Document 6BZdZOprvQKYyR0LqQkK796g1

tttic (CapitiwitlallH <aval TOPEKA, KANS, D. S'J.220 OCT 6 1976 1 Chemical insulator's production stopped ST. LOUIS (UPI) - Monsanto Co.. the nation's leading supplier of poly* chlorinated biphenyl, used as an electr ic insulator, said Tuesday it would slop production of the chemical by Oct. SI, 1977, because of possible hazardous ef fects on humans. Monsanto said the phasing out of pro duction over the next year would give time for manufacturers to find substi tute materials for PCB. Substitutes de veloped by the electrical industry are being tested, although they may not prove as effective in resisting fire as PCB. The Environmental Protection Agen cy, which had called polychlorinated biphenyl a "significant haxard'to hu man health and the environment." wel comed the news of Monsanto's deci sion. . '"Hie Monsanto decisions a signifi cant step in dealing with the total prob lem of PCB contamination," said EPA Administrator Russell E. Train, "Environmental contamination will continue to be a problem due to the millions of PCBs already in landfills, soiia. river and lake sediments, in our air and water nnd in wildlife and hu-. man tissue. ' _J LOHGVIEW, WASH. NEWS D 23.000 OCT 61976 !: jMonsanto to withdraw insulation ST. LOUIS (API - Monsanto In dustrial Chemicals Co. will halt production of PCB insulating fluids next year because of the public's fear of adverse effects from the chemical. Monsanto will withdraw com pletely from the market no later than Oct. 31, 1977, said Earle H. Harbisoa Jr , general manager of the firm's specialty chemicals dlvi- Harbisoa said Tuesday the target | date would have been sooner, but i electrical transformer and capacitor manufacturers have said I they would be unable to convert to . other materials any eartiar. Monsanto is the only manu facturer of PCB (polychlorinated biphenyl K a stable, fire-resistant chemical. The Environmental Protection Agency has found that PCBs build up in the environment and are thought to causa reproductive ( failures, gastric disorders and skin 1 lesions in mammals. ! About 300 million pounds of the ' virtually indestructible chemical : have been dumped Into landfills, ' leaked into water supplies and allowed to sift into production sites, tbc EPA contends. EPA Administrator Russell E. Train praised Monsanto's decision, terming it "a significant step in dealing with the total problem of PCB contamination."__ But he noted that PCBs already la the environment "will be there for yean, moving into Ufe systems, in cluding humans. The problems still need to be addressed vigorously by government and industry." . PCB has been blamed as a major ' source of pollution la New York's Hudson River. New York State officials and the Central Electric Co. recently reached agreement for OB to cantribute $3 million toward the coal of cleaning PCBs from the Hudson. ` The accumulation of PCBs in ` waterways. Harbisoa said, trig * gored the firm's decision to ceaea production as soon as the electrical industry could find alternate fluids and convert its equipment and com ponents to their uee. Monsanto had earlier quit making PCBs for use in carbonless copy paper, fire resistant hydraulic fluids, heat transfer fluid and plasticisers. ^ V_... The chemical is manufacturad at a Monsanto plant in Sauget. IU. Twenty job* will be eliminated by the decision to withdraw from the PCB market, bet a company spokesman said employes working la those positions would be shifted to otter work at the plant. HONS 05Q5?*