Document JNNRbe4pQJREQG2K8V97obR16

H 7136 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD--HOUSE July 26, 1971 ale gathered at Andrews Air Force 9&se what-- \peep differences In pollttcr.l philosophy cifcnot permanently divide the peoples of tniworld. / \Wiat is most important for/he United States Is that those dilferengs In politi cal pn^osophy should not yfe used like a vice to'crush the indepenrpint, national istic coil^se which the Romanians have chosen for themselves. .This will not oc cur so lohg as America recognizes that independence and actively encourages it. President\N1xon /has recognized that independency and' now has ui'ged the Congress to ftit.-to foster it. As with the ping-pong Wumainent in China, the ball is now in cjAcourt. If we in Congress are to fulfilVouh responsibility in the determinaticai of national policy, then hearings should beheld on our Eastern European>rade policvat an early date. The tw6 bills I am\itroducing today could provide the focuy for those hear ings. / The``"general bill I today introduced would Permit the Presided to extend MEN to any country witlAwhich the United States has diplomatikrelations ana which Is a member of GATGr---Gen eral Agreement on Tariffs and Trade-- If the President determines such\to be An theRational interest. PCB'S--EVIRONMENTAL POISON The SPEAKER: Under a previous order of the House, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Ryan) is recognized for 10 minutes. Mr. RYAN. Mr. Speaker, on Friday, July 23, the U.S. Department of Agricul ture revealed that a significant propor tion of chickens raised in 12 States have been contaminated with an extremely dangerous chemical--polychlorinated bi phenyl--PCB. This occurrence tragically illustrates the failure of the Federal Government to take preventive action against the un controlled use of this deadly chemical. During the past 2 years I have attempted to get the appropriate Federal agencies to take the necessary protective actions that would have forestalled such an oc currence and would have guaranteed the health and safety of the public. But in an almost unprecedented display of dis regard for the public health and welfare, that administrative action has not been forthcoming. Therefore; I am today introducing leg islation to totally ban the distribution of PCB's in interstate commerce, thus Insuring that our health and environ ment are safeguarded from the hazards of this chemical. Manufactured In the United States solely by the Monsanto Co., polychlo rinated biphenyls are a serious threat to our health ana to our environment. .Like DDT--their chemical cousin-- PCB's and their residue are extremely toxic to animal life, cause birds to lay eggs with shells too thin to protect the embryos they enclose, and have a deleterious effect on the reproductive capacity of nnimnin. But by far the most frightening hazard Is the effect of FCB's on human beings. Polychlorinated biphenyls may be taken into the body by direct action upon the skin or as a vapor through the respira tory tract. The effect on the skin is chloracne: the early symptoms of which are pimples and dark pigmentation; later, more serious eruptions. Persons who have been continuously exposed to PCB's may suffer nausea, vomiting, loss of weight, endema and abdominal pain, increased respiration, lowered blood cell count, and inhibition of the carbohydrate metabolism. More serious effects are those on the kidneys. The principle ef fect, however, is on the liver--possibly leading to atrophy, followed by death. _ PCB's are very persistent in the en vironment thus making them a long term threat. They are not soluble in water and resist biological breakdown. - In the past, PCB's have been sold by the Monsanto Co. for use in plasticizer applications; in closed system applica tions, such coolants in transformers; as hydraulic fluids; and as an extender in pesticides. , . . When I first brought the potential dangers of FCB's to the attention of the appropriate Federal agencies in April 1970,1 requested that certain specific ac tions be taken to protect our health'and environment from the hazards of PCB's. I urged the Secretary of Agriculture to ban the use of polychlorinated biphenyls in pesticides. The Department of Agri culture agreed to discontinue the use of PCB's in pesticides and to cancel regis trations for pesticides containing PCB's. I urged the Food and Drug Adminis tration to set food tolerance levels for PCB's, to require the labeling of all prod ucts containing PCB's, and to determine whether this chemical should be banned completely, in replying to me, the FDA advised me that it was undertaking a survey to determine the extent of food contamination from PCB's--the' results of which I still have not received. .FDA refused to 6et