Document N2poZndMJBOMGjjO3ORJoy8pw

, 11 lu'.rJ y JULl 7WT y* 0B The Ubiquitous Contaminant From Antarctica to Albany, I j Fwt of thnt jwrta guidelines for contaminated fish, the studies (blind. the FDA "W* know nothing about the long-term By Stuart Diamond Newsday Emtronment Wrtler Seals m Scotland, tunn* life in the Paalic Ocean, effects. We haven't men my because we bnven't chicken* and birds in many eountria and micro looked: organism at the bottom of the food chain hava But animal studies have been so convincing ' In tlx mows or Antaretici, in coastal fiah atn ahown vsnout debilitating effects from PCB* it that many acientisti believe it is just a matter of daily by millions, and in the heart milk of mining the environment, induding reproductive failure, time until human ailments ire documented. In a mothera, the toxic pollutant PCB ia tbowing up in deformity, licknen and death. study completed this year, PCBs were found for the mereaaing concentration* "It ii a ubimntous contaminant, at bad ti DDT first time in the embryonic fluid surrounding de A PCB lpolychlorinated biphenyl) waa Tint pro ever wat," said Joseph Highland, a biochemist for veloping human fetuses, in concentrations several duced in 1929 at an electrical inauliting fluid, but the Environmental Defense Fund, which first prod times over die allowable safe limit* "Wherever you the harmful properties of the pup did not became ded the federal government four yean ago to take look you are going to find it," said Thomas Kopp of widely known until the mtd-l980s, after million* of action to antral the material. "It* importance ha* the cPA's office of tone auheUnces "It's there It pounds wet* produoed, read in a variety of every not ban recognued aor publicised." Eliiabetb shouldn't he It isn't md' day products like paint and refrigerator* ahd dis Campbell, chemist for the Food and Drug Adminis The Environmental Protection Agency u suffi charged into the environment tration who wrote new itandanls to limit oomump- ciently convinced hy the studiesto aiy in its dispos Now, baaed on research showing thet large tion of the material ihaiply, agreed. "PCB* may b* al guidelines for the chemical that the evidence al doaea of the clear, oily fluid cauae akin lesions In the chemical sure of the TOa" ready it hind denumtntea "eoncluaively" that humana and produce earner, genetic damage, and While virtually ill etperts agree that PCBi PCB* are tern to humana and to wide range of death in teat animal* the US Environmental Pro e a sgnificant environmental threat, the imue fiah and wildlife. rtection Agency this year banned the products of complicated by the fact that few advene health "Our methodology {with human studies] is very the material, effective 1979, and the Feed snd efTecta hm been noted wrtth humuis. The only ms- end*," said Dr Blur Smith, * researcher lor the Drag Adnnniatratioh ham proposed strict limita jm* inaUnce of humsa sk^qisss ftom PCBs occurred Nittanal lnatituti if Occupational Safety and tion on the allowable level* in Bah, the principal nine years ago in Japan, titer an accidental con Health who has examined worker* for PCB concen pathway to humana tainination of rice oil with the chemical That con tration. "But the ankul atudm give very gnat 1 But it may be too late More persistent than the tamination, which affected 1,200 people, caused a came for coneem." pertienle DOT, their chemical cousin, PCB* bive number of serious lllneam and, tome suspect, The largest potential txpeaare* to PCB* are in invaded the flesh of living creature* throughout death* The PCB dotes, however, were in eneen- the fish-eating population "For the occuionol con- the world They virtually surround the daily rou trttmn up to t.OOO Limes the levels found in con Miner of fiah, PCBi pm no fecial threat," said tine They have been found in the nr, in soil and in taminated fiah Moreover, occupational enoaurea Dr David Axelrod, PCB repeat for the New York nvar sediment* throughout the country Aa a pre in the lost live decades have produced chemical State Department of Health A C Kolbye, one of servative snd plasticizer, they have been a compo concentratnna of PCBe in human* dozens of limes the FDA's chief scientists, said, 'There is no reason nent in marine pamta, highway stripes, copy paper, higher than in (he contaminated fish, but few ad for Pamcjville" But he ilaunchly supported the groin silo* and ink More than 90 per cent of the verse effects have been noted Bpeople m this country have it in their times, ac "What does thu mean7 It doesn't necessarily used