Document VJ4DeQBmaZE1aN1gwwqZVjgop

S0f4 Iff* ADO HK/U.TH mmm.'t ioa,m NOV 1979 [bacoiS) pars e live in a society that is much Wmore pollution-conscious than previous fenerations have been. As a result, many people have raised questions about what effects pollu tants have on the human body. Among the pollutants that have caused concern are polychlorinated NphenyK (PCB's). by Caroline Haglund PCB's have been used in a wide range of products, including electri cal transformers, capacitors, car bonless copy paper, and fluorescent lights. They have also been used in paint, varnish, plastics, food wrap pings. adhesives, microwave ovens, television sets, air conditioners, ceiling caulk, ftre-resistant fabrics, tal spills. Although copy paper electric wire insulation, hydraulic containing PCB's is no longer made, fluids and lubricants, wood pre it turns up in paper used for recy servatives. and other items. cling at paper mills, and the PCB's Polychlorinated biphenyls have are discharged in the effluent. been contaminating our soil, water, Only in the past ten years have we and air since 1930. but their greatest begun to realize the danger nf contamination comes from the air. polychlorinated biphenyls in our When products containing these lakes, streams, and rivers--particu chemicals are disposed of in larly in the Hudson and Mississippi junkyards, landfills, or incinerators, rivers and in the Great Lakes. PCB's become airborne as dry par Among foods containing residues of ticles or vapors and settle on water PCB's. fish have the highest amount and land, thus entering the food (with residues also found in milk, chain. Scientists also believe that poultry, eggs, and beef). High con PCB's can be assimilated directly centrations were found in the fat of from the air. pasting through the large salmon and lake trout from lungs and into the bloodstream. Lake Michigan. In April. 1978, the PCB's enter waterways and run State Department of Natural Re offs from landfills, sewage, dis sources discovered uncommonly charges from industry, and acciden- large amounts (10.000 parts per mil Cwiitinc Haglund is a free-lance writer who lives in Green Bay. Wisconsin. She and her husband. Bob, have five chil dren. ranginii in age from 11 to 2.9. lion) in Wisconsin's Sheboygan. Onion, and Mullet rivers--the result of leakage of industrial wastes from a dump site. The heat-resistant and long-lasting qualities that make PCB's particu larly suited to industry also ensure that they will remain in the environ ment for a long time. They do not break down except at extremely high temperatures (higher than l.000*C.). A bacterium has been discovered that will slowly decompose the chemicals, but it is most useful with fresh emissions at disposal plants. Small amounts of polychlorin ated biphenyls pose no threat to adults, but deposits stored in women's tissues may subtly affect unborn children and nursing infants, and may also lower disease resist ance. Research with monkeys at the University of Wisconsin indicates that this low exposure causes hy peractivity and learning problems. At the University of Wisconsin's Biotron and Regional Primate Re search Center in Madison. Dr. James R. Allen and Dr. Robert E. Bowman lead research to determine effects of low-level exposure to PCB's. Rhesus monkeys are used because they metabolize PCB's much the same as do humans. Dr. Bowman is conducting a study in which the mothers are given only .3 to I part per million (ppm) of PCB's three times a week in feed-- approximately the amount a person might receive if he eats Lake Michi gan trout or salmon once a week. Tests show that although adults are not significantly affected, infants are hyperactive and have learning difflcullies. PCB's are more toxic than they Moau c "UW5 008703 ___LIFFfi*HFALIH JOYCE MCCLINTOCK. UA Acuno Editor LEO VAN DOLSON Ph 0 MPH SOdCial Edwon* Editor ROLANO HEQSTAO WALTER E MACPMERSON MO j R SPANGLER CooiriOuimg Editors BYRON STEELE Art OtfOCIQr HOWARD BULLARD OMtQnor ELLA M RYDZEWSKI EdMonti SACiwary RlCHARO KAISER Bra** Editor EDMUND M PETERSON Circulation Manogor ROBERT SMITH AMociata Circulation Managar MARTIN RUSS Marhating/Advariiaino SAMUEL L OESHAY MD J WAYNE MCfARLANO. MO CARROL S SMALL. M 0 ALBERT S WHITING. MO MOOteai Conauttanta ELMER KELLN. OOS oantat Haaim Conaultani ALICE G MARSH. SeO . RO SO* OMtawc Aaaociation NwtHtion Conawttant MARY ALICE WHITE. R 0 fdOO Conaultani 9W> Ymt of Publication Voluma 94. No. M. MBVEMfair, 19T9 4 PCff*e--the hidden parti Caroline Haglund Information on a pollutant that we should Da con* earned about. 