Document emq16Nr7VXwaByNvLLnK6eMzM

S9-33 wtmm OIT-Of-DOORS Ua 57.000 JUL 1975 (Haig) `600 Chemicals Found In Lake Fish Stale PCB Ban Urged O' o mo 09 Z o High level* of polychlorinated Bay showed a hjghatnwmt of PCBs biphenyls (PCB*) D UlgdiUlBSr in the bird. end trout from the Greet Lakes Commercially raised mink fed have resulted ia the Natural Lake Michigalf salmon have bad Resources Ounmimton ingtog the reproductive failure, and in Legislature to ban the use PCB*. another study mink fed a beef diet The regional director of the inrludkig PCBs did not reproduce. federal Environmental Protection PCB contamination in eggs of Agency also was urged to push for spawning northern pike was the a nationwide baa on the sale, use probable cause of high fry mor and distribution of PCBs. tality in early stages of develop Water Management Bureau ment . Chief Wiliam G. Turney told the Like DDT, PCBs are fat soluble Natural Resources Commission and are concentrated in the fat of last month that the PCB levels in Osh. Sport fishermen in other 'large salmon and trout** remain states have beau advised to eat no wefl ever the Si peris per mglion more titan one meal a week of fish (ppm) allowable ia the pMrfinw suspected of having PCBs. set by the Food and Drug Wisconsin authorities cautioned that pregnant women and children Analyses by the V&. Fish should eat no more than an sad WOttfe Service's Abb average-sized serving of such ffeb Arbor Laboratory shew that s week. the PCB level in Mbs trout Fish fonoi to ranfsto more went frw 1ZJ ppm In MR to than s ppm of PCBs are lake IS ppm to lSR and 23 ppm to trout, hrowa treat, coho aad IIH. chteook salmon mere than U Fish-eating birds are alee af inches is length fected. Severe raproductive faitare The affect of PCBs on humans is has been identified ia Lake Ontario not certain, hot PCBe have proved herring gull colonies; thrnw have harmful ia tests on monkeys. bean imaahrallj high mortalities The FDA has aeimd some of pdi to rocsot yotrs from hipfaonta of fhb Sagtoav Bay and Grand Traverno because of the high levels of PCBs, Bay, aad aa analysis of a dand sad tiw presence of the con boning gall from Grand Traverse taminants to salmon could stall state consideration of setting ex cess salmon. x PCBs are a group of compounds used in s diverse number of in dustrial compounds and processes, including fire-resistant hydraulic fluid*, beat transfer Quids, in sulation in etoctricel transformers and capacitors, as plasticisers, sod qwcialty inks in certain paper products. The Monsanto Chemical Cb., the sole U.S. producer of PCBs, restricted PCB safes to thorn used as transformer and capacitor dielectric fluids, but thfse restrictions have been ineffective ki cwfaiag PCB containinatioo. accortfiag to Turney. . Thirty-nine Michigan industries report using the PCBs in SO dif ferent products. To destroy PCBs, the material must be subjected to temperatures of at toast SOSO degrees Fahrenheit for four seconds, but no inctadermton in Michigan have been cleared for routine PCB rtitpissl. Accordtog to Turney's report, surveys indicate many todustrfes pdd PCBs to other waste sib and dispose sf them thnu0i waste haulers, sad seme apparently use PCB fluids far dust central on roadways and parting tote, stare them to drums or ton times to unapproved incincerators or boilers. PCBs have even bees found to snowfall to Wisconsin, in dicating the material Is carried tkrengh the air. Many PCB discharges are emal, but diffuse aad dUfieuM In trace by carreat wseitartog methois. The report dated that the EPA should urge financial support of additional stmfics on PCB effects on primates with an emphasis on relating the significance of results to potential hazards to humans ponrerning PCBs throufli the food chafe. Here are some of the points summarized in the report: FDA has recently taken seisure- actioo piMt * few shipments of Lake Michigan fish. A new Lake Mlrhigan Toxic Substances Committee was farmed to assess the PCB situation and to make recommendations to EPA. Adverse PCB effects, primarily reproductive fatiire, have been documented in northern pike, fish eating birds, aad in mink fed Lake Michigan f PCB monitoring shows PCB cewtamtoatisn to be obiguitauB at low levels dtificult to trace back te sources of input PCB disposal methods art inadequate and impropw (flspoeal practices are common. PCB'S are present at sigtificaat concentrations even in snowfall. Lake Michigan Ttodc Substances Committee recommendations to EPA stressed the need to search for sale alternatives for PCB tmse and the implementation of a nationwide ban on PCB ante, distribution and use. Other recommendations were for states to implement est--tve educational programs for safe use and Hwrfifag of pcBe durteg tee interim parted leading to baa. Trend analysis of contamination levels should be continued. Ifce report also stated: DDT to lake Michigan fiah continues to decline and is now above the 5 ppm FDA guideline only in large labs trout Mercury levels have teepped below ,tbe IS FDA gtodriins to most Lake 8t Clair area firii but remain above the Umit in walleye. DaeUrfe, which hao avsragad just below tee 0.3 ppm FDA guidefiM to Lake MicMgan lake trout aadchubs faryears, wg over tiw limit to five of sis recent shipments of chubs seised by FDA. ntohtrin and alteto production hag recently been impended by EPA.