Document 2qjo8J5qgK608pX72wV0GZ6p

Sonoma, CA : (Sonoma Co.) ' Index Tribune . : (Clr. W. 9,100) t ` `r '-Vi .Put it to the voters , ... ti-W ' -------------------------------------------------------' '83 known environmental and human health hazard; .t a t f. / . -."/ . ' After three years of battling the federal govern ment, the state, the county, utility companies and chemical manufacturers, just to name a few, Sono- ma's PCB Project is considering tossing the the issue of highly-toxicxJBCBs into the laps of the vot ers. . : Not that Project founders Chambier Bechtel and Allen Simontacchi haven't been successful in their head-to-head clashes with these powers that be. Never, since that fateful day in January 1980, when and a highly suspected carcinogen. ' PCBs is considered to be one of the most omnipre sent of all chemicals on the planet, its contaminants! routinely, turning up in oceans and waterways, fish and other forms of wildlife. Alarmingly high con centrations of PCBs continue to be detected in the milk of human mothers. j The substance does not breakdown naturally in| the environment and instead, tends to bioaccumu late in the food chain. PCBs, when exposed to high temperatures, have been known to manifest even a Pacific Gas and Electric Company PCB electrical capacitor blew its top on East Napa street here, has any group at the grass roots end done so much in blowing the minds of industry, government and the public, in challenging and infonning them about the dangers of PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls). _ Now, perhaps, it's time to put it'to a vote, they the more dangerous by-products of dibenzofurans and dibenzodioxins (dioxin). , "Although we can sue on behalf of our clients," explained Bechtel, "we are still not accomplishing the pressure of getting PCBs out of the environ ment." Simontacchi commented: "PG&E's still playing say., . . the same games. The (protective) suits are the Full circle, then? The end? :V same. The (PCB clean-up) training is the same. Not quite. The PCB capacitor that showered its CAL OSHA still hasn't come up with any (safety),, toxic contaminants along Nathanason Creek here standards.'' ' : ;. . . ... -. - three years ago has made an all too lasting impres All told, they maintain, little has changed. . sion. There is still considerable work to be done, _ In the true grass roots spirit which has guided : they insist, . ' ...' f. : . ... them from the very beginning, both believe that the j issue should go to the voters. . ; ' . - BECHTEL, mother of one child, arid Simontac- chi, a Sonoma PG&E lineman, have instigated peti WHILE it remains to be seen just when that drive tion drives and government resolutions, provided to get the PCB issue on the ballot will take place, information as well as medical and legal referral to other efforts are continuing. In outling their plans PCB "victims," orchestrated lawsuits, demanded for 1983, the Sonoma-based Project hopes to:. stricter enforcement--in short, devoted all of their --Urge the Board of Supervisors to establish an energies to ultimately banishing the use of PCBs independent industry council to monitor what toxic from the face of the earth. Simontacchi even at materials are being handled and transported in So tended last year's hearings in Washington D.C. on noma County, a consideration in response to last Establishing the new federal guidelines for use and year's formaldehyde spill in the Russian River. control of PCBs. ' , "The county was very, very, fortunate that it was | The chemical, used primarily as an insulating formaldehyde in the river, which will dissipate. But agent in electrical equipment such as capacitors, if it was PCBs...?"; transformers and fluorescent light ballasts, is a --Initiate a program whereby-county hospitals PCB-ARCH-EXT0376124 ! l. Photo by John Lynch il* THE PCB PROJECT PLOWS ON :'J, . : From left: Chambier Bechtel and son, Jamie; Allen Simontacchi i would have one room for decontamination for all board of directors. Directors include: Cissy toxic exposures; > / - v. --Serve all filed lawsuits; . Brooke, Sonoma County resident active in pro ' choice campaigns; Patty DeJoy, a valley resident --Do more field work out of state. involved in local trails and bikeways planning; phy sician Neil Erlich; attorney Allan Kanner, who ONE OF the Project's biggest accomplishments served as legal counsel in the Three-Mile island nu over the past year was the organization of its world clear power plant incident; and biologist David science files, the beefing up of its legal and medical Gonzales. ' . ` teams, and the establishment of the PCB Project _ j Members of the PCB Medical Team are: Sebasto pol internist Dr. Steven Hubbard; Erlich; Berkeley Iphysician Les Hilger; and U.C. Berkeley's head of \optometry, Dr. FrankZisman. .. \ ... j The PCB Legal Team is comprised of attorneys Kanner; Philip Knudsen of Oakland; Alan Lurch of . San Francisco; Bob Pickus; and Mary Gerber. Ex- , Ipected to the join the team soon is Martin Gritzer, , "the original asbestos lawyer, " according to Bech tel. ' ' . , - Despite such, well-oiled ammunition, Becthel ad mits that "the burden of proof will always be on us." But she remains convinced that not only will PCBs' omnipresence in the environment be under scored time and time again, the "cozy" relationship and. lack of enforcement that has evolved among government, utility and industry will also be further brought to light. , . i p . j "We will reveal beyond a shadow, of a doubt that we're right," she stated firmly. . - . The battle continues. - - . .. PCB-ARCH-EXT0376125