7 On# short-term health sduoedon prepram that works! Robert Stotz, M.P.H., with Melinda Howes 10 Hypertension--the tricky ailment Blaine Fein 10 Dreeat-feedlng--boon to baby and mother Caroline Andrews Hetwick 16 Looking at tahota Mary Alica White, R.D. Reading labels of ingredients on food cans and packages can be vary enlightening 20 Root-canal therapy William Cart. O O S. When the pulp in a tooth dies, does that mean the tooth must be pulled? 22 Our lonely children Ruth Jaeger Buntain Whan a chlkj is cur off--physically or emetionarty-- from his parents, ha suffers inestimable loneliness 20 Our Thankagtotng Day Lucille J. Goodyear One woman's perseverance was largely responsible for the establishment of a national day of thanksgiv ing in the United States. 20 GMttng Junkies off Junk foods Patricia Homing A psychiatrist feels strongly that regulating their diet can help drug addicts who are trying to overcome their drug addiction. HOMS 008704 LIFE HCALfH-MOVCMMA I9r* 3 were first thought to be. The Federal standard for levels of this pollutant until recently has been 5 parts of PCB's per million parts of fish and poultry and 2.5 ppm for milk and dairy products. "The present data, both behavioral and pathological, indicate severe toxicity with a con tinuous diet at 2.5 ppm of PCB's," says Or. Bowman. After receiving this amount daily in their food, adult monkeys develop chloracne (similar to a bad case of acne) plus hair and weight loss. There is a high rate of abortions and stillbirths. Infants are smaller, and some are born with un developed thymus glands. Of eight adult female monkeys in the 2.5-ppm group, eight conceived, five infants were carried to term, and three sur vived past weaning at four months. Only one live birth occurred in the 5-ppm group. The Food and Drug Administra tion recently reduced permissible levels of PCB's permitted in fish, milk and daity products, poultry, and eggs sold across State lines, ef fective August 28, 1979. Levels for fish were lowered from 5 ppm to 2 ppm; for milk and dairy products, from 2.5 ppm to 1.5; for poultry, from 5 ppm to 3 ppm; and for eggs, from .5 ppm to .3 ppm. The FDA asked the governors of eleven States (Connecticut. Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan. Minnesota, Nw Jersey, New York. MONS 008705 Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin) to warn consumers, particularly pregnant and nursing women, to stop eating fish such as coho and Chinook salmon from the Great Lakes, and freshwater trout and catfish. PCB's found hi mothers' nHt el monkeys Because PCB's accumulate in fat. they build up in mothers' mHk. In fant monkeys that nursed, at first gained constantly for two months, then lost weight and showed signs of PCB poisoning. At four months the remaining three infants were placed on a synthetic-milk supplement. By eight months of age their eyelashes UPE A HCALTM-NOVtMeCR l79 5 were thicker, swelling of the eyelids declined, and facial acne disap peared. These monkeys are more than two years old now, but remain, hyperactive. Younger siblings also exhibit definite toxic signs, even though the mothers were off the PCB diet for one year before breed ing again and appear healthy. Although the number in these studies is relatively small. Dr. Allen feels it is adequate because of strict environmental conditions main tained at the Biotron. Many other monkeys have been used in experi ments with varying PCB dosages. In all cases (excepting .5 to 1 ppm), similar signs and symptoms devel oped. A total of 50 tow-level PCB monkeys will be tested by the end of the current three-year project. Common reactions of monkeys to PCB's ere loss of eyelashes, dry, crusty skin, and excessive skin col oration. Short exposure at 2.5 and 5 ppm produces skin changes. Adult female monkeys are affected more than males because the females have a higher percentage of fat in which PCB's can collect. Menstrual cycles arc altered, with irregularity and ab normal and prolonged bleeding oc curring. Metabolic studies on experimental animals show that PCB's may pro duce cancerous changes and pro mote existing tumors. Monkeys ab sorb more than 90 percent of an oral PCB dosage, with the chemicals concentrating in the skin, adrenal glands, ovaries, liver, and brain. They cause severe stomach ulcers and cell abnormalities. Symptoms of nausea and loss of appetite in humans accidentally exposed to large amounts of PCB's suggest similar effects. Any cancerous com plications may not be apparent for 20 to 30 years after exposure. The impact of PCB's on human health was magnified in I960 on the Island of Kyushu. More than 1.000 Japanese used rice oil contaminated with PCB's. Symptoms of poisoning ranged from nausea and abdominal pains to memory loss, bone and joint deformities, chronic bronchitis, asthma, and pneumonia. Abortions, stillbirths, and small infants oc- 6 (.