Document em0LjEeoBkEwge4eNLzy9wxOm

BAKER. Dm. DEMOCRAT HERALD B-ICOO may 101973 tyu U-; ' j "' PCB relief on the way? y.Wi* ' 'WASHINGTON (UPI) -- The scattered farms In a lew states, ln- '] Senate Agriculture Committee, has eluding parts at Ohio, Kentucky and tentatively approved an indemnity : Tennessee. On time farms, a cornprogram for dairy farmers whose ` pound inrhiding PCBs was applOd to pending in the Senate committee would not repay farmers for ioaaea suffered in.the past, but it would in demnify producers if PCB residues milk may become contaminated-- the inner walla of concrete silos appear in (heir milk in the future. through no fault of the farmer--with residues of a chlorinated hydrocarbon chemical called PCB. The program, if approved by Congress, is expected to coat com paratively little. This is because rules of PCBs for use in silo-sealing com pounds on dairy farms were halted nearly three years ago by the sole U S. manufactwer of the chemical, Monsanto Chemical Co. The material baa not been available for use in silos before scientists discovered the chemical could migrate from the walls into the silage feed fed to dairy cows. Several farmers in Ohio, as a result, were forced to halt marketing of their milk for a time until PCB residues dropped to within safe tolerance levels. Because PCBs are extremely long lasting, the National Milk Producers G.F. Fries, an Agriculture Department scientist, said in a study of the problem last fall that there was no reaeon to be particularly con cerned about the effects of the residues on the health of the general public. Although residues above a low guideline limit are banned in market milk. Fries said any contaminated mUk which escaped detection was bring greatly diluted with dean milk. since mid 1970. Federation pointed out that silos Even n consumer drinking only milk Agriculture Department experts say problems growing out of use of PCBs arose several years ago on treated with the chemical because its use was halted could still contaminate feed in tbs future. The lagialatiou from acontaminated herd would need to consume it ateadily for IS to 20 yean to get the quantity of PCB which--when consumed in e single, concentrated dose in rice oil- produced problems including sees and eye discharge in a group of Japanese consumers, Frias added. Fries said even this comparison probably overstatss tht degree of risk to American consumers since the PCBs iavolved in the Japenaaa ia- cidaot may have rtmlelnid highly . toxic contaminants. I E V 0 6 9 0 SNDH