food tolerance levels and .to require labeling. I urged the Secretary of the Interior to act to protect fish and wildlife from this hazard. He replied that investigations were being carried out by various agen cies of the Federal Government and the results of these studies would be funneled to the staff of the Council on Environ mental Quality. I urged the Commission Product Safety to determine the nature and extent of the threat to our environment. The Com mission replied that it was not possible for them to conduct an indepth investi gation of the hazards of PCB's at that time. And I urged the Council on Environ mental Quality to coordinate the efforts of sell appropriate Government agencies, so that the public might know the sources and the seriousness of the PCB danger, and that it take steps to elimi nate this hazard as soon as possible. The Council advised me that it was working with other Federal agencies to determine what course of action was available to the Federal Government. Earlier this year Z renewed by call for administrative action by requesting the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to place an immediate ban of the Importation, manufacture, and sale of all products containing PCB's with the possible exception of certain closed system applications. I urged that he require that any product containing PCB's not included in such a ban be labeled with a warning as to their detri mental environmental effects. I requested that he obtain from Monsanto those pro duction and sales figures necessary to determine the extent of possible PBC contamination--data which Monsanto has refused to provide me. And I urged that the Environmental Protection Agency coordinate all appropriate gov ernmental agencies in dealing with this hazard. In replying to me, EPA ignored all four of my requests and in no way responded to them. In short, except for the action of the Department of Agriculture in banning PCB's in pesticides, the Federal Govern ment has not taken any of the necessary steps which I have requested over the past 2 years to combat this very serious environmental and health hazard. The results of this Government inac tion are now tragically apparent. Large amounts of poultry and hogs in a 12 State area may now be contaminated with this toxic chemical. For nearly 3 months PCB's have been leaking into fish meal processed at the East Coast Terminal, Inc., plant in Wilmingbon, N.C. The meal has been sold to 64 poultry producers in Virginia, Dela ware, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Indiana, Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, and Mississippi. According to the Department of Agri culture, 16,000 tons of fish meal had been produced at the Wilmington plant be tween April 30 and July 16--when the plant was closed down. This contamination would yet be un noticed.if it were not for the fact that a commercial poultry processor became alarmed at the low rate of hatching of eggs in his broiler breeding chickens. I can see no way that all the poultry and hogs subjected to this chemical can now be traced. The potential results could be disasterous. . And this is not the sole instance of widespread PCB contamination in the food chain. . In December 1970, the Campbell Soup Co. discovered that fat samples taken from slaughtered chickens contained a high quantity of PCB residue. Upon be ing notified of this finding and recogniz ing the potential danger of this occur rence, the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets immediately stopped the movement of all poultry from the area in Sullivan County, N.Y., where the chickens had been raised. The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets then began a full-scale investigation Into the extent of possible PCB contamination in poul try. Their laboratory confirmed the find ings made by Campbell Soup Co. of high levels of PCB's, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture established a continuing restraint on the movement of all poul try for slaughter in Sullivan, Ulster, end DSW 334161 STLCOPCB4080739 July 26, 1971 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD --HOUSE H 7137 trance Counties. N.Y.; until it was found to be Bale through a special screening i*t operation. As * result of their Investigations and ii conjunction with U9DA. the New York 0tuio Department of Agriculture and I am calling for congressional hearings . pounds, has been long and widely used Jn the into this matter. UB. as A solvent In tho production of paint, Further, I am reiterating my call for the Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration, and the En vironmental Protection Agency to com pesticides plastics and Tcslns and such items as "carbonless" carboD paper, as well as In heating and cooling