Document EvozzdMKn32bj6j2waBZEp90

CENTRAL SQUARE, N. Y. CITIZEN-OUTLET (SYRACUSE MARKET AREA* W.4.00Q SEP 2 41975 Kswego River May Be ! Cause of Toxic PCB Compound A study by the Envlron- Oewego Rlyer as an "Import tion con oauee akin disease* mental Protection Aoenoy ha* identified the Oswego River ant" couroqof PCS* In tha lake wee pubtlehed In 'June and end foetal damage, but there have been no reports of III ee one apparent eouroe of contained dale taken in 1272. the toxlo oompound . called The report ei*o tingled out the effect* from eating fleh from Lake Ontario. . pci*.PCBs, In Lake Ontario, It was Niagara River ee a eouroe of Tha Monsanto Corp., tha only ' Wn*d last week. ' manufacturer of PCB* In the . Meanwhile* the lateet teete The EPA raceafohare taelperformed by the Department ad DOT, OIELORIN AND PCB at environmental Ooneerve- level* tn v'witer; ' eadlment, ilon In Albany on aelmdh Snd bottom organlomc, plankton, trout frofn the lake Indloated seaweed and fleh. Samples POE level* ranging from 2 were taken from e* many aai 8 parte per million for email elation*, depending on whet ooho ealmon to 22 parte per was bqlng tested. million for large Chinook ealmon The data Indloated compara United States, ha* told the DEC that the only American buyer of PCB* on Lake Ontario I* the Niagara Transformer Corp. in Buffalo, on tho Niagara River. 1 But e DEC otflelel sold there.. was growing concern abou.. a "gray market" for PCB*, The Food and Drug Admlnl- atratlon prohibit* the eale of fl*h oontalnlng more than 5 part*per million. tively high levels of PCBs In the witor. end eadlment off the mouth of tho Ocwogo end Niagara River*. The fl*h teated with suspicion that some Ameri can firm* may be Importing the oompound end using It In "Open" process** such as for - A report laet week quoted were aiewive*, smelt end ecul- paper, where It can get bock DEC Commissioner Ogden Reid pin. Moot aample* had le* Into the environment. Several a* baying he wae oenelderlng than 5 part* per million of years ego, Monsanto pledged a ban on the eale of Chinook PCS'* but tome eculpln samp to sell H only lor us* In "closed" ealmon from Lake Ontario be- le* were a* high a* 9 part* oauee ol high . PC# levole. per million. However, ealmon i* not a com- Like DDT, the PCB oompound systems, as for electrical trans formers. The offlelei, who did not want to be named, also ` merloal sped**. In fact, an tend* to conc*ntrato m fat, and eald some pollution by PCB* employee at OahMl'e Fleh Oo. FOB level* In tha fat of the may be "`uncontrollable" be In Qswego, one of the few came fleh ranged from 11.7 commercial Hahermen on the parte par million to 178.8 American aide of the take, part* per million. It I* for thl* cause It oan get into the toll from landfills and laach Into rivers. . eald oommeroial flehere are reason that the Sac Grant Cal Symons, the director of net allowed to eetoh eelmon. office In Oewego hae rec pollution oontrol for the Ontario The DEC etlll hae taken no aotlen on plane for a ealmon fleh hatohery in Altmeh The plan* were submitted to the department early thi* year end ommended that anyone eating Lake Ontario salmon remove m muon fat a* possible before cooking It. . the EPA report reoommended Ministry of the Environment, said industrial usars of PCBa In Ontario did not releasb any of the ohemleal to the lake. He said his department moni ere now on Reid's desk. A DEC that a study cf the "level* end tored tho factories end provi 'offlelei said Friday that the Commissioner "I* etlll making forms" of PCB* In the Oswego end Niagara River* be dene to ded special "burial" araas for transformers so that no up hie mind." A*ked whet "assess" the rivers as a source PCBs would aseape to the leauee were being ooneldered, the official refueed to oomment of theohemlo*l. PCB* are used In electric environment*. Symons said he didn't know how many Indus further. Retd we* not In Albany. The ERA report naming the transformer*. Studies have In dicated that their oonsump- trie* used PCBs In Ontario or -vhere they were located .j MONS 032784