Document Z8yOD7ND1j5p6aBrKqxwrL7Y7
I
TH8 AU>HABXT ot anvlronmental contamination,
peat have a wide variety of uses. Production a;. 1
i*c may become as wall known as wrr, and for sales figures are not available, but a Monsanto bul
soma of tha aama raaaons. Like DOT, PCB contains letin lists many products in which pcbs may lw u-o,i
chlorine, hydrogen and carbon; like DDT, it is not M plasticisers, flame retardants, insulating Hui-l.-,
soluble in water, it is soluble in fat, and it is ax* or to impart some other useful quality. Among the?
Iremaly persistent in tha environment.
products are natural snd synthetic ruhlwr, electric;;!
The chemical similarity between the two also sug products, flooFUle, printer's ink, coatings for pajicr
I I gests similar physiological effects in the bodies of and fabric, brake linings, automobile-bodv senlm..*, fish, birds, and perhaps people. In one particular paints, varnisbqa, waxes, asphalt, and many kinds
rs]*cl 'which will be discussed later, this has bean of.adhesives and resina. rcss are also recrimn.c;^:i-.-t -
confirmed in the laboratory.
by Monsanto for mixing with chlorinated in-rvii-
A striking difference is that dot has been used in cides to suppress their vaporization and extend Uic.r
the open environment with intent, because of its "kill-life."
J
toxic effects, to destroy insects; PCS. although known
The amounts being used are suggested by the fact
to lie toxic, has boon osed for its other qualities, and that PCBS are available in containers ranging firm
has cscajied into tha environment by accident. It is 60-pound cans to 600-pound steel drums snd by the
not .vet known exactly how arnTwhere this happens, tank carload.
nor how much is escaping.
As with many of the chemical coni)>oiinils
Polychlorinated biphenyls, to give PCBa their widely used in this age of synthoticx, concent ai-oat
pro|r name, are chemical compounds manufactured the hazards of pcbs has been limited u> the
.
I I in this country by the Monsanto Chemical Company exposure of industrial workers. Until )!>(Y- ;; > > .. .
and in Kurope and Japan by other manufacturers. occur to anyone to ask whether I'CBs mi;r ,i , .
A Monsanto spokesman says that rcss wars first leased into the environment, or if they w ere. ini
I . produced in 1929 by the .Swan Corporation which they might do to birds or fish or human tieing-.
I
later became part of the Monsanto Company, and
The first revelation that these compound.- i
that European production followed, probably about boen dispersed in ways which made them aval;.. !o
tan yaars later. Aroctor (the Monsanto trade name) to living things came in ^966 with a report by Save;, ;
began to be used extensively during World War IL Jensen, a Swedish scientist, that he had identified
> .I
MONS 083156
EnvtaoNMKKT Vou li. Nr. . .
TOWOLDMONOQ46788
By Robert Risebrough with Virginia Brodine
i-aw in the bodies of 200 pike (Uken from different parts of Sweden), in other fish, and in an eagle. Dr.
Jensen had also analysed eagle feathers which had lmm preserved in a museum, some of them going back as far as 1R80; he found i*CSs first in feathers
collected in 1944. A colleague of Dr. Jensen, Gunnar Widtnark, re-
)x>r1ed later in 19Gfi to an international commission studying pesticide analysis. One of the problems in isolating and identifying residues of DOT had been the presence of what Dr. Widmark described as "un known liul chlorine-containing compounds" so simi lar to nirr that they may sometimes have been mis taken for it. These compounds he and Dr. Jensen imd identified as i*cas. The polychlorinated biphe nyls had been found in fish and sea birds, in conifer needles, and in some samples of human fat
Scientists in Britain and the Netherlands have now identified I'CBs in wildlife of their respective countries. Jensen and his colleagues have recently retried details of their analysis of Swedish wild life.
The detection of rcas in North America began in the spring of 1J907 when Monte Kirven of the San Diego NsluralHistory Museum was Marching the southwest for peregrine Jalco>ns, those swift-flying and now fast-disappearing birds of prey. He found a nest with a single, unhatched, abandoned egg end
Januasv>F*siiju'y, 1*70
'
Roecrr Rtsassoocx, Pti.D., i Associate Specialist at the Institute of Marins Resources, Department ot Nutritional Sciences, University tf California at Berkeley.
brought it to our laboratory at the Institute of Ma rine Resources, University of California in Berkeley. The egg was found to contain five milligrams of doe, the DDT compound that is apparently the most abundant synthetic pollutant in the environment. The analysis also showed the presence of other com pounds which could not be identified. These same compounds had been evident in the analysis of other species of birds and of fish. Because of the impor tance of the peregrine, an attempt was then made to identify the compounds, but without success unlit the Swedish papers came to the senior author's in tention. With this clue, further work in his Inliorutory made it clear that the hitherto unknown com pounds were polychlorinated biphenyls.
