Document EvZ304p3Zqq9b29pXX6wJg07N
THE WINDSOR STAR WINDSOR. ONTARIO, CAN.
() 79,000
MAY 2 6 1975 I J- - r*tr- f CLIPPEO BYl
bacctis
don't eat harbor fis \, doctor urges
TORONTO (CP) -- Dr. Jim Stoppi,
wnior medical comultant in the environ
ment health branch of the Ontario health -
1 ministry, aays Ash caught in the Toronto
' and Hamilton Harbort ihould not be eaten \ .
because many of them contain potentially
dangeroue levels of ohemical compounds `
known as nolychlorbiohwivll (PCBt).
PCBs, used eatenslvely In North
America since the early 1930s, now are un
, der strict government control and are used
only as a lubricant Tor transformers and
capadtators in the electrical industry.
There have been no reports of danger to
human health but biologists have found
baby gulls in areas of high PCP
concentrations with bills that will not dose
and toes growing out of a knee.
"There are too many gape in our
knowledge to take chances," says Dr. ,
t
- '
.
Stoppi.
.
"The fish in the two harbors are loaded
with all kinds of contaminants, including
the PCBs and heavy metal such as mercury,
lead and cadmium.
Research on the effects of the com*
pounds started in the late I960si but little is
known about them so far.
Ontario Hydro is the major user of PCBs
in the province and has been storing waste
PCBs in 45-gallon drums since it dis*
covered the dangers, says Robert Strom, a
research engineer at Hydro.
*
"We stored it because it wasn't until a
few months ago that a company near Buf*
falo, N.Y., got a licence to dispose of it,"
he says.
"Ontario Hydro's policy now is not to
buy anything with PCBs unless there is no
other choice."
.a
MONS 030959