Document NeaYmq7375mep8p77rDEQrJbR

K. Warren Easley March 24, 1972 PCB Task Force Report Washington, D. C. W, B. Papageorge E. V. John W. R. Corey I saw Ed Burger today and was surprised to be handed a draft of the report for wy perusal. He expects it to issue in about a week and promises to alert us prior to its release. Announcement will be made jointly by the regulatory agencies coneerned--EPA, FDA and USDA. A news conference is possible but not yet determined. (We have known that Sarofim and others are preparing a report. Burger says this report is separate from the Task Force report. It will be Issued in a few months by NIEHS and will deal with production and environmental impact, _pjnT' with utility of PCBs.) /Jt-f Here's what I noted and rameber from the draft Task Force report: ^ Introduction --Task Force will continue to assess new information as it becomes available. (Presumably the Task Force will survive.) --Strong defense of electrical uses. Fire resistance important. PCBs in electrical applications are controllable. --PCBs are wide")^ spread in the environment. --Monsanto reported to have reduced volume of production and distribution, limiting to electrical applications. --NCR paper use stopped. Conclusions and Recommendations 1. Use should be restricted to essential or nonreplaceable situations where human exposure is minimized. No data to indicate PCB now in the environment la a threat to human health but more experiments needed on low-level long-term effects. 2. PCB is ubiquitous in the environment. Total stoppage of use would not eliminate PCB from environment for years. Self-restrictions and care in use would lead to gradual elimination from the environment. HONS 099696 -2- 3. Thar* is seas PCI In fish as a rasult of anvlrenaantsl contamination. Prohibition of discharges will raduea fish contaalnatlon. Packaging natarlals faro laddtao food contaalnatlon but this problem will b* handled satisfactorily under PDA proposals and doesn't eonstltue* an iamlnent hatard anyway. Accidents have led to contaalnatlon but regulations Bill alnlals* these In future. 4. There are gaps In federal authority. No way to control aanufacture at source, restrict use or distribution, control lnports or collect lnforaatlon. Toxic Substances Control Act Is needed. a 5. Housekeeping is iaportant. EPA will propose that new discharges Into water be allowed. Exact wording Is "prohibition on all knowing discharges In liquid affluents". Naeer quality standard should be less than 0.07 ppb or with safety factor 0.01. Bnforceaent action will be taken against dischargers of PCI. 6. PCI should not be banned entirely. Electrical applications are worthwhile. Monsanto has been reported to be Halting sales to transforaer and capacitor aanufaeturars. 7. Capacitors are ditaepossd of In landfills. PCIs stay In place in tha ground. Discharge Into waters will be stopped. If aaterial is incinerated It should be don* only In high temperature systeas. S. PCB inports cannot be controlled without Toxic Substances Control Act. Task Fore* hopes for International agreeaents. Iaports for non>*l*ctrleal uses should be avoided. 9. More research is needed. History Production figures are cited. Section Is length? but Innocuous. Properties Straightforward discuesloa. loneflts. Utility and Essentiality Plr* resistance is praised. No real alternatives exist. Detailed dlseussion regarding alectrleal applications. Much j tin* and aoney spquired to ro-ongineor, aanufacture, etc. ,7 Iteas without PCB. "Lack of PCI would eaus* a aajor and jj ' lengthy disruption la nation's olectlrcal system". Dlaeuaoed ` with eoaaont that "other astlafaetory boat transfer fluids are eoaaerelally available and la use" without eoaaont that thoy burn. . <. ' MOWS 099697 -s- Plastlclser substitutes art available. PCB In tha Bnvlronaent PCS inters etnosphere a* a result of burning at lata than 2000*, via vaporisation froa palnta, ate. (Bstlaate 20% of PCB In paints, ate. any vaporlia.) Bntars watar via sewers, spills, pesticide usa (now prohibited), sludga dunptgg. Bntars foods by algratlon froa packaging. Host PCB in anvlronaant rasults froa lndustriailaaddaunielpal dlsehargss. Ganrally anvlronaantal lnforaation on PCBs la sparse. Sarofla astiaatas lots to anvlronaant last 40 years equals SO,000 tons to ataosphara, 60,000 tons to watar, 300,000 tons to duaps. PCB Is wide-spread In fish, taiga 1-10 ppa. Low background in othar aniaal foods. Reference to accidents in food plants, to silos. Most accident-eontaalnated foods kept off aarkat. Pood packaging PCB Is decreasing and controllable, therefore, can be ainlalted. Two tlaos a noraal diet last year equalled less than 0.0001 ag/kg/day. This year equals that aaount. For reference, DDT intake equals 0.0007. Noted that PCB can be reduced or elialnated. Air contains a few alerograas per cubic neter. Water leas than Mpb. Sedlaants near outfalls, several hundred ppa. Are Hundreds of ppa in soae higher fish and birds. (One-eighth of an Inch equals 1 trilllonth of distance to soon. One ppa equals five steps on walk to Washington to San Francisco.) One-third of people have 1 ppa or aore PCB In then. Water standard, to protect fish, should be less than 0.07 ppb or with safety factor leas than 0.01. Biological Effect on Man Mentions Yusho and eating of contaalnated fish. Soae PCB In huaan fat. At levels found, PVB doesn't appear to present an laalnent hasard. Monsanto's Halted data Indleetee no cancer threat. Birth defect and autaganle picture 111 diflded. Reeoaaends toxicity studies on pane lsoaors of PCB and on purified iapurltlet. Reeoaaends "definitive aaaaallan elaboration of kinetics, absorption, distribution, aetabolisa and exeretion". Reeoaaends subcellular and Intracellular action bJC studied. Reeoaaends eppilealologyiSitA studies. Biological Effects on Anlaala 1 PCB lethal to fish at about 1 ppb. Must be viewed as potential i problaa at present envlronaental levels. MONS 09969b -4Appendices are aa follow*i --"Chealcal and Physical Properties" by Krayhlll. --"Us* and Raplaeaabi lltjr" by Broadhurst of NBS. --"Electrical Application*" by NIPCC. --"Bnvironaent" by Buckley. --"Pood" by Spaullng and Wessel of PDA. (Spaak* of effect of Bast Coaat terainal, laying 1,200 ton* of contaalnated feed were distributed, 2,000 recalled.) --"Biological Effects on Huaans" by Fishbein of NIEHS. --"Biological Bffeets on Anlaals" by 8tlekel of Patuxent. --"Regulatory Action" by Davies ofCEQ. (Says voluntary actions by Monsanto aT* not backed by fore* of law. If governaent disagreed with Monsanto on approved use*, governaent could not lapos* stricter Halts.) K. Warren Easley MQNS 099699