The Monsanto Company, according to a statement supplied by the company and printed in full on pages 29 and 27, is not yet ready to accept the con clusion that tlie formerly unknown chlorinated com. pounds are indeed rCBs. However, because similar reifuTW^er*'obtained independently in the Inltoratoriee of Sweden, England, Scotland. Die Notherlands, and the United States, supported by detailed descriptions of the analytical techniques used (in
i:
HONS 083157
TOWOLDMONOQ46789
TAS1Z t
DDT and PCI ke Peregriaa Feleaew
Total . DDT**
PC*
Ratio o< DDT to PC*
laataiura bird. Cabtarot a brood aiMda (wall* ttvar (wet) brain (wai) brat* (ttptd) sorcoM (wal) car roar (Iptd)
114 7.7 11 IS 201
300
4 45 IS 111 10.1 ISO
11 1.7
11 19 19
11
Adah bbd. California braoat nmU (wal) Uvar (wall brain (w*t) brain (lipid) ewe-- (wal) corraaa (Mpid)
177
77 4f.l
MS
uoo
ee
S7 S4I 41S IS IJM
11 1.4 14 1.4 11
11
Imatliri bird. Arctia
broad aiuada (wat) braoat oiuada (dry) lWar (wal) brain (wai) body tai (wal) coreoaa (wai) careaai (lipid)
1) 7.1
1.0 0.43
Ml 93 < 3.7
0)1 0.S4 0.10 0.037
3.2 0.M
SI
14 14
10 12
11 12
12
liwat yaar bird. Arctta brood moada (wai) brood aiuada (dry) brain (wal) rnrraaa (w*i) awreoaa (Upid)
M MS
IS 70 SAX)
14 21 19.7
1.420
IS 3.S 4.7 3.S 2.5
'Cotteantrationa in parti par ailHIen -- wal watght, dry waight ar Upid (oauoctod lot) wotghl.
`Tatal DOT fodudoa ps>` DOT. p.p' DOE. pp` DDD. p.p' DOMU. op' DDT and a.p' DDE.
Adopiad iron Rtiabrough > at . Tolyebtarlnalod Blphonyla In tha Global Ecoayatam ~ Natwr. 220 (SI72): I09S. Dae. 14. IMS.
eluding mixi ipeetrometry) and th results ob tained, thia conclusion la now generally accepted in the scientific community. The amounta found, which the Monsanto statement refers to as "in the parts per million range," have been aa large as 1,980 parts
res per million parts of body fat in North American peregrine falcons and 17,000 parts per million in
tftrtit of the white-tailed eagle in Sweden. The distribution of Iheae compounds is highest in
the areas where men are concentrated and carry on
industrial activity. They appear in smaller amounts in organisms found at greater distances from urban centers. (See Tables 1 and 2 and the sixth reference under Notes which begins "Jensen. . . .")
The )jiaaante bulletin previously mentioned re fers to the ehemleal itabjlityr.of-TCPs end their in solubility in water. These art among tha Qualities
which make them dcnirablc for various industrial uaos. They are also among the qualities which makojV' them of great concern as environmental pollutants/ Because they have these characteristics, they arc extremely persistent -- just how persistent is not known -- and they can be carried, like dot, far and wide over the globe by air current*, (ddt is one of the most stable and least water-soluble of the chlori nated hydrocarbon pesticides.)
The rcas that hava already been found in the environment could not all have come from the one insecticide use mentioned in the Monsanto bulletin. There are four other possible sources, all of which should be explored. The first is the stacks of the' / plants which manufacture Arodor and the plants---' i which manufacture the products incorporating Aro- _ idor. The qecond is other forms of industrial waste/
\For sxamptt, Vds, other synthetics, and oil are"* ' mixed to make a fire-resiatant hydraulic fluid, one
of the "closed system" uses of pcbs referred to in the Monsanto statement. Yet the amount of hydraulic fluid that escapes from this "dosed system" is sug gested in a Mobil advertisement stating that "indus try waatee almost four times as much hydraulic jajJ as it uses." The third .possible soyree is gradual wenrd and weathering of Aroclor-containing products ' which may result in alow release of rca as vapor or minute particulate matter into the atmosphere; for example, asphalt which may contain rCBs, it sub-
TAIUE 1
Spadaa
PCB Con(ant of Eggs ol Sao Birds
Loeallly
Numbar ol Sonplat P9C*
Brandt* Cormorant Palogle Cormorant Murt* Plgoon OutDanoi
Cottln t Auklat W*t*m Gull
B)ock-crownd night baron
rarollon lalendt
Son Malao County, Call).
rarollon lilancb
rarollon Itlandt San Malao County
rarollon Itlondt
Fora!Jon Ulandt San Malao County Son TrancUco County
San frandteo Boy Son FrancUco Bay
17
2
$
1 l
2
1 1 1
1 1
113
12
SSI
20 2
IS
111 112 460
330 24
Coiptan Tarn
Fors<r* T#rn L*oat Pvtral P#r*grln# Falcon
San Trandtco Bay San Dtago Boy Son Dl*o Scry Ba)a California
Ba|a California
2 MS S 1.010 2 114 2 31 1 471
Whara Miopia indudad mora than ona agg. ralua given In the erraraga.
*ln mierogramt.
IS XMnan.-4M>:NT Vm. 12, No. I
HONS 003158
TOWOLDMONOQ46790
% * ^
\, S. i.. -W..*..,, '*.-
* . # .*4 .
^ V. *" . iV y
r *'*'* - > *\ # ; -'j. .:
t * > * -: rjk
~ . . `f
i r* ..<: "`i
* 1* 7 \ *fri` 4 V. * `
.. .' ` 7h*Vv1 i *
*. - '( '
'*****> ' * ;>iJ>SA ">. _
. -!
