Document ONjjY1yMOZ5ZKRr6YndyQndp

/* $e Pensacola News Wednesday, February 18,1970 Reports on PCS - f: . \ Researcher HereJ. By MIKE ALBERTSON :. . > Ntwt *UH Wrilr * Bureau of Commercial Fisheries researchers at Gulf Breeze ' have submitted a report to the Federal Water Pollution Control Administration on a potentially dangerous compound called polly- chlorinated biphenyls (PCB), found in Escambia Bay. ' - Dr. Thomas Duke, director of the laboratory, specializing in l pesticide research, refuted inferences by state officials last .week that PCB may be worse than hard pesticides. ' In his report, submitted last week to become part of the record of the Escambia -Bay . Conference on Interstate Pollu ' tion held here by the Federal Water Pollution Control Admin istration in January, Dr. Duke reported PCB was first detected . in Escambia Bay in April 1363. ' Called Aroclor 1254, the com - pound is-principally manufac- ] Bill Woods, fisheries chief for I the Game and Fresh Water Fish I Commission, said high levels of ! PCB was found in fish samples taken in some of last year's Es cambia Bay fish kills. : tured by a division of Monsanto Jay Carver, chemist for the ::Co., state officials revealed this Florida Department of Air and 4 week, . Water Pollution Control said, "I : In Escambia Bay, according think the way it's going, a lot of (to Dr. Duke, . "We traced one the blame that DDT is getting is ; source ... to the outiall of going to show up to belong to `Monsanto Chemical Co.'.' . . af- the PCB's," Carver said. ter analyzing 30 water samples A report of the hearing im . from Escambia River and Bay plied that the "real culprit'' is * . PCB rather than hard pesti v . According to Dr. Duke, local cides, but Dr. Duke emphat 4 Monsanto officials were notified ically refuted the idea. ' ""of the presence of the chemical "We have found that it took 1' in the discharge. Aroclor 1254 five parts per billion of Aroclor . j.;had been used in heat exchange 1254 20 days to kill test shrimp," y ^ Dr. Duke said. "It took the ! process at 'the plant here, ac same level of DDT only 24 hours ` ; cording to reports. 1 Much like the chlorinated -hydrocarbon pesticides, PCB is1 .a persistent compound that does not readily break down and is known to be toxic to marine life., ! to kill the shrimp. ' "We did not find that PCB killed test fish at five parts per. . billion, but the same concentra tion of DDT killed half of the; test population in less than 24 hours." In his report to the FWPCA,. Dr. Duke and his staff first Dr.. Duke gave exposure and ran into PCB while examining concentration levels demonstra bay life for pesticides. Samples ted to be fatal to shrimp and of fish were provided by Dr. blue crabs. Tom Hopkins of the University Dr. Duke said present of West Florida, Lt. Lewis analyses indicate the release of: Zangas of the Marine Patrol and PCB has been halted, but the Biologist Joe Blanchard of the substance continues to leach out Game and Fresh Water Fish of the bottom sediments of Es Commission. cambia Bay. "This was an example of State officials last week told a government and industry work Florida House subcommittee on ing together to solve a probhard pesticides that DDT may lem," Dr. Duke said. "Once no-. not be as bad as PCB and that 1 tified of the leakage, Monsanto it may be getting the blame for stopped the release of PCB's al ecological damage unjustly. _ i most immediately." oSlN 5150 STLCOPCB4090567