machinery. Monsanto now recommends Its use be limited to heat exchange systems, an FDA spokesman said. Markets ordered that HC.000 PCB-con mence Immediately a full and exhaus PCB contamination of the tissues of poul taminated chickens be buriea vender close tive investigation in to the extent of try produced In New York State last year re supervision to make absolutely sure that PCB contamination. And I am calling they would not reach the marketplace. for an immediate administrative ban on The Campbell Soup Co., USDA, and - the manufacture, shipment, and sale of the New York State Department of all PCB's. Agriculture and Markets all took prompt The problem of PCB's is indicative of sulted In the seizure and destruction of more than 100,000 birds. Hie source of contami nation In that case has not been pinpointed. Although FCB has been In use worldwide Blnce before World War n, It was not until 1969 that Its presence In soli, water and action to deal with this serious problem, a much larger problem--that of the al animal tissues became known. and that is reassuring. However, the po most unrestricted Influx of harmful "Environment" Magazine, which first tential damage which could have re chemicals into the marketplace. A sys brought the PCB problem to national atten sulted if this Incident had not been dis covered in time cannot be ignored. And I must stress that this is not an isolated example. In January 19.70, samples of milk col tem must be established to insure the safety of a chemical before it can be sold and then only for specific uses. But in the meantime, everything pos sible must be done to protect the pub tion, reported that concentrations of PCB were overlooked In chemical analyses because It Is so similar to DDT. . . Kevin Ghea, the magazine's scientific di rector, yesterday disputed the government's assurances that toxic birds are not on the lected by the State of Ohio Department lic from known chemical dangers. We market. "I suspect PCB contamination may of Agriculture revealed residue of a prod know tire hazards of PCB's. We know bo quite widespreadha said In a telephone uct closely resembling DDT and DDD. what can and must be .done to combat interview from St. Louis, Mo. ' - On February 19, a dairyman, George Schwarzwalder, wag issued a notice by the division of food, dairies, and drugs to discontinue the sale of milk until such time as the residue found in his milk was below the actionable level. On Feb those hazards. And we must undertake those actions now. At this point I Include in the Record two articles b7 Hank Burchard which appeared In the Washington Post on July 24 and July 25 respectively, and a "We were told to check birds from the South more than two months ago, but haven't yet been able to track it down," he said. Dr. Joseph Stele of USDA said the agency tad "been checking chickens In the South during this period and have found nothing ruary 27, another -dairyman, Franklin Humphrey, received a similar notice. Subsequent samples from individual July 24 New York Times story by Wil liam Blair. . ' The articles follow: cows and the bulk tank on these farms [Prom the Washington Post, July 24, 1971] to lead us to suspect contamination of mar keted birds." . Scientific opinion on the dangers presented by PCB Is divided. USDA researchers, a spokesman said, regard the outcry over PCB submitted to agriculture laboratories Chemical Found ht Chickens--Contami (and DDT) as exaggerated. and the pesticide laboratory at Ohio nated Fowl Found in 12-State Area An FDA spokesman said the agency forbids State University revealed that the resi (By Hank Burchard) use of PCB In food or In the production of due was not DDT but PCB's. The Ohio State Department of Agriculture found the contaminating substance to be AROCLOR 1254, manufactured by the Mon santo Co. Apparently, the dairymen's silos were lined with a product called Cumar which included AROCLOR In its content. The PCB's were then absorbed A "significant proportion" of the chickens raised In 12 states have been contaminated with a DDT-llke compound, the Department of Agriculture announced yesterday. USDA said it has "no evidence" that any of the birds have reached consumers and has taken steps to make sure none do. The contaminant is poly-chlorinated bipyhenyls, known as PCB. For nearly three food containers. "Its effects are not known In detail," he said, "but to us It's an adulter ant and Impermissible." Dr. Robert Rlseborough, of the University of California at Berkeley, discovered while doing research on the brown pelican that PCB was endangering the species. Since then he has reported finding PCB residues widespread. by the silage which in turn was fed to the months It had been leaking Into fish meal milk cows, resulting in PC3-contaml- processed