^ t, _ , \ w * r _
-X* :l
f /.
'* t? .
i
3&P*
--.
riL
a" . m ^ *
jected to constant friction, and mar be a source of either vapor or partioulalo matter containing pcse. Lj^P^purJh^ many prp<ipctseonteinlng rcaa eventually
wind up" in the city dump, whar* they may be burned. Although fire reaisUnt, at sufficiently high temperature* pets may be rataaaad aa a vapor in the form of highly, toxi^Jumoa. (Oxidea of PCBe which would be produced in burning are more toxic than the unoxidised rcaa.) resa have not yat been de< toeted in samples of airborne particulatea, but have TT^been shown to be present in rainwater. More study jj hhi obviously needed to show the ways in which fCa
enter the environment.
Evidence of Ubiquity
, >e worldwide distribution of DPT and raieted pesti cides fcy a variety o/nvechaniama, but primarily by air currents, ia now known (sea "Earth, Air, Wa ter,u Environment, july-August 1909). Evan with
out knowing the exact aoureee of rcaa, it would be
jAMUAav-FzMUAjrr, 1970
.
BoUi pot end ret effect the hormone eyeteme of birds end
rata, and for this reason, may threaten the survival ef
exposed species such as the least tern shown above
with young.
'
possible to diacover, by the analysis of various forms of wildlife, whether a similar distribution of rCBs is taking place, or whether pcb contamination is local.
In the past two years our own work in California, and that of scientists elaswhere in this country, Brit ain, and Sweden have provided mounting evidence for the worldwide dispersion of reus. The levels rCBs found In wildlife near industrial centers may be vary high, frequently higher than the amount of dot. Birds and fish from more remote areas may contain less PCS than DOT.
In Table 1 the concentrations of nrvr and rcu found in various tissues in two peregrine falcons from California and two from tha Arctic are shown. 'The final column hows the ratio of DDT to PCB--in the California birds, between pne and two times as much DDT; in the arctic birds, from three-and-a-half to six-
*#!<,r\
10
HONS 0d3159
!
TOWOLDMON0046791
tern time# os trmch dot m res.
The^onatrn*T|MlwMn the immature and the older bird* iYOJfTbotK area* It alto interesting. The imma
ture California bird had I GO part* per million PCS
The meet retentive reeeerth en rent In wiMlift In Uiie
country Kse been andertsken along the California coast, bet rcu hove aleo been found in terrestrial and freakwater organisms.
in it* earctM lipid (extracted fat), while the adult California bird had J.9S0 part# per million. The
milligram per eubic meter of sir). Among the Arc elor* listed for sale by Monsanto are chlorinated
contrast between the immature and older migrant biphenyls that are up to 68 percent chlorine and mix
>
\
}
l
bird* from the Arctic wa* even greater, with an in crease from 5.5 part* per million in the young bird to 1J120 in the older one. The aretie birds migrate through the ll.S. and winter in the tropica. Evi dently they pkk up both DOT and PCI during their migration and on their wintering grounds.
Analyses of Western Gull eggs show that eggs from San Francisco Ray contained more PCI than egg* from the Farallon Island#, 27 milee weet of the Golden Gate Bridge, which in turn contained more l-ca than eggs from Baja California, a location much further from any industrial center.
tures of chlorinated [hlnhenyIs'and chlorinated tri> V
phenvlf that are up to 65 percent chlorine.
C.l
The more heavily chlorinated i*cbs have been re
ported in wildlife both in the U.S. and in Europe,
and have been found to be highly persistent in the
bodies of fish and birds, while the more lightly^-
chlorinated raw are somewhat less persistent, aiifx//
are metabolized or excreted more rapidly. This was"'"'
confirmed 'By'a'laboratory experiment by Kocmnn in
which Japanese quails were fed a mixture of iths.
After the birds died, it was found that some of the
rest, particularly the more lightly chlorinated ones,
*
Samples of bird tissue and eggs from a variety of sjwcies were collected off California (sco Table 2). Some of these birds breed in New Zeland and Aus
had been metabolised. However, this is not neces sarily reassuring. Little is known about the metai*olites -- the breakdown products -- of i*CB; one of
tralia, others on the coasts of British Columbia and Alaska, still others in Alaska and the Canadian Arc Tic. H it not clear how much dot and res the bird* ingested at their native breeding grounds, and how much in the vicinity of California. What is quite clenr is that PCS is widely distributed among marine
the metabolites of dot (DDE) affects the reproduc tive systems of birds.
PCB* are described in Dawpefows Properties of />*- \ duatrial Materials as afftlling human skin and liver st high concentrations, although how high is not ! stated. The toxicology is described as follows:
birds which are at the top of a complex mesh of food
chains in the sea. One source of PCBa in the birda is clJnrly.the fish on which they prey, as raw have
been found in a variety- of Hah from many different
waters. res* have also been found in.rart)watar.Ij)i and
terrestrial birds, although there is lees published <TU on them than for marine organisms.