sharp reductions in the consumption of -contaminated fish cording to FPA studies And 5 per cent of the popu mean that PCBs have no long term effects," said The Environmental Wens* Fund disagree* lation hat PCB levels that exceed the proposed Frank Cordle, i PCB expert and epidemiologist for "We think PCB* are a very serious problem, not MQNS 206828 - \ V1 .' -A Scientists Wait and Worry --* only far thaac cnnaemlng fU, Highland Hid, 'W Tor any potential rnotbar in thl*country" He nM that rteenl experiment* haw (bund PCBe ta lha breaat milk of woman throughout th* country. Srudiee have aboan that lha chemical ta trano ferred from mother to fotua Ihraugh the placenta H ta unclear bow long ft tefcaa for tha chanqloal to break down ta a harruloH Compound. hut adututa aar it ia at laaat many dacMoa. DDT, an tha other haul, haa ahown aulwUntiai decree*#* m a aborter amount of time Many adantlata feol that PCBa, in tha lottf run, arill ba cm non toxic thaa DUT lha moat publieload ebamteaJ paliutant. The principal fiah contaminated with PCYka aw U>e Baal Coaat la etripad boa*, which [a popular both for eating erui aport Baking U bad prevwuoly been thought that only about 19 por etot of tho bate apowniu ground*. thoaa ta the lludaoa Jticar, wen contaminated But recant atudiaa ahow than the Cheaapeaka Bay ana, tha largaat haaa aeaammy gnnmI, haa yielded atrfpor egg* with PCB oaw- Rnintioni above the aafa untta About I 4 billion pounda of polycblannaiad bi phenyl* hava baen produced ia Uue eounmr in five dreade* Four par cent of the total haa bean dotroyeg, i l per cent a boa In the environment, and ] 9 per cent ia tinder varying dugniH af otmtral to landfilla The mat la In bilJwma of rtenu not yd diacanted The BPA la aludytng regulation* Id atop Iho diacnrdmg af more of the malarial hut ecuowlodgea that that will be difficult. Meanwhile, the PDA'a propooed atandarda would rediww hy mere than half the PCB level* ah lowed in edible fiah Itoeetd kcata by the New York Slate Department of Environmental Coneervatm ktnw that ham and blueflah caught near font In land have average (cncectreUon* la oaaaaa *r Ha nnapaoad nw limit. Should (ho new limbi oa aw* forced, both eommercial and aport flahfng for thaw periei would be decimated, obeerveTe aay Beyond that both federal and atalo taata hava ahown high PCB concentration* In a variety af aped#* aaton throughout the country, including tuna, aalmifc, trout eel. pike, perch, chad and weabnA Polycfalonnetad Hphecryk, drat wywtheaiaad la 1W1 belong to a dam af ehemteala caliad chlorin ated hydrocarbon*. which indude moot Of tha com- rnon peatirfdea and aelventa. Many af tha aub- atancet auch aa DDT. Minx, dtddrtn, aldeio and trichloroethylene, have bam bemad altar eauuai cancer in taat animal* Another auch euhkaiwa, vi nyl rhlende, haa eauaad cenow In humane. The hydrocarbon part af the chemical la a mole cule compoaed of hydrogen and carbon, the building black of petroleum, eaoetlo* wad ether feet*. Taw altarhad "nnga" af a/drecertwn* are called a kh Hm hyth-ecaraew# an artremely flaama I volantlata hand that by eafaatiUMB dtp amen and Mi lantMrt. havi boon fauna m i denpaiaua*! lagi mncwnuolorw o< PCBa. nne itoiwa far hydrogeoa la lha MphwiyT lhay enuid create a aubaUnaa that WW* fit TM**"?*^ Such moloculoa with man then owe (Marine atom ere coiled polychlorinated htphenyle, or PCBa In i 929 Monaanta Cbeanhal Cb, of 04 Loula be gan pioducinf PCBa eatamaietally, for uaa aa a flame retoniant and alatdrieal Ineulotor In tranaformer* capacitor* and aimllar equipment h re placed mineral oil*. which bad raatutad in many firr* So perfect were PCBa that within a few yeara tliry became the fluid of choice In the eleetnsai Induatry In addition to preventing Area, they were H I* bir a* to be i Mutant to alrong aoda and boooo and biological degradation doth** wadbeia an* diyetn. dlahwaaher* and for- naaa bkewera PCBa became common. In capacitor*. or Tmoatara." they held an extra electric charge to boia eUrt fhuraacant lighta ' 'll] term* of poifonnanoe, It waa the beat mate rial--ea perfect m an induatrial Chemical ran be.