Document Rp3GdDa595Eo8npoyXOv8kz5k

bcc; D, Wood - BRUSSELS G, R, Buchanan Dr. R. Emmet Kelly - RKELL G. R. Graham - NEW YORK D. S. Cameron - BRUSSELS R. A. Steenrod - RSTEE DoeombBr &7a 1966 r Mr. Bruce Bradbeer, Plant Manages1 General Electric Company,, Capacitor Department John Street . .. Hud a on Falla, New York V-- V Dear Bruce! . WtVr . U'--. Enclosed is information from our people in Europe about the recent Swedish publication. Pleas note that the newspaper article refers to Polychlorinated Bi-Phenols. The article does not mention polychlorinated biphenyls which in the chemical nam for your Pyranol 1499 and our Aroclor 1242. i, i t. ' ,!> Unfortunately, it appears that ineptnasa by some readero, regards chemical nomenclature has resulted in assuming that the Swedish publication involve A our dielectric fluids, However, 1 repeat that the materials of interest to ua are polychlorinated biphenyls and thus are not blphenols ao discussed in the article. i* Wo aro calling this to the attention of our associates in Sweden .. and England relative to actions thy may wish to take to further ^ clarify this matter. c-L.: k;vv A' ,, ' .oh v ; \.> . Very truly yours. /cd ' ' ` ' . ; . Enclosureo .' ecl Mr, Robert Abbe General Electric Company John Street '.. Hudson ITallc;, Now York P Q. Bo algous .. 1 ' ' 1 '. .. *. . ; - -v . . \" ; :v:. . '` . DSW 555849 DEFEXP0023219 HARTOLDMONOOOQ794 There has been some publicity in Sweden concerning investigations made at the Institution of Analytical Chemistry at the Stockholm University. These have revealed that a group of products called Polychlorinated Bi-Phenols - PCB for short - accumulated in certain organs of animals. They are said to be related to DDT and equally poisonous. The findings were discussed at a meeting of scientists at the "W'enner-Gren Centre in Stockholm on November 22, Below please find a translation of an article in the Swedish daily paper "Dagens Nyheter";- ._ "It is found in salmon and in pike. It is found in sea eagle living on fish. . It is found on the surface of the needles of the fir trees, that is in the air. It is found in the hair of a five months baby. .. ' ` . The scientists working with biocides have for a long time seen this something as unknown "peeks", on their gas chromatographs and at a meeting at the Wanner-Gren \ Center, Research Assistant Soren Jensen of the Institution for Analytical Chemistry at the Stockholm University could reveal the identity of these peeks. It has been found that they consist of a group of poisons, Polychlorinated Biphenols {for short PCB) which are closely related to, and equally poisonous as, DDT. PCB is broken down considerably slower than DDT and gives rise to damage of liver and skin, PCB is not used ' as a herbicide. It is not manufactured in Sweden but is supposed to be used by the industry to quite some extent. No special industry can so far be accused of being the source of contamination. Research Asst. S. Jensen has tested 200 fishes and a number of birds. He has taken several samples of air and has reached the conclusion that PCB is equally common in Nature as chlorinated hydrocarbons of the type of DDT, DDE, and Lindane. Even fish in Laddjojaure in Lapland contain PCB. Mr. Jensen has also found that PCB does not appear in animals living on a.vegetarian diet, such as the elk. ' In the course of his work, Mr. Jensen has not found anything indicating that the source of contamination comes from agricultural additives. It is, however, obvious already now that PCB is most frequently found in organisms living in water or feeding from water animals, In all . DSW 555B50 DEFEXP0023220 HARTOLDMONOOOQ795 examined pikes PCB was found. In a sea eagle found ' dead outside Stockholm it was found that the liver contained 30 mg of mercury per kilo, 76 mg DDT and considerably more PCB. The exact figure has not. yet been determined. PCB is found in water and in air, and not only in the Swedish air, but also in e.g, London air. Mr. Jensen has not yet been in London for sampling but could identify the poison by studying a gas chromatogram of air published in a British technical journal. . Mr. Jensen has also examined the hair of his family and himself and has found PCB on all samples. Most PCB was found in the hair of his wife but most sensational was that the girl aged 5 months had more PCB in her hair than her brothers and sisters of 3 and 6 years. Probably the girl had got the poison via the mother's milk. In the State Museum Mr. Jensen has examined the whole collection of sea eagles dating back to 1880. By testing it could be established that PGB was present only in 'birds from 1944 and thereafter while birds collected before 1944 were quite free from PCB. . The use of PCB in Sweden is not established in detail. According to American sources these types of products are used in the manufacture of a variety of heat-resistant materials. They are used for electrical insulation, for fire-proof heat transport in hydraulic oils, in lubricating oils used at high temperature and pressure, in paints and as pigments in various plastics. PCB is not imported only as such. It is also part of several finished products. Nothing is known as to the way in which it reaches the water and the air. According to Mr. Jensen, products containing PCB should have,this openly declared. \ PCB is equally harmful whether absorbed via the skin, through the food, or by inhalation. In contact with the skin it can cause-oedema. For DDT the highest per missible concentration intthe air has been set at 0. 5 - ' 1 mg/cu. metre. For PCB it has been mentioned to be ' 0. 5 mg/cu, metre. Mr. Jensen will now try to get more - complete analytical material. He hopes eventually to be able to disclose the source of the contamination and will also increase his cooperation with toxofcologists and gene- ologists." . Another daily paper, Svenska Dagbladet, has a similar article. Here it is mentioned that Mr. JenBen, working under Laborator (Froffessty?) . . DSW 555851 DEFEXP0023221 HARTOLDMONOOOQ796 Gunnar Widmark, has disclosed facts which will have far-reaching importance since the findings have proved a new source of pollution of the nature. . One of the participants at the meeting wa6 Dr. A. V. Holden of Scotland, scientific contact man between the twelve O.E. C, D, countries, who has established coordinated analysis-of chemicals used and found in nature. ' -\ T DSW 555852 DEFEXP0023222 HARTOLDMONOOOQ797