The lesion produced in the liver is an acute yel low atrophy. This liepnluloxlc action of the chlori
nated diphenyls [same as biphenyls] appears to be incresised if there is exposure to carbon teira-
chloride'at the same time. The higher the chlorine content of the diphenyl compound, the more toxic it is likely to be. Oxides of chlorinated diphenyls
are more toxic than the unoxidized materials.
What it the Hazard?
The skin lesion is.known as chloracne, and con
The American Conference of Governmental Indus
sists of small pimples and dark pigmentation of
trial Hygienist* (aocih) recommends levels of haz
the exposed areas, initially. Later comedones
ardous malerisls which should not be exceeded in
[blackheads] and pustules develop. In persons
occupational situations. The AOQIH recommendation
who have suffered systemic intoxication the usual
for 1*01 containing 42 percent chlorine Is the same
signs and symptoms are nausea, vomiting, loss of
si for nrrr, namely, a maximum or "threshold limit
weight, jaundice, edema ami abdominal pain.
value" of one milligram per cubic meter of air. (A
Where the liver damage has been severe, the pa
! "threshold" is said to be an amount below which no effect is noted.) But eome rcas are more heavily
tient may pass into a coma and die.
chlorinated, and for those with 54 percent chlorine,
Cases of occupational chloracne and of systemic
t the acoih threshold limit valus is half aa much (0.5 damage weFe~rtefl5rtecf in the early years or rat use.
Experiments with laboratory animals also revealed
the high toxicity of PCBs injected, fed or applied to
DDT reaches the environment
the skin. There is no evidence to indicate that j'CBs. in the
by Intent PCB by accident.
environment are likeiy to reach levels which wov'-A/J 1 cause severe inTurv or' death from short-term c\(^_
posure. Tlte possible res hazard iike so many en
vironmental hazards, is one ofdonp-term^low.irwl
to Ekvikonmcst You li. N*'. 1 HONS 083160
(
TOWOLDMONOQ46792
expoaure and perhnps of effects from its combina tion with ether poisons. Thar* is also th mora in direct, but no less real danger of deatroyinf other forms of life -- part of the vaat interconnected web of apoeiea of which man is but one part and on which ha depend*.
The accumulating evidence that no part of the world ia now free of paaticida residues, the product* of atomic explosions, or of a Variety of induatria) pollutant*, hu induced aubtle but profound change* in our concept of our position in the global ecosystam and in our individual conception* of remotana** and isolation. There has never been any question that local ecosystems could be irreversibly changed by the introduction of synthetic chemicals, whether these introductions be purposeful or incidental. Since the sea. however, it the dominant feature of the worldwide ecosystem, interpretations of tnvironmantal contamination tn terms of local ecosyatems, whether terrestrial or aquatic, may be misleading. The accumulation in marine organisms of signifi cant amounts of several pollutants -- those such as rcss which are insolubls in water, but soluble in fat -- not only elicits an uncertainty about the long term utilization of the sea as a source of human food, but has suddenly raised the question of th# ultimate survival of a number of species of sea birds. Time species comprise a very large fraction of the world's wildlife, and doubts about their future would have been considered preposterous and un tenable only three or four years ago. Massive re productive failures have bean noted in 1969 in the brown pelican in Southern California. The jack mackerel fishery out of Lot Angeles has just been cloeed because of the high levels of dot in the fish.
In term* of the exposurs of many forms of lift and of people of all ages and states of health to TCBs, is there really s '`threshold limit value"? If there really nn amount of polychlorinated biphenyl which is safe to breathe or to ingest? No threshold has been' found for the effect of DOS on eggshell thick ness. one of the problems which appears in the re productive systems of birds that have ingested the pesticide. Very small amounts of DDE were found to
REMINDER
This issue is the January/
February issue, one ol two
double issues published during
the year (the other will be the July/August one). The next
magazine you receive will be. the
March issue.
cause some thinning of the shell*.
Th* close similarity of DOT and reft
ImI iL
.possibility that ren might have similar |ih\Mol<.t'ir if
effect*. Accordingly, David Teaknll of the Iju.Kinulr, Laboratory at Cornell University, investigated the
effect of res on pigeons, and found that, tike pot, it induced (stimulated the production of) enzymes
in the liver, enzymes which broke down estradiol, a sex hormone.
The entire reproductive cycle in bird*, from the
development of the male and female reproductive organs to the laying of the egg and the birth of the
chick, is mediated by various sex hormones. When the work of a hormone haa been don*, it is broken
down by
in the liver. However, if the en
zyme activity is artificially increased by the intro
duction into the body of a chlorinated hydrocarlwn.
It appears that the hormone will be broken down at
a much faster rate. Among the effect* of chlorinated
hydrocarbon pesticides that have bean found in birds are delayed laying of eggs, thin egg shell* (some
times so thin as to break) and chicks that die at hatching.
In Peakal)'* experiment, four group* of four birds
each were used. The first group was given no chlori
nated hydrocarbon. The second was injected with
DDE (the persistent breakdown product of ppt) ; 40 milligrams of DDE per kilogram of body weight were
injected The third group was injected with 40 milli
grams of DDT per kilogram of body weight, and the
fourth with 20 milligrams of i ch per kilogram of body weight. The i*CB used was Aroclor 12G2, which
is approximately 62 percent chlorine. One week
later, the birds wire killed, and th* portion of the
liver containing enzymes was removed. To each liver J was. added a tiny amount of the sex hormone, extra-1
diol. The breakdown of the estradiol was mcrensed ` two-and-a-half times by due, almost three-and-a-half.
timss by DDT and fivo-and-a-haif time* bv pci. iiv spite of the fact that "only half as rhuch' rCB was*
used.
