Document 4Jq6dgKwnevgjwrKEb0BKd9XG

fF M 'L-V * \ \zuLilli II i: /'.*Fi1t li ;ir: -y.1-wWi* /f'c\ C uv * <V V * n H.crrjrir?.rfj^c '*/i *. V.* uj/ -K Dy WALTER SULLIVAN Kcw Y#rtt T^mi Km ttftkl oil, widely used in Japanese , cooking, .. STOCKHOLM -- In Ihe lace Officials of the World Health lOASti.STAfZ -,N>f prim verbal awl visualevi NS dence from Japan of what heavy metals and chlorinated hydrocarbon* can do to human beings, a key committee of the United Nations Coherence on the Human Environment has approved a call to all nations to minimise tlie release of such substances into the envi ronment. While avoiding a judgment on the clicctj ot supersonic air traffic on climate or health, it also voted yesterday to ask nations undertaking programs .that might alter the ciimate to "carefully evaluate" the re* suits. The fruits of auch re* Organisation said this incident was the first Indication that PCD can be fatal, liueause the 'suu.'iaiTco has been widely used in a variety of things, Including paints, electric insu*. lation and carbonless paper, and because It is not appetis ing to bacteria, it hat been accumulating In the environ ment. One cause for concern is the strong chemical similarity of PCB to DDT, which is even moro widespread but has no: been shown, so far, to be a s e r i o u a threat to human beings. Japanese Disease i search would then bo disseml- The Japanese also reported noted to the world "to the on the ital itai disense, which maximum extent feasible." for many ytart puzzled physi The latter qualification was cians along the Jinzu River ot inserted at the suggestion of Honshu Island. the United States and ap* The disease which cautea Sieved by a small margin, tho bones to become excruciat lowever, the liJ-nation com* ingly painful and break with ' ^ mittee considering thes,eeviecne*normal body movements, 'V emmenditions then agreed to was finally traced in the late. NV the final text without dissenL 1930, to cadmium poisoning. . .* r V'1 ^ The committee, one of three considering the agenda items, met sa the conference began ita working sessions. . Changes Unlikely For yean the metal hod been entering the river In ef fluent from a silver, lead and zinc mine upstream. The river water was used for irrigslion While all decisions made in and the metal had soaked Into \ -he committees must go be- the toil of rice paddies. '1 fore the final plenary sessions, Since the source ot the dis representation in the plenary ease was traced, 131 victims of . sessions will be the same, so the diseaso have been identi . changes are unlikely. fied, ot whom 33 have died, "V To underline the urgency of The third and best known or i ~ th* recommendation on loxic Ihe poisoning outbreaks struck V substances. >hc Jr.pji.civ pro* llm-c eating fi.-h nrd shvikii h . v' scntwl a report on three typos from Minamata Ltay ou Kyu of poisoning that have struck fliu Island. Now known as ^ Lhcir population. Minamata disease, it has been One. as of February, had Involved 1,031 people, of whom It have ciod. It vas traced to tho leakage of polychlorinated traced to methyl mercury dis charged by a chemical plant. As ot March, 111 victims bad been identified, of whom il * biphenyl (PCS) into rice bran bad died. . HONS 201038