Document dnyROLpnbeXOG4GB1GERn1R00

FISHMEAL CULPRIT *7^7/ Firm Is Curbing Suspect Chemical By JOHN FIALKA ..tthhee Hdisicvhkairrgne Mar Maff WrHar air or water. PCB It tbt shorthand name ofI done. Tnohft isDPCrh<aBns>sniuonttio.be>theon j wmhae1treericaal tt.leusf.eeded.wtoa.s lsintoereds.H.. os, jUMHua: Exactly bow much PCB is atill to heal *c+iirn, a family of 210 chemical sub The administration's Toxic [being produced is e secret which stances, tome of which have had 1 Substances Act, due for hearings; Monsanto, tbe sole manufactur !swidespread uae in the United .next week before the Senate1 er, refoses to disclose. Statsssr-""' "i States sines the early ittOs. | Commerce Committee, would Becauac<eHliountinc evidence ipermit the government to regu- 'that thePCBs ere toxic to ani 1 late the manufacture and every mals and,-tike DDT, do not easi day use of such chemicals as ly break down in nature, the well as regulating them is efMonsanto Company, the nation's I flllAMt* sola manufacturer of PCBs, has The evidence that PCBs, like According to Papageorge, a chemical eiulneer, PCB, or polycMorlneted biphenyl, wee first developed in the early lt30i bv the Swann Chemical Co. in An niston, Ala., and later taken over by Monsanto. S**?* tat large cities' in the U.S. and mam othar coun tries use electric transformers containing PCB bacausakisu explosion oroof coolant, allowing tin transformers to be safely od in dently populated arena been quietly moving various products containing it olt the merket By last August, according to William B. Papagtorge, manag er of environmental protection 1 1 . | DDT, can concentrate and travel) through the food chain was dii-1 covered by Swedish scientists in1 1966, when they found the chamlcal in the cercaases of large birds of prey, primarily eagles. Until recently, PCBs were I marketed in some industrial paints, coatings, inks, and in some plastics. Now, because of Monsanto's change in marlcetir* policy, it v " "0 substitute chemlcal with the same properties end switching to e different cooling system, such as air or gaa would mean drastically redejjjgnlnj *** tranaformerf in UM< for Monsanto, the company had Letor stoppad selling it except for use [birds, In closed systems, such as ini.dies. large electric transformers, heat found they found it in ether 1produced only for use as an inn- flsh eod evergreen nee- .latw in capacitors, an electric Since then It hea been device found In home air condl- in man. jtionera; aa a coolant in Irtns-I, "Our entire electrical system depends on it," concluded Paea- ^eorge. "Believe me," he added, If we could get cut of this buei-1 transfer unite end in electric ca In tests on mice. It causae formers; and as a fire resistant 'mas, we would." pacitors. liver demage and birth defects. It was felt that It would be According to Rep. Ryan, fed* highly unlikely that the chemical .era! authorities have already coalo pose a danger when Its use; I had notice of two instances wee restricted to such closed; where state authorities, alarmed systems, Papaceorge explained.] by PCB contamination, have bad But in mid-July a heat ex-j to remove large quantities of chance unit, used in e plaid in' food from tbe market. Wilmington, N.C., In a process In two, he stated, the Gamp- designed to remove the bacteria ball'# goup Company (Uncovered from Imported fish meal, was that a shipment ef chickens it found to be leaking. received from New York state The result wee the possibility that millions of chickens and a nigh one typeof PCbT percentage of other livestock may have been The New York State Depart ling contaminated feed. ment of Agriculture ultimately According to Rap. William P. destroyed 116,000 chickens end Ryan. D-NY. who has baem traced the chemical to plastic studying the effects of the chem "rPP*ng used to package chick ical for two yean, the possibili en teed. Rap. Ryan said. ty of such a danger has been That same year, Rep. Ryan known for many months. said, the OMo State Department, Ryan introduced a bill Monday of Agriculture found reeidut of1 which would ban the sale of PCB in milk. They removed a PCBs In the United States. He large quantity from the market told tho House that ha has urged [ end traced the chemical to a (he Department of Agriculture,1 the secretary of Interior, the En vironmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Admin istration repeatedly to ban PCBs. Today, he called for hearings on his biU end the inaction by Uae federal agencies. Tha linkage In Wilmington, he Id, "tragically illustrates the failure of the federal govern men! to take preventive actioc | against the uneeneolonable um of this deadly chamical." The Nixon admtnlstratlor 1 meanwhile, ie pushing for legle letion that could lead to tlgh> regulation of Industrial cbemi call like PCB. Warren Muir of the Council 01 .Environmental Quality said to ; day that tha PCBs ere foot (example of toxic substances not HONS 032547 adequately covered under exist ing law. Under the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act. the federal government could drew up standards that might regnlate