Document jNw0rp3q4DNdnneKewYY1Zk5

I Or,s REPRINTED FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES, SUNDAY. SEPTEMBER *'/. ' ' * c**n0. C*pyrlt>l 1*71 lot A>Ut lima* hsAnn ' "Seles UItllCs SEP - ' ""Ct.O A NEW CHICKEN AND EGG RIDDLE: PCB POLLUTION Scientists Try to Detect Extent of Buildup in Sea but Lack Essential Clues BY JAMES BASSETT Tlm ttittr What do the slaughter of 77.000 chickens, the destruction of 75,000 eggs, and a worldwide buildup in the sea of a mysterious chemical called PCB have in common? Environmental dangers. The chicken-egg Incident occurred in July and August. But scientific concern over oceanic pollution by PC!H (polychlorinated biphenyl) is just now coming to a head. * Chiefly, liquid PCB is used in industrial heat transfer systems. It is highly valued for its ability to withstand temperatures ranging as high as 1,600 degrees Fahrenheit. And because of its plasticity, it had been used as an additive for sealants, paints, printing Ink and pesticides. Earlier Incident In Japan j U the world's ecological-political community had had a workable early warning system, what hapi pened to the chickens and eggs in 20 Southeastern slates this summer might not have. In 1008, about j 300 Japanese contracted a strange skin disease, and | several died. ; The deaths and illnesses were traced to an in* fusion of PCB into the human system, via a con- j UiinlnaUn) rice oil. j The chickens were poisoned by fish meal spoiled * by PCB from n faulty pipe in the coolant machinery : at the feed factory. | Then, on Aug. 18, the Food and Drug Adniinisi trallon revealed that GO,000 eggs containing toxic j PCB eluded federal inspectors and reached Wash- Jj inglon, D.C., grocery stores. Meanwhile, alerted to the lethal problem, a special : panel of the National Academy of Science, headed , by Dr. Kdward I). Goldberg, chemistry professor j at Srrfpps Institution of Oceanography at La Jolla, has urged an all out survey of the extent to which ! PCB has polluted the seas. i HONS 031755 Percentage of PCB Rises Goldberg told The Times that preliminary studies indicate that oceanic fish and plankton (which fish eat) now contain a higher percentage of PCM. More over, PCB molecules are more "persistent" Mongerlived) than DDT, whose effect on nsh and bird}, i relatively well known. Twenty-five per cent of all the DDT manufactured since its development in the 1910s remains In the world's seas and lakes. But DDT in itself is not harmful to human beings. How much PCB has escaped into the seas through the atmosphere, rivers, sewers and dumping is noi known, because its production Is a trade secret. But Goldberg suspects that it is considerable. "The more the problems are studied," his panel said, "the more unexpected effects are identified. In view of the findings of the past decade, our pre dictions of the potential hazards of chlorinated hydrocarbons in the marine environment may be vastly underestimated. Thus the national academy recommended: --Mounting a "massive national effort" to force an Immediate, drastic cutback in the escape of per sistent toxicants into the environment, with the ultimate goal "victual cessation" as soon as possible. --Setting up programs to determine the entry rates of pollutants Into the earth's waters, and find out where these pollutants finally end up: in sea lift*, marine plants, etc. "These should be followed by a program of monitoring long-tern* trends It* order to record progress and to document possible disaster." --Examine and probably revise laws governing the registration of chemical substances in view of "evidence of environmental deterioration caused by some of (them)." That Is the crux of the matter today. Will Not Give Figures Despite laboratory tests that show the deleterious effects of the PCIJ-type substances, the sole ITS. 1 manufacturer of PCU substances, Monsanto Chemi cal Co., has declined to release its production figures, although scientists have long l>ccn requesting such data, according to the academy panel's report. When The Times contacted a Monsanto official In St. Ixmis. It was learned that the firm has acknowl edged the problem to