#* * HCM.TM--NOVCMMR taT# curred. Nine of thirteen infants were born with dark-brown skin. Industry has long recognized the dangers of polychlorinated bi phenyls to workers. Inhalation causes lung irritation and severe headaches, plus chloracne. PCB's were known to be toxic to the liver as early as 1937. For the past seven years. Monsanto Industrial Chemi- cai Company, sole United States producer of PCB's, has limited pro duction of these chemicals. A 1976 Federal law prevents manufacture as of January 1, 1979. Foreign com panies have exported PCB's without restrictions, but distribution and processing in the United States was scheduled to end by July I, 1979. Products previously made with these chemicals are in wide use, however, and manufacturers with products (such as capacitors) in which PCB's are completely enclosed may dis tribute those they have on hand. A 1975 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) survey of nursing women throughout the country found detectable levels of PCB's in breast milk. Levels ranged up to 12 ppm, with an average of 1.8. Milk of mothers living in New York. Michi gan. Wisconsin, Kansas, and Texas contained the highest levels. No in jurious effects have been reported, but a supplementary study is under way to determine whether these breast-fed infants suffer symptoms of PCB toxicity. IIMisfits sf nursing ludwilgh dangers Should women nurse their babies? Should they first have their milk tested? A test for more than a dozen chemicals, including PCB's. is now available at Raltech Scientific Serv ices, Inc., in Madison, Wisconsin, for $60. Refrigerated or frozen sam ples of a mother's milk may be sub mitted in specified containers by her physician or by herself. "Pediatricians feel it is premature to suggest a discontinuation of nurs ing because of the presence of PCB's in milk," says Dr. Allen. "The benefits obtained were felt to outweigh by far the potential delete rious effects." But Dr. Allen em phasizes that pregnant woman and nursing mothers should not cat fish, particularly from the Great Lakes. Most levels of PCB's in fish exceed 5 ppm. As more information is ob tained. this recommendation may he modified. Dr. Bowman believes it is too early to say whether PCB's contrib ute to hyperactivity in children. While some cases may result from exposure to PCB's, many other causes exist. All research to date has been with small amounts of com mercial PCB's. Monkeys have not been tested with PCB residues ia fish or other contaminated foods that may be either more or less toxic rhaa commercial mixtures. A study is un derway using residues from Great Lakes' fish, but there are not yet any monkey offspring from mothers fed this diet. While actual data are incomplete, enough is known lo put a high prior ity on PCB research. The possibility that human infants are receiving ex posure at levels producing symp toms in monkeys makes it all the more urgent that research continue and (hat human exposure to PCB's be minimized. IP BIBUOGKAFHY ABC't a/ KB't. Public mtornmtm (**an. pMm W1S-30-7S-I29. UototMv of WHmm* torn OrmPronaa,naatSot Mpm at Urn VtUmmtfn . A. Xwilli '*TO IPact, mi i Maaaiar> Mpom of PfTi 'i >sa Moafcayi," TtorireUey.fcJJI.Mai i 0. N. Nortack. rkfiHWin l rv loacat Bonaoata ot 1 ___ . _________ STphiuyt EapoaMw." fQfor priimai ejm N *va-.a^al CsaS-a-r-e-oa--a a-s M- yIiwaUarinaii1v*t2)P, pISMnSv.rU v. ml /. a. Aka*. i." Food Cumm. Tookof.. lemie). M data* SipaiUar 22, IMS ------. M. P. Momm. mmO J a AMait "Correlation ot PCI SoUy IwrSaa With *kavioreJ Toxicotoay in MooSayt." PXorem, Moehmm. IvAav . * (]>, IMS Carauaa. L. A.. D. A. Swaotti. onS 1. B. AUaa. i ia tha Iaflat I greiaaui at tbs Syaawbm * 1 Eimraaumal Panama: Aaiau _ --law, as nsaarere. or aia aaaaaat Nossaasa Couaetl of (ha Natiaaal laaUay ot Salaaaai. bat* in Surra. Coaooctktu. laao I-}. IffT lla areas.) macaw. ``MycMoriireue aWunylt a Wa ianaaa maar." ChomltHj, *ot. 4*. No. *<May. IMS), a* MONS 008706