J. Q, Stiwft and his co-workers at Utah SUte Uni
versity investigated the effect of a series of ten rcBs
ranging from 21 to 68 percent chlorine on female
rata. All of them stimulated enzyme induction; the | amount of stimulation increaaedjburularly with the
percentage of chlorineTn the I'CB. rcBs containing
more than 6Q_percent chlorine sere a* |>otent in
ensyn^g.induction.as DDT. This. ia..particultnly inter/' esTTng in view of the Monsanto statement that "15/ adverse'effects"'hav* been found in rat* or other
laboratory species fed up to 100 parts per million.
(Street fed rata from 60 to 100 parts per million.)
Induction.of thtea.enzymes would b* one of the *xpected^fccUof_the_polyiliiQrinatedbIuhciivUri.'.
people. Normally the lifetime of the induced enzyme* `
) short. The foreign, water-insoluble compounds
(eonlinurrl on /i;c
*1 flNvmOKMKMT V0l,, >C. N... HONS 063161
TOWOLDMONOQ46793
UtiW Is knvwn st yet aheet what
.
lwi>l>rM Wtvim Um menefatiers ef
rM si*4 IMr syeesrsiw In (ha ><!
W WrSs, flail and aaapla. Oaa poaaiMe
aaairf ef Ow KM In the awrlraamaat
U auaafaatarad grWueV# ieoryorsUs
KM vrhleh an refiU*l)y thrown
way and may to Ward, aa In (ha
psrtawnl >wa ladasrster shswn at
right, rriraainf Uw esssyoads ar thalr
man task asidaa lata tha ataiaayhara.
'V ' , fc-V -
V* '
\S t ;. * I ..
>
. . ''
% .*
* *.*;*. ' S
' .: .
%
rt
(continued from pope tt) that act u Inducars art usually converted to watereoluble darivalivaa that can bt excreted by tht kid ney. Enzymt activity falls as tht inductra art metaboliatd In this way. Tht polychlorinated biphenyls,
however, particularly those with greater amounts of chlorine, are relatively resistant to biological break
down. They might therefore persist as inducers without being broken down themselves. As the tpaymee are continually Induced, hormone* and ptyKapa other classes of molecules as well might thereTore~bt metabolised at raids idftsr thsh hormalbytr Ihe whole |jfe span oTIFie organiam. The long-term significance of this phenomenon"ITas yet unknown. nveetigation of .various ..possible effects of the eensyme activity might bt undertaken'in workers with a long history of expiiureto rcai'."' ----
JewuAST-y'BenuAav, ltTO
/
Very little data is available about_rca in people. Both Swedish and "British'icientista have reported finding them in a few samples of human fat In North America the profile of the re* compounds on gas chromatograms of human milk samples was found by Dr. James Enderson and Fre*d Betnnri of the Colorado College in Colorado Springs. Although
the air of Colorado Springs is much cleaner than the air of our larger cities, it was not evident whether the people of Colorado Springs were obtaining the rc in their food or were inhaling it. The senior author then measured the ro In a aeries of^mothers'. milk samples.from Berkeley and from Loa~Angles. Every sample teated contained both. IXS .and dpt compounds. As is well known, the DOT content in mothers* milk is above the maximum concentrations permitted in cow's milk. The Berkeley mothers' milk
HONS 083162
M
TOWOLDMONOQ46794
rr W wUriy SUtrihvtod tnvonf imHjm
Wr4a wklrk iit at Utf top sf a Miftri ataak af (m4 skatos la Uto ssa, Irvlsdln* Iht ^sack's paira) skswn . Harr. Tke aerwmataUo* af aifaifieaat aannu sf several pallalania, liwladtnp roaa. In marina wllfllfa, ae* aiy rilrito an ancartoiaty abaat U*a
toap-tonn alllbalton af Aka aaa aa a aaarca af hamaa (ni Vti kaa saddsalp rated Um aaaalian af tka allUaato aanriaal af a aaaakar af apatlaa
af aaa Mria.
contained about four times the legal tolerance limit
The Loa Angeles mothers' milk had somewhat lass
DOT, but bscauaa of tha wida variation within each
series, the differences ware not significant Tha PC*
eoneanIralions in both series averaged about 0.06
parts par million of tha whole milk.
