Document Yz75mjd8M1kLbbNON8dpjegK

THE ANN ARBOR NEWS ANN ARBOR, MICH. W 34.100 feupftoMT JUN 1 3 1975 JiQO State May Seek Ban On Lake Contaminant LANSING (AP) - The stata Depart ment of Natural Reaourcea may seek a legislative ban on a chemical contami nant officials say Is turning up at "alarming levels" in Lake Michigan fish. The chemical polvehlnHuatod hlpfte. jBXl (PCB), used in household products from handsoap to paper. "If the Environmental Protection ' Agency is not in a position to act nation ally, we may have to go to the legislature and effect a ban on PCBs to any pro duct," said William Turney, chief of the bureau of water management at the DNR. Turney said the EPA may net be able to act because of statutory limitations on Its authority. Turney did not rule out the possibility products containing PCB could bo allow ed while meeting federal regulations. PCBs sppesred st sueh high levels in Like Michigan flsh earlier this year the U.S. Food and Drug Administration soiled come shipments ef chubs. The agency said PCB levels were "danger ously high;" PDA limits are ftve parts par million, but some of the chubs had as much as 30 parts per million. Potentially harmful to humans are lev els of 800 parts per million. Turney toM the Natural Resources Commission in a report Thursday the situation is "alarming" because PCB levels have remained the same or In creased since 1070, rather than decreas ing as predicted. The level of most other contaminants has decreased, Turney said. "In 1070, we fell we had things under control." he said. "We buttoned up ail the major discharges of PCBs." At that time, PCB was used mainly Jpj industry. The sole U.S. manufacturer of the product, Monsanto Chemical Co. of St. Louis, agreed to stop producing the chemical for certain Industrial uses which led to contamination. "There were 90 industries reporting use of PCBs (in Michigan) last year," mid Turney, "a whole lot more than previously. When we followed it up we found PCBs showing up In all kinds of things." PCBs are chemically associated with DDT. When PCB was first unmasked as a contaminant In 1960 it was found to concentrations of up to SM ports per mil lion in cotflsh in tbe Saginaw Bay area. In the post few years DDT and mer cury In Michigan flth have declined, making the PCB problem more signifi cant, mM Turney. Recent data shows PCB Is "very toxic," he noted. > TmU on Rheeua monkeys at the University of Wisconsin sboirod the ani mals were "sensitive" to PCBs at levels below the FDA Umita. But Turney emphasized, "That data is not validated and it doesn't mean that humans are sensitive at that level or anything like that." Ilw Lake Michigan Toxic Material Committee found herring gulls which ate flab from Lake Michigan with high PCB levels died In "significant numbers be cause of PCBs. We fed there is a definite correlation." A year ago, the DNR's planting of young pike in various streams resulted In "almost 100 per cent mortality," Mid Turney, who linked tbe problem to PCB. He Mid certain selection sites, most in Western Michigan, were abandoned. In 1970, some mink ranchers fed their animals Mlmoo contaminated with PCB and had trouble keeping young animals alive,aid Turney. // HONS 030932