at the East Coast Terminal, Inc., [From the Washington Post, July 25, 1971] nated milk. plant In Wiimington, N.C. The meal has Law Sought To Ban DDT-Like Chemical Although I have been assured by the Ohio State Department of Agriculture that this problem is now under control, the harm that might have resulted is obvious. In view of the lack of administrative action even after these incidents were brought to the attention of Federal agen been sold to 64 poultry producers In Vir ginia, Delaware, North Carolina, South Caro lina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Indiana, Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas and Mississippi. . PCB, like DDT, Is a persistent compound that accumulates in fatty tissues and Is seld to cause low fertility and birth defects In animals. Its effects on humans are uncertain, (By Hank Burchard) A New York congressman said yesterday he will Introduce a bill to ban all use of a DDT- llke compound that has contaminated hu man and wildlife food chains In the U.S. and around the world. . Hie announcement by Rep. William Pitts Ryan (D. N.Y.) came after It wa3 revealed Friday that high levels of polychlorinated cies and in light of the obvious threat but USDA has set the maximum acceptable biphenyls (PCB) has been found In fish meal posed by PCB-contamination in milk and poultry, on May 19, I introduced legislation (H.R. 8576) to ban the dis tribution of polychlorinated biphenyl in. level of PCB In. marketed flesh at 5 parts per million, the same as for DDT. Tests of poultry In markets In the South and East during the past wuek have found none that have as much as 6 p.p.m. of PCB, Interstate commerce. However, this according to Dr. Fred J. Fullerton of USDA's legislation gave the Secretary of Health, consumer and marketing service. fed to poultry In 12 states. Including Virginia and Delaware, over the past three months. A Department of Agriculture spokesman Said yesterday that fish meal from the same Wilmington, N.C., plant had also been fed to an unknown number of hogs. The depart ment said It does not believe any of the Education, and Welfare, the authority "In my opinion, -there would be no broilers poultry or pork Involved has reached con to exempt from this ban PCB's for use In stores above the tolerance." Fullerton said. sumer markets and Is moving to prevent in certain closed-system applications; namely, as the dielectric fluid In capaci-. < tors, the coolant in transformers, or as I a fire resistant In heat transfer media, I provided that he found such uses would l not adversely affect the public health and \ welfare. The agency does not regularly test for PCB. In poultry not yet slaughtered, USDA found PCB concentrations as high as 22 p.p.m., and one poultry producer reported levels as high os 40 p.p.m. The contamination of fish meal in the Wilmington plant was caused by leakage of FCB being used as the heat exchange them from being sold. . Pish meal produced by East Coast Termi nal, Inc., of Wilmington, was contaminated from about April until the plant was ordered closed Friday. The PCB. being used as the beat transfer medium in sterilizing vats, leaked unnoticed Into the meal. The contamination was not discovered by I It Is now apparent, however, that PCB's mechanism In a sterilizing machine. - any government agency. It came to light are a serious threat even in these closed system applications, as evidenced by the current incident of poultry feed con tamination. Therefore. I am today in troducing legislation to totally ban the interstate distributlton of PCB's. And The accidental leakage, which may have begun around April 30, was brought to the attention of the Food and Drug Administra tion last week by the Monsanto Corp., sole U.S.- producer of PCB compounds. FDA In turn alerted USDA on July 16. PCB, which stands for a dozen related com When a customer of the Monsanto Corp., the Bole U.S. producer of PCB, complained that his chickens were being sickened and their eggs were of low fertility. Monsanto traced the problem to the chicken feed and the feed to the Wilmington plant, then notified the VS. Foqfi and Drug DSW 334162 STLCOPCB4080740 H7138 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD -- HOUSE July 26, 1971 Administration, which notified USDA, which a week e.ter inaHe the first public announce ment. . CROSS NEGLECT Ryan, whose office has been investigating the PCB problem tor two years, 6aid the case "graphically illustrates the gross neglect of the federal government to take preventive action against the uncontrolled use of deadly chemicals by American industry." He said his bill tvould be introduced Mon day. Tt will replace hit HR B576, Introduced May 19. which would permit the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare to exempt