Document R2dQvj8xBxVnB1G3EYx9byxMB

By Viclor Cohn P:i |f: Wh'fi KcdcraJ and private health specialists concluded yesterday that American mother* ran continue to breastfeed their babies despite ihc presence of tram of Indus!Mil chemical ealled KBs in mothers' r*ilk sampled! n If states. But Ihe specialists--meeting at (he National Jnsll ; tules of Health to consider .b* ne- public health j problem--called for Immediate studies to find out whether the rCBs are doing babies any harm. Foinfrog to newly dtscleicd effects in Mini men- , kfcy*. they said the effort :4iould include research to i sec whether even low PCB levels tn a baby's diet 1 might cause later learning disabilities nr hyperactiv ity. . * Both of these effects appeared in monkey* whose mothers' milk contained VCB levels not (or above some found in 79 of 0>e 60 mothers sampled in 11 slates. . Several federal officials also advised pregnant - women, as well at all girls or women who expect to have babies somo day. to avoid eating any sporl fish identified by authorities as PCB carriers. ' The officials addressed this recommendation even to girls because PCBs--polychlorinated biphenyls-- lodge in human, or other animal, fat and once there j ' 1 PCBs first came into wide industrial use In the )930s. Their largest use today Is in electrical muchjnery. Only since the mid-1960s has ft been learned that they have widely contaminated the entire industrial wwW's air. waters and sod. - The Environmental Protection Agency yesterday reported that the chemicals have new been found m amounts ranging from traces up to potentially harmful in 79 out of BO1974 and 1975 nursing moth er's milk aemptce in 11 Mates. EPA added Indian;, to the list though only one Indiana remit! was avail* able--3.2 part* of PCU jkt million in the igiULill' Thc average amount found in milk fat in the II fstates was 1.8 parts. The other WWnbs are Vir ginia, Maryland, Florida. Gcorgin, Michigan. New Jersey. North Carolina, i'ennsyivanjn South Caro lina am) Tennessee. Among those 10 stales the high* eat average level, 2.0 pans, was found in North 80SEC0 SNOW Mronm. EPA officials also reported that PCB levels had been low and falling in food* other than*some fish and nonexistent reeonily in prepared infant, foods. Though no effects have been seen in human be ings, none has been looked for. Dr. David P. Ball Raid, and "Urn Is what we have to do now, and ef fort* have already started.** Rail is director of the National Institute of Environment*) Health Pci- enccs. "PotJ.rhly 51 r*r cent of uj have roe to par*a 1 par million of rt'JBf tn our now." mu) Thimm _ Korr <*f I-1W *"J heyie pom; tn be tn tit. for yam " ' lytvelahke 1.8 are called not much more than a . trae.r. Bill l*r. .tarn*-?. AfU-n f the Cmvcrvity f Mr. emtem toll) of atudbw nn rlifsut. mnnki-v* in wbtih there were untoward eflcriaon bahuv* whose moth- era' mtlk fat contained as little a* 4 tn 6 parts per million otl'clf*. . Although none of the i'Cll avn-.v.-r* hi mollirr-' milk fat in the II Males reached lltnve levcla, ihe ammml tn some individual nmtheiv milk did. j I ; | ' j I 1 I t j! 11