* aeM William Papagaorge, a chemical engineor and PCS expert for Menaanie,-the aole U-B praducar It dnaant hint it doceo't break down, it docau't react with atbor mabartala ,1a virtually every aaan the mibetUutH that hava bean devolopad have had to wulAw eaHt (horacteruUm that PCBa aoefrt Soon numerww other uaaa were found The rhemirnie are able to ahaorb and hold large amounU of hoal, *o they wort uaed In healing ooua la tha Brat three decade* of their production, PCBa eecaatenaUy cauaed leeiona. called "cfakar- to heal pmducta in fartorlea, where aa open flame world ii*re cauaed a huoid PCDe extended the aene,* among worker* When worker* wan* traaaferret to nnneontaminatad area* tha iaaioo* Ilf* of caulking compound! around tha window! af ek varraperi Since PCBa would not read with ink, Cleared up Than wen ante report* ofdeath after repoouna to PCBa, but no aopbiatioatod atudm* they prevented ameer* on carbontarn copy paper wen done and the atpoaurea often were in oombi- Thev became a luhncating and cooling oil for m- naben with other toxic chemical!. *o it wh irnpew duttrial driiia In the electric moftora of refripere-/ tible to aorl thent out. ten, iir-oonditioiwra, typewriter^ power **waf Meoowbjla, 1-000 pounda of.thc matenaf wan dtachaeged into the aquatic envlronmeni each vaer by indueteiea In addition, appliances that wenr die- carded Inked PCBa into the groundwater tncinar Mora burning PCB laden paper tpewad the chemi cal (ate the air Recycled. the paper wound up |1 oareal baaea. whore the chemical found ita aay into th* feed. "PCBa were act identified aa a contaminant un til tha mMltKb, whta the technology waa devel apad enough la maaeure It in the environment" "Sncals eenipolione) ufety and health rant indication that aomrthing i la 1966, when Bwdidi acienLiato -------------- In Bah, bird feathet* and human hair Twt yaaea h*ar. tha aeodantol factory Ink of PCBa rata aaahlajg ail mckenad 1 IfOv conaiimeie ,n Taaha, Japan. Twey ouffered fram awollen Joint*, aaeaia akin lealeni and ether diaorden In 1969, another aecidantal leak, from o fartnry aaar Panaaoala. Pla, oonlammated mar,nr otganlama In Kaambia Bay Btudm thawed that at oon flentratiooj af lem than one part per billion in the water, th* chemical killed hair af the eirnwd ahftmp within 16 day* A/tar three month* in clean wetdr, the chemical pemetad in fiah. although reducad by more than half DDT cnnlaminaurm nn lha other hand, haa been ahown to be completely eUmmatad m lem than a month In JPn, the FDA eet five pert* par million m the Hfe limit permitted in edible neh The new PDA atondank, which Bounce* aay will be marled thla year, wauM Kt the level at two part* per milban Th* Hchenmg cencentrationa th*t were mnaumad at Yu*h* in the emdenul cnnUmmetum were 2.000 pail* par million but that *h a onetin* arpoaure, not o eonlinuing one In 1971. Monaanto voluntantv afopfird produr Ing PCBa fbt^apfcf^TJjplicjtton* auch ** point* and hmilod th* chem*c*r* un to waled cnnioinera Of th* landing PCS icemg plant* that hava unUai naiad (ho aquatic environment with their due thargaa, Bee are rn the Northeaat Two a re owned by Oeneral Bhctrlr Co In Fort Edward and Hudeon Palla, N Y DtadtargH from thaw plant* were ne- HonalUe for a baa impoaed laat year on all ammarclal firfung of moal apaciea in much of thr Hud oa Itlibr, atabi affiaata aaid Th* bao i* to rentina* lodaflnttaly PCB onwntretinna af 1,000 part* bar arftlieo hava been found in thr aadunent* near Albany and up m 176 parte per million in the fiah The cmwenuuUoaw in the ardimmt* are alnuwt beyond betiaf." Hid Edward Horn. *1*17 member of a atate committee that ia trying to figure out a way fe nwoove the pofiution. Of the othar three ptanta, ent ia a tranafurmarmanufaeturing facility owned by General Gtecvnc a the HeoMleMc Bivwr ta PittafirM Maw Tha athar awe maka riaai ware The teemlt effect* alrandy have been fall by the Hudaon River ere* Bute affinal* project a low af $400,000 annually tn commercial fiahin* eng loeaaea af n much aa It million per year in apimfla "from recreational fiehlng which ha* boon hannd Or l eell liked on th* Hudaon tn (hr Albany area and In vanaua unetoto nvare and lake* including lake Ontario. On Long Inland, the now foderel atandnnla would cool the IUiiim mduatry up to fi S million each war, the atale aatimalae Ana arrow th# cout try, tha Iowa faeed by the fiahmg and food proceaw lag mduatnaa would total $49 million annually acoafdiog to Toad and Drug Adm matradon eet,-naIce Random* af aaaurn Long laland. with it* noIlonaIIy known Tithing arena are unhappy with th* PCB conirevarey and the threat that the n#> won dank pow to local oommero* "Nobodj want* to put potaanoua Aki uita the eanauacr aiream but w* queatioo whethor then ia a threal to health " Hid Ifarehall Heifand, pnwidenl of the Miintauk Cham bar of Oomiuerea "i don I think there haa been enough tenting, On* way or the other An induetry ahnufil not he aeveraiy crippled without eufficient teat* 1* determine the health effect* ' NEXT: The Fiah That Carry 11 HONS 206 829