certain uses of PCBs from the ban. "The latest case convinces us there Is no safe way for the stuff to be used," said Ryan aide Chic Edwards. . tJSr. LIMITED A spokesman for the Mansanto Corp. said yesterday the use oZ PCBs Is "absolutely es sential" for heavy electrical equipment and that the company has taken "very stringent meaures" to control use ol the compound. Since last August, he said Monsanto has withdrawn PCBs-from sale for any purpose other than as the Insulating fluid In electrlcal capacitors, as a coolant In transformers or as a fire-resistant Ingredient In Industrial heating and cooling systems. The embargo also applies to the tTnlted Kingdom. In which Monsanto also has a monopoly In PCBs. For more than 40 years before the Mon santo action, PCBs, which are a group of a dozen chlorinated hydrocarbons, had been widely used as plasticizers (softeners) In paints, sealants, adhesives and other surface coatings, with miscellaneous applications In thermostats, food, pharmaceuticals and hy draulic fluids, according to the April, 1971, "New Scientist and Science Journal." A spokesman for the National Paint, Varn ish & Lacquer Association, Iuc., said yester day that PCBs "never have been 'widely used' In paints. They had certain limited Indus trial applications and ore no longer used. Any paint buyer may be assured the products contain no PCBs." EFFECTS LIKE DDT The effects of PCBs In animals are similar to those of DDT, and before 1966 the pres ence of the compound In the biological chain was not suspected because It was mistaken for DDT In laboratory analyses. There Is no consensus among scientists about how dangerous the compound Is. Their concern centers on the fact that PCBs, like DDT, Is a highly stable compound that breaks down slowly. A worldwide ban on PCBs and DDT will be proposed at the United Nations environmental conference la Stockholm next year. - It Is Insoluble In water but soluble In fats, a factor which causes It to become concen trated In the tissues of progressively larger animals In the food chain. Residues of up to 1000 parts per million (p.p.m.) have been found In the tissues of American seabirds. The USDA Rules do not permit sale for hu man consumption of flesh containing more than 5 p.p.m. Some chickens fed on the con taminated fish meal have been found to con tain tip to 40 p.p.m. . Last December a Campbell's Soup plant In New Jersey discovered Impermissible levels of PCBs In chickens purchased from New York growers. Again the discovery was made In private tests, since the federal government does not regularly test for PCBs In marketed flesh. CHEMICAL TRACED New York State officials traced the con tamination to chicken feed produced In a plant that uses stale bakery goods (which may have been wrapped in plastic made with a PCB) Some 140,000 chickens were de stroyed and burled. Earlier, milk from two Ohio dairy herds was found to contain PCBs derived from ellage stored In silos painted wlth'PCB-treated epoxys. Government regulation of PCBs has been Ulster Counties, N.Y., as a result of the find limited. The USDA recently banned their uss ' ing. In pesticides, and the FDA doos not permit - 16,000 TONS OF MEAL them to be added to food products. A half dozen other agencies say they are considering regulations. Monsanto's recognition of PCBs as an eco logical hazard and its voluntary ban on their use except In "closed-system" equipment Is An Agriculture Department spokesman said that about 16,000 tons of fish meal had been produced at the Wilmington plant be tween April 30. an July 16. Normally, fish meal makes up only a small portion of mixed poultry feeds. very nearly unique In Industry, according to the scientific Journal. The company also collects used PCBs from Its customers and destroys them In a special Incinerator In Illinois. A spokesman for Representative William F. Ryan, Democrat of Manhattan, said that Mr. Ryan, had been trying for a year to get the shipment of PCB prohibited In Inter state commerce. He introduced legislation to MONSANTO TESTS that effect but It has languished In the House Recently completed Monsanto tests, con Intei-state Commerce Committee, the spokes ducted over two years, showed that, rats fed man said. . food containing up to 100 p.p.m. showed en He said Mr. Ryan had warned of "wide largement of the liver but suffered no other spread" contamination of foodstuffs, particu effects, the company spokesman said. Dogs larly'poultry, before the New York case. He showed iio 111 effects, he said. had looked Into the toxic effects of PCB af Rep. Ryan said he was skeptical of tests ter reading a study by California scientists ordered by the company for Its own products. on the chemical and finding that it was not Edwards, his aide, said "It's ridiculous to soluable In water and could he taken into have to introduce a bill every time another the human system by physical contact, the family of dangerous compounds turns up in spokesman said. . our bodies and throughout the environment, PCB has a wide range of industrial use, but, given the repeated failure of govern including paints and resins and In the manu ment agencies to act, there's nothing else facture of plastics and other materials. In we can do." . the North Carolina casei the substance was used In a heat exchanger to cool liquid. In [From the New York Times, July 24. 