Document ZBp7dZgw7VJBMkoy24Z4RBmL

cc: Mr. D.S. imeron ME RISING &. STRAND OP/BO A KT I E B O L A. O mr: ticin mnuxi hinki* retTomo- > Ttui iti TOCkholm v* November 28, 1966 Monsanto Europe BRUSSELS } Belgium For the attention of Mr. D. WOOD Dear David, re: AROCLORS As mentioned, there has been some publicity i\n Sweden., concerning investigations made at the Institution--ef^ Analytical Chemistry at the Stockholm University. These have revealed that a group of products called Polychlorinated Bl-Phenols - PCB for short - accumulated in certain organs of animals. They are said to be related to DDT and equally polsonuous. The findings were discussed at a meeting of scientists at the Wenner-Oren 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.'.dn t-h*. sur face of the needles of the fir trees, t*mt isjji 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',' onythelr gas chromatographs and at a meeting'-^t the Wenner- Oren Center, Research Assistant Sbren'Jensen of the Institution for Analytical Chemistry at the Stock holm 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 damagp'of liver and skin. PCB Is not COMPANY tran CONFIDENTIAL 056461 HARTOLDMONOO11164 hiding * &trand . i . m * i + e MLSA, Brussels - Mr. D. Wood 2. used as a herbicide. It Is not manufactured In Sweden but Is supposed to used by the Industry to quite some extent. No speolal Industry oan 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 oonxnon In Nature as chlorinated hydrocarbons of the type of DDT. DDE. and Lindane. Even fish In Laddjojaure In Upland 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 contamina tion oomes 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 examined pikeB PCB was found. In a sea eagle found dead outside Stockholm It was found that the liver contained JO mg of meroury per kilo, 76 mg DDT and consider ably more PCB. The exaot 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 techni cal Journal. Mr. Jensen har also examined thehalr 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 5 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 tnat PCB was present only in birds from 1944 and thereafter while birds oolleoted before 1944 were quite free from PCB. COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL 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 heatresistant materials. They are used for eleotrloal insulation, for fire-proof heat transport in hydraulic oils, in lubricating oils used at high tran 056462 HARTOLDMONOO11165 1 t{ I t> I N (.. fc strand ! .ESA, Brussels - Mr. D. Woo Sl temperature and pressure. In paints and as pig ments in various plastios. 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 con tact with the skin it can cause dema. For DDT the highest permissible concentration in the 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 toxocologists and geneologists." Another daily paper, Svenska Dagbladet, has a similar article. Here it is mentioned that Mr. Jensen, work ing under Laborator (Professor) Gunnar Widmark, has disclosed facts which will have far-reaching importance since the findings have proved a new source of pollu tion of the nature. One of the participants at the meeting was 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. I suppose there is no doubt that what has been termed Polychlorinated Biphenyls is equal to Aroclor. There is also no doubt that the published facts will cause considerable unrest in several quarters. We probably will have to have Aroclor registered with the Swedish Board of Poisonous Substances and the industry will have to be particularly careful in handling the material. The problem in some cases of course may be the disposal of used material. I understand that there hardly exists a convenient method of destroying Aroclor and that possibly burying unuseable material may be the only answer. We shall be glad to hear from you soon. Yours sincerely, TRAN 056463 COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL RISING A STRAW; i.. ...jUiAG ^/strand HARTOLDMONOO11166