Document anL5wY6GDRV6jz0brJMybbY

| PCB In Bass Causes Little Concern Here Report* that atriped but from the Hudson A survey of others connected with the River contain dangerous amounts of local Ashing industry disclosed an attitude polychlorinated biphenal, a toxic chemical that more definite information is needed more commonly know as PCB, are causing before deciding that all striped bass must be Ultle or no concern among commercial ciassiAed as unfit for consumption. fishermen in the Bast End, a spot check The PCB said to be found in Hudson bass disclosed this week. and Ontario salmon in amounts unsafe to eat Used in a wide range of manufacturing Is manufactured In this country exclusively processes, PCB is banned in Canada and by the Monsanto Chemical Company. Britain. Fish that failed to comply with U S. After it was found in Hudson River bass standards were taken from the Hudson and Lake Ontario salmon, Ogden R. Read, north of Albany and near two General New York State Environmental Con* Electric plants that have dumped PCB into servation Commissioner, and Dr. Robert P. the river. Whelan, State Health Commissioner, issued Federal standards say food with more a warning to consumers. than Ave parts per million of PCB is unsafe. "I don't want to be an alarmist," said Mr. Rock bass removed from the water near the Raid, "but this is a question of public GE plants had 390 parts per million, ac health." cording to federal researchers. Striped bass He said his advisory will stay in effect caught near the Tappan Zee bridge had an until he is able to determine the scope of the average of 9.7 parts per million and one had problem. He is fearful it may involve more 37 parts per million. than striped bass and salmon. Robert Paul, s GE community relations Indicating growing concent that the official, said, "We don't put PCBs into the problem is not just s regional one, officers of river intentionally. But we live in a real the Striped Bass Fund are calling on the world and it is going to take time to solve the federal government to embark on a crash problem.'' program to collect data on bass In the PCB is used in the manufacture of Northeast as quickly as possible. plastics, paints, electrical transformers, The fund fosters research to protect the printing ink, caulking compounds and striped bass fisheries, and its executive hydraulic nuids. director, Rod Vandivert, said, "If this isn't Similar in molecular structure to DDT, it done the announcement wlU dearly affect is not readily soluble in water but is highly the entire coastal economy." soluble in fats. Like DDT it is s chlorinated Henry Carreiro, vice president of the fund hydrocarbon. H>e late Rachel Carson and s Martha's Vineyard resident, reported sounded a warning on the dangers of Ihst some striped bass tagged in the Hudson chlorinated hydrocarbon back in the early River have been found in Massachusetts 1960s. Only in the last Ave years has a broad waters. spectrum of thescientific community begun The office of Senator Edward Kennedy to want of the PCB peril.' (D-Maas.) in Washington has asked Russell In 1971 the pretence of PCB in Lake Train, Federal Environmental Protection Michigan ended ita role as major com Administrator, to taka quick action "to mercial Ashary. determine the implications for the entire Because the Toxic Substances Control Act coastal region." has not yet been acted on by Congress, Dan Dsankowski, Greenport fisherman although it has been pending for more than and vice president of the Long Island four year*, the Federal government lacks Fishermen's Association, said this week the power to emulate Canada and ban PCB. that commercial fishermen in this area are A release from the New York State noT Ahdfltg'(hedemandfor striped base 'Department of Environmental Conservation affected by the PCB warning. issued soon after the PCB findings says that He said tha Influence it may have in the limited analyses made recently of striped future depends on the outcome of a federal bass taken off Long Island have not shown government inveeligation into the situation. PCB concentrations over permissible limits. *. "A thing like this can be biown out of Additional testing is to be done in the Long proportion," he said, recalling the scare Island area as part of a statewide sampling created some years ago by an an* program to identify the impact of con nouncement that swordfish were found tamination ig>on Ash in all major water ; dangerously impregnated with mercury. ways, Commissioner Reid said. i Today, he added, little attention is paid to , mercury warnings. "Right now there it nothing really .definite," be said. The commercial fisherman, he Intimated, wlil go on fishing ' G&Ttif'Ofir, N Y SUifOU TIWS W. 2.000 striped baas as they have been until a more thorough asseesment of the PCB problem is forthcoming. AUG 14 19/5 MONS 030879