Document aJvdw5gVzBa54Z2v0Mjg0qREY

,/ l * - . , THE IDAHO STATESMAN. SoiM. Srtiffday. October 13,1K7S _ . PAGE X PCB level in Franklin mothers' milk called safe 1 Statesman New* SrrHees Breast milk ampin taken from residents of the Franklin area show Safe levels of PCB. the Idaho Depart* meet of Health and Welfare said Fri day. Milk and blood testme be^n for area residents after PCB contamina tion was found at a Franklin poultry term. PCB. a cancer-causing chemi cal. was banned in this country sev eral months ago. Breast milk samples were otv tamed from 8 nursing mothers late last month. Stste health officials said the sample* showed PCB levels from 1 to 75 parts per billion. The average beckgftund level w milk from nurs ing mothers nationwide is 93 parts per billion. Millions of eggs and moat of the chickens at the Franklie farm were destroyed because of the contemhie(ton. State Health Officer Dr. Edward Gallagher raid 106 blood samples from Franklin-ansa residents showed safe levels of PCB. Ait blood samples showed under 9 peris per billion. Levels up to 20 parts per billion are considered safe. In Washington. D.C., Assistant Agriculture secretary Carol Tucker Foreman said testing of meet, egg products and other foods since mid- September indicates PCB contami nation from a packing company in Montana has been contained. She added chat excessive levels of PCBs generally hove not made it to the food Cham for nearly a month. Intensive testmg will continue until officials are convinced controls can prevent slaughter of contaminated animals. Foreman raid. At the rame time as Foreman's an officials ray they're sure they've di nouncement, Montana health offi verted sll PCB-contsminated food cials raid titegei levels of the toxic destined forhuman food in the state. chemical PCB have been found m the ."We are sure there is no futher eggs of neerfy one-third of the Mon danger of any getting into the food tana producers tested so fer. supply.** raid Agriculture Director Vem Sloulin. chief of the Food and Bob J. Mtckelaon in a news confer Consumer Safety Bureau of the ence Friday. Health Department, said illegal PCB The mam problem. Mickeiaon raid, levels were found in the eggs of 13 ia that while the tests go on. the out of 39 producers tested so far. chickens are still being fed end are Sioulm said all 13 producers have growing bigger than they should be been told not to market the eggs. for market. Two of the companies on the list On Wednesday, the deportment have already destroyed chickens and debtroved processed chickens egfp contaminated with PCB. There from Fore Farms in the Puyallup was no Immediate word on what has area found to have PCB levels higher become of the products of the other than allowable limits A group of producers, which included 8 Hutter- 12JOO live chickens still on the farm it* agricultural colonies. Although they are still testing some 415.0(0 live chickens. Washing ton state Deportment of Agriculture i 4 1 ................................. ' and destined for market were abd destroyed underdepartment superviv sion. Micketson said. ' After PCB contamination was spotted in July and (raced to animal feed, hundreds of thousands of poumfc of meat and poultry and eggi were destroyed or held back from consumers - Contamination of feed and food by# PCB -- polychlorinated biphenyl --- spread to at least 10 statesafter ecd> dental leakage of PCB from a trans former into the water supply at Pierce Packing Co. m Billings. Mont.* Banned in 1976. PCB'* are stil( found m millions of electrical trans> formers. They have been linked ta cancer In test animals. ' HONS 01102V