. D. Mv AUG 16 1978 fgf* 9 agents for PCB culprits By HM MAXWEU. NnmSBS VMMr The Kite has heeled up to teeuoHiartoo to tad out who spitted .............................. --1 mtiseot Map showing aptt areas. Teas 3A. Eapteaettoa of what PCB w da to the body, Pag* OC. tat* roads whUo emrirooawetal "R'l looking more and more Ska we're going to have to dig It op," Tho State Sanaa of Inveetigo* taoo, which sorted with four tn- vostlgstors aa tho can, bow has ted Steve Msehtt, a spekesama for the Department of Natural Rn aonrces and Community Devel- nine Investigator* ooslgnad fall tlma to the search for the origin at the polychlorinated biphenyls, or Hunt has a news eonfersnee scheduled Thursday and (a e- PCBs, sprayed along the shoulder of highways la 15 counties. Meanwhile, top environmental and health officials win make receoimsadatlone to Gov. Jim Hunt, who will make the tool decision on whether to dig op the earth along the roadside far dtopooal at yet urnsleftad ritee. Three people living along roads The spin aeerest Cheriotte was northwest of Sanford, about 100 miles eeet of here. All the spUIs have occured since Aug. 1. A tanker was seen dumping Tuesday along U.S. 70 nanr New Bum but it turned out to be a fetee alarm when it wsa determined the where there have been spills have compteteed abont headaches sad horning eyes, but msdicsl officials **The volume of Information coming In sate the potential leads that have developed necessitated vent cnnfiitnlng PCBs. The solvent, a ehlorsbinaans, gives ott a moth- beU-hke smelL . the beefing np (of investigators*" said SBI Agent Dnn Gilbert. **We've bed a considerable number of calls from citizens throughout State officials say the problems should -disappear within a few Oty* with no long-term effects, tat The SBI has requested anyone recommend anyone suffering with Information about the apiUa symptoms in the contaminated to call Its 24-hour Una at 619-77^ areas consult a doctor. 1400 or Its toll fret number at 1- After Hunt wan briefed Tuseday 00-002-7610. A 02^00 reward has there was specutetten the removal by tho state for tofar* of the contaminated earth to toost table. ^ ,cJli HONS 001813 State beefs up PCB spill probe continued from page la Anslysis of the spilled PCBs show they were chemicals manu : matlon leading to the arrest and. factured by Monsanto Chmie*i conviction of the culprits. Coro, before 1971. > Gilbert, who declined to estimate how many calls have been re ceived, said they range from offer Ing "very general information to some cases with very exacting and specific information." ' Assisting the SBI, said Gilbert, Den Bishop, director of the Com pany's environmental division, said a list Is being compiled for the state Attorney General's office of its North Carolina customers who bought the chemicals. ` are four federal Invest!gatora with the Environmental Protection Agency. ; Speculation la tha dumping might have been done by someone with a large volume of PCBa who became fearful of EPA regulations, some issued In April and some under consideration, which would strictly limit the method of dispos al of the materials. , "That (theory) la a very real ; possibility," said Gilbert. "We can't -'say yes, that Is the reason, but cer- `tainly from a practical standpoint : It's very realistic." PCBa, used In transformers and `capacitors for thair insulating value, have been suspected of caus ing cancer In laboratory animals. Long-term buildups are known to cause a variety of health problems Including birth defects. . State officials say they don't think the spills pose an Immediate health threat. But human blood samples arc being taken, wells are being tested for contamination and animal and plant camples are being examined. Gilbert said Investigators are trying to track the source of the PCBa from two ends -- by finding who dumped them and by tracing sources of the chemicals from their manufacture. ^ HONS 001814 V HONS 001415