1971] the New York chicken case, the PCB was United States Fears Poison in Some Chick ens--Search on in 12 States After Feed Is Found Tainted . believed to have been in paint that flaked off a storage bln or to have been absorbed by the feed from the paint. (By William M. Blair) Washington.--The Department of Agri \ The SPEAKER. Under a previous ar- culture announced today a search In 12 states for broiler chickens and chicken feed that may be contaminated by an Industrial chem ical. ' dtpr of the House, the gentleman f/om " msas (Mr. Roy) is recognized /or 5 mlputes. The toxic substance Is of the chemical fam Mr. ROY addressed the Hahse. His ily of polychlorinated blpheuyos. Spokesmen remarks will appear hereafter Jh the Ex for the Agriculture Department and the Food and Drug Administration said that the PCB, tensions of Remarks.] as the chemical is known, had leaked from heating machinery used to pasteurize fish meal at the East Coast Terminal, Inc., Wil mington. N.C. The meal was sold for use as THE PEOPLE OP UTICA/MISS., ACT VrO HELP POW-MIA'S an Ingredient In poultry feed and may have The SPEAKER. Under / previous order found Its way Into some bog feeds, officials of the House, the gentleman from said. ' Georgia, Kr. Griffin As recognized for They said that the meal hnd been sold to at least 64 feed processing plants. These In cluded plants that raise and process poultry for retail markets. The officials said that the 10 minutes\ j Mr. GRipFIN. Mr/Speaker, in early June, the people of Utica, Miss., my Wilmington plant had recalled all fish meal ' hometown, undertook the task of send shipped since April 30, the indicated date of ing two representatives to Paris, Franc the beginning of the problem, The plant and Rome, Italy tty express their support closed voluntarily a week ago, they sold. and concern forV-11 the American POW- The toxic substance causes digestive dis MIAS presently being held in North Viet tress, nausea, fever and other upsets In hu namese prisons. Mr Force Maj. Thomas mans, officials said. The Food and Drug Ad ministration said It had a guideline of 6 parts per million for the PCB substance. Ag E. Collins HI, hfls'been a prisoner since October 18, IDG#. Hi is a native of Utica. riculture scientists said that 16 to 20 parts The representative? were Mayor John per million had been found In fish meal still F. Tillman a/d Postihaster F. L. Scott, at the North Carolina plant. both noted gind well-respected members ALARM OVER ECG-HATCHING of the compiunity. Th'c mission proved The contamination was disclosed by an un successful beyond the hopes of all of us named commercial poulthy processor who be who supported and encouraged the effort. came Blarmed at the low rate of hatching of eggs In his broiler breeding chickens. Using private laboratory tests, he found up to 40 parts per million In the fat of some of his chickens. Agriculture officials said. He traced the meal to the Wilmington plant, they said. It is a uurce of enormous pride to me that citizens in and arounu a small town like Utida, 1,033 population should undertake/uch a project with logistical and financial problems to be overcome. Over The meal was sold to users in Alabama, come they were, Mr. Speaker,'for, within Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indi a remarkably short time afteA the effort ana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Mississippi, began/, the money was raised! and ar South Carolina. Tennessee and Virginia. rangements made for Mayor Tilruan and The FJ3.A. set a guideline of five parts per Postmaster Scott to embark on tri'eir mis million for the substance after It 'had been found In feed from an Agway, Inc., plant In Sullivan County. N.Y., early this year. Higher concentrations were found In chickens fed sion. .\ It was a community project, and bne in which people of all walks of life'.par- the feed and shipped to a processing plant tifipated. Its motives were of the noisiest In New Jersey. ojder and its. intentions purely humtyii- VFederal officials said that 146,000 chickens tiarian. They went to express tire iiei-jTM- hod been destroyed in Sullivan, Orange and break and concern and love of millions DSW 334163 STLCOPCB4080741