""
We can no longer asaume that tha Berkeley air is
cleaner thnn the air of Lot Angeles, and we still do
not know therefore how mbch of the res in people
derives from food and how much is absorbed by the
lungs from the air. We did find, however, very small
amounts of PCS in a sample of cow's milk, and it is
prtaenl in higher concentcations in fish which are
eaten by people. Establishment of tolerance limits of ,cb In food
ctonrlT ***~*"< ^ 1 imtor present law a manufacturer
oTpeslkides must petition for a tolerance limit for
each pesticide on each food crop treated with the
particular pesticide. Food shipments contaminated
with pesticides are subject to condemnation if they
exceed the tolerance or if no tolerance limit has been
set for that particular food."The jack mackerel of the Pacific eoast and the'eoho salmon of Lake Michi gan, seized and condemned by the Food and Drug Administration because they contained high level* of DOT, contained PCB in addition to the dot com pounds. " *" ' "
A thorough investigation of the physiological ef- } fecta of the agricultural and industrial chlorinatedy hydrocarbons, including their effects on the r|mJC
duelive systems of both birds and mammals, is ur gent. We wpaldjdajrell to act on the basis of from laboratory animal* snd wlldlife rather than halting for definitive knowledge, from, studies of people. "Effects on people might not show up for many years and would be extremely difficult, if not
PCBs are available in containers ranging from 50-pound cans to 600-pound steel drums, and by the tank carload.
to the environment. Release of hydraulic oils cm:-(7
taming PCB into waterways mfglil be o"ic oT thoo. It is also possible that each manufactured product containing PCS, which like all manufactured prodnets eventually becomes sjwnstc product, will even^. tually release PCB into the environment, just .ns nr.vDDT use will eventually increase the environment:!: burden of DDT. We very much need therefore nv* establish tka ou^ff.of the environmental rosi,i
of PCB and to trace the~p*tK by which they mow through our environment, li1 PCD should prove to I**
14 tlNVIKOHMCMT VOL. 12. NV. i
HONS 063163
TOWOLDMONOQ46795
c 5V f . Mi
/I-- ^,;T b- -*>,,-,| h-
1*3?igp^jiiSfS
fI*'.^.r"V<..4^V ' 'if,. .];
"'"'
Li
Monmnlo m*nifctarM Aroelar (tr4 Mim for pcm) at Uil* Saot, lllinoio p)l and at a plant in Annlaton,
Alabama. No data la arailaMa oa tho laa# w th anvirommnt of rcaa la tba eoora* of Oto aiaaafaetariaf procaoa, nor on Un loaoaa at eUtor plants ohm
products arc atanafactniad Udi
ffi TV-*j;- -vV' Ar""uV8?- ,,^, Bb# /* * ?< *?; -ssi'
-`
- '"
v`- ;
. :*.''. 1.1
. .
' * *i
., t -. .. , ; .
1
4
;*py. ,v7\;.;,
BI**
&&****** **>*v- * .*: .:
' {*: '> U . .* V.V, ;" -> : -,1V, . :u: v -*T*>i
's'f !;-''
' V
, yt \ . v ?
- ;
t `V- .- .
L i.V
:i *./ . .. ri r\ - y.;.. ' - , 1 .
;?: '*. * *
*' '
1*5 ' I ` -4 J' .:-, ; .:'?;:'!; ;
'a-
; . .' ?
ii;'1 . j*-.'.' *' '' V*
":
^^' >*1'`f ;; - --u
-f
' . * . V
-4
8wodiab Kiontiata Have found rcaa In mussels, plaice, sod. and dogfish from remote parts of the west ooast, like that shown at left.
HONS 083164 -.'.J
TOWOLDMONOQ46796
an aneontroJtabla chemical like dot, it will not be possible Vo speak of "controlled" nooo.
rca therefore appears to be another waste product of our technology that ia not recycled to primary
materials. Although therears unquestionable economlc advantages derived from their use, the dimfi*
iahing capacity of our global environment to alworii
our own wastes should prompt ns to conxMcr
whether -- and how -- he can develop a technology
that can use its waste materials again and again and
that does not permit any persistent wastes with bio
logical activity to accumulate.
y
Monsanto Statement on PCB
When this article was in preparation, the Monsanto Centpony woe Invited to provide a statement oi he position ea PCBe. A series of questions was also addroosod lo the company. The enewsr* to eeme el these questions havs boon incorporated into the lost of the article. Others follow the Monsanto statement
Late In February. 1969. a West Coast newspaper
carried a major lecture about "a menoctn? new pol
lutant" lound in the San Francisco Bay area. The arti
cle was based on marine Uie rosoarch carried out by
Dr. Robert Kimbrough oi tho University oi California.
The article slated that residues oi pesticides (DDT and
DDE) and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) were threat
ening the weltcm?
-xma birds and posed a long
term threat to hu.
Monsanto mar
s* polychlorinated biphenyl
and markets it u<
jr Arodor trade name. (There
are other manutacturot* in Europe and Japan.) We,
therefore, would like to present some additional lacts.
The work done by Dr. Risebrough dates bade to
earlier research by other scientists who. while analyz
ing poslicido rosiduos in wildlite, toil and water, en
countered unknown or "interfering" substances in the
parts-per-miliion range.
Several years ago, two Swedish scientists at Stock
holm University's Institution of Analytical Chemistry,
Professor Gunnar Widmark and Soren Jensen, reported
they l>ad identified these Other substances They said
some of the materials were polychlorinated biphenyl
or PCB. Since PCBe are not "broadcast** or spread
oround the land as are pesticides, the scientists the
orised that the source must be Ihe industrial waslss ol
PCB ussrs.
In addition to ths work ol Dr. Risebrough and the
Swedish scientists, there have been other studies which
indicate ths presence ol PCBe in Ihe environment.Man.
.... *"*'....sonto is concemejLg.ver tbg_situation and is cooper^t-
The common uses of commercial PCB would not nor mally lead to Its release into the noKual environment.
A principal market for PCB is in electrical applica tions where they are used as insulating Uuids for transformers and capacitors. In this use, the chemical is completely sealed in metal containers. Another mar ket is for heal-tranefer applications where the PCH Uuid functions in a closed system.
PCBe are also used In several applications where the chemical is incorporated into a polymer as an :r.tegral pan of the solid material. Such polymers ore used in highly specialised applications as an odhestvt. elastomer or surface coating.
Polychlorinated biphenyls are not sprayed or dust'd
on crops, woodlands or any other areas, as arc pesti cides. To our knowledge, they are no! used ir. ltrr -,, housejagjnte^.household, products, or .major .vinyl pfoj.
Ucs, ct hat been charged. Therefore, conclusions as to the source ol PCB reportedly found in the environment are difficult to make.
It has aleo been implied that polychlorinated bi phenyls are "highly toxic" chemicals. This is not (ru Just like other'induslrial chemicals and home products now In widespread use, PCBe aro not hazardous when properly handled and used. During more than 40 years of U.S. production and use, cases of any toxic effect have been extremely rare -- and then only where the, simple precautions recommended for use were not followed.
Moneanlo has research., moaioms under way to Identify Ihe compounds, reported to be PCB. and locate their source Ths programs involve precise analysis ol environmental samples of water and soil. Also under
way are studies lo determine the biological effects of deliberate doeage ol PCBe on lish and mammalian animals. Special emphasis is being paid to endocrino logical effects, mineral metabolism and reproduction physiology.
Some preliminary biodegrodobijijy studies are under way. Further studies to clearly demonstrate this phe nomenon are contemplated.
Very early results ot chronic toxicity studies conitrrr. that PCBs are not highly toxic. In 90-day studies cn rats and other normal laboratory species, there hnv. been no adverse effects when feedings of up lo parts per million were administered.
Moneanto has aiwaye cooper Plod on o regular bears with federal, stale and university laboratories in then analysis ol chlortnatsd hydrocarbon residues Ws wilt
se
HONS 083165
Xnvibonmsnt Vou It. No.)
TOWOLDMONOQ46797
MOTH
s. li
".. . kwl IUmniI* kaUttin....
TWWnl BaHaMa 0*Tl Ml. OrsaaM CSrwtAAla Dl.Maa. Mm. ...... . UNk, Ma_ IW. Wa mv lair i < W * MMm >1 thai MMrfUa W tMa WHOhi "Sava M mIimM #m
wr T <vMh srv Mlv musmI aa*n.atlaaa TV w iMUn.
Atvriar eUaUcitrr* m mi m*4 Is all IS# awivaihraa MrrOiT la Uw WMU. Trimmer MtUi* m SMvhU rUf, MSim SMlwin Ml mW(I4. mlMta. AMI. Im
iMur*. Ifcs srlMtesI mwtSm hr nlirthrlMiU W..|.aaH t. m
faatarrdarriar.alnml sMSmMUtmHiluwnSart lrhaanralMalr wmWIMV S1*m mmmo* lwh> 1m-mT--mt iMrkM. Imm Ummetm i1IUmi. Mm rial* hi mm* hi iiw.1
continue to do so. Additionally, Monsanto will continue
to exercise the highest degree of control in its manu
facturing. shipping and storing of"PCB -- as w* do
with ai product*. In th# hinotional fluids market, we
hove carried out a program lor several years lor th*
reclamation ol used PCBe to reuse these valuable
materials.
.
The source ol the marine IK* residue identified as
PCB is not yet known. It will take extensive reeearch
on a worldwide basis, to confirm or deny these initial
scientific conclusions.
Questions Iron prvaOHWPTT and answers from MOMAXTO.
Environment! At whtoh Monsanto plants is Arocfar
manufactursd?
"
Monsanto! In the United Stales, "Monsanto presently
manufactures its Arodcr products at plants located In Sauget. Illinois, and Anniston, Alabama. Eavirenmesh Have you monitored emissions at those plants lor the presence o< PCB? R so, what were the results? Maaoantot Extensive efforts are in practice at these plants to prevent PCB losses to the environment. These practice* have been in ue* (or many years and con trols ore continually being improved. Environment Does Monsianto itself Incorporate PCB
into some ol its other products? 11 so. at which plants? Have emissions from these plants been monitored for
the presence of PCB? With what results? Meneantei Controlling practices are also in eifect to prtvtnl loss in those manufacturing operations where
Aroclor is incorporated into other Monsanto products.
Environment: Could you tell us what control measures
you us* to keep th* PCB concentrations below th*
Threshold Limit Value hi th* planI atmosphere?
Monsanto: (No answer)
>
Environment! We would be pleased to receive any ad
ditional information, such as scientific reports, adver
tising copy, or any other material you may have on
PCB W* would appreciate very much teeing copies oi
the original work you have don* on th* toxicity ol
Arodors.
'
Monsanto: Our research department summarized some
of their work and . . I am making It an enclosure.
Editor's note: The enclosure dealt only with residue
analysis, not with toxtcilyT' ~r
----
--
jA*VABYPVttt>ABT. If70
". rsjrert by Saran Jentem...
"sis sr Xrw CMnl Naur*." lh Mulls StlSIt. ISSS.
p. 17.
.. Cssnsv WUeierk .,, human fsL"
WMmr*. 0.. TMiltli lawrfrrwr. Sr CMartnau* Blehaarh' hi TaMWSa SmI*h" Snert at Ik* IUVAC CmmmIWm m u. Der.l.mi mi1. li.rrv.MM.Mi. n| S.mS.OmOu *r iht Mnhili
orrwiviW TmOrt*. SmmMvv AMire*. taM at IS. AhehiMW AiuMhi OrMi istisss. tta. i. imt.
"Seitntiai* In Britain...
IMSmc DX- J. . ha--m mm* 1 0C Tvum. -CHmdmmmi
IIHvrrrhMt Im SHUmM WIMMIm." SMn lliitn IHl A. V., aa* K. SmSs Malar. tUiltti. ISST.
". .. and th* N*th*riamd*, ..."
KMrrMMA. J. H., M. C Tto Marvvr Dt Srvw AH* *. n. I>v Vmm. "CShrlvvivi WiAum.U U rhb. MmmmmW m Sir*. Immm Uw Slw MMaa u. Sm MMh.rt.a*. Cm.mmI Am." hamr. ail
"Jmnn and Us mtttmgn** f.. Samdiah Wildlife
Ammmv, S. Mi !.. "COT In M.rtaa A.haaia fnaa teaWahTM." HmMmtm SSiilit, ISM*.
. . unknown eomponnd* war* paipehlarin*tm> U-
pAmjrfj."
Hmimi LaWtmWrr Mrvrvi.rr. |m iSIm iimI wUrmr rco. Mr. MM#rtW4 la Sm mmn IImMM mMvtm mm* i t*lAM<jrie mrn. Sm MMMMMHr. KImaWmsS, S. W.. T. SmVW.
P; ^MSS^I. s. 0. Hatmam MAS M. K. Kirv*Mi. -yU>vS.rimw* BlrM.wlM Im Um OMSmI fcniMM. Hmwm SSSIISSS. ISSS. SMMWyiws. *. w., V. SmWn mm* r. I. Otasll. -CeiMl Pnerv* 1.
is* n*i*miiwe** *r is* estnfct*H*** stskMrto- sseni* *r
STir*OTM*vil CmmamIsmUms mm* TwlrvM.fr iiin. ISSS.
.ll.
JJtOm... 17*00 part* par niili**...."
SlMMbmvS. Mi Ml.. "fMlrUihrlhMiM* SlsStvre la IS# 'Tlil.l
p. II.
M. . . map U nlMi*d at a afar < th* farm af hiphlp irate fam**."
Ssa. K. lrria*. Baamn*. >r.MMT<U. a. laAaatrtaa WaJAhalM.
to* Si.. SMlaSiM matIMn* Cm., hrv Tnk. list. V. Si.
p. to. .
"...a tampUa at**h af ftad thantt in th* m. . .
XImmWvvS. X. w. TSIvriMUS Hr4raasrSaa. la Msrlm Baa. arUmat- la CSMahal rattnt. MavWn W. Mtllar aa* Caarw C. Bars. M*IMn. CSartaa C. Thtwa*. ISSS.
". 'thrathaU fisut aahtt' af an* milligram. .. .* Sa>. N. Irvlas. as. W. a li.
. ". . . tavr* lifhtlp iklorinaUd TCSS. . .." lemma, S at at., as. tit.
"... laboratory *aporim*ni ky ArrmsK...." Imima 4 ti.. #. lU.
laboratory animat* . . . high tarieitp. . .
MMUr. f. W. "ytiWt^i ChasfH l Auleisnls |s>wsd 9
OMmM
VJ. FWk NttltJk B
ttll. MLavhltft. JmifJk*
4e.FWir MerUv. M.
"TW
Vvmu Bry X. KgUhiw tH O. 0*rlli
W Ofkli ink* 0* YU Ase ef Forib Zstm
p*l*9 W Itwbilw m TkHf TmL," Taslulm mm4 AwwttM ntariertkCT ItTM, 1M|.
p. tS.
. fnek mmekml fiikiry.. . .**
~pnr BapMt x*k*
Tv Ttrk
Da. T.
**Tht ^r#JW#irw #/ t/u tBtmditl
RraalU wrt In stevnMr*
9i fwlsr mo4sbsHas fsnnk In
mllHmWrewfav e**K praste* leer Uh4> C*e%el -- |
V etlstM .! Dl?IC -- Tt.l plae r atiwt li t: |)DT 11.1
rka r ntM II.t; FC1 -- )M.I Hm m **!* II I.
"J. C. Strert and hi* es-irorirrrf. . .
Blrrrl. 9. C.. T M. \)ny. p, J. Wr*taff
A. P BU
NOsMiesretlr Btfsrt* M PelfflitMltAlk HfltfeyH asset Oryni.w
FatllfflAaa I* Iu4ari)a af Kr*a<k MkruMaaal Bayuo*."
israafi|e4 at U* fMOi Amrelfsa Qtamledil IWwMy Mtkaesai mo*p
!. X*w Turk,
+lt, IMt.
UN^ 0d3l66
27
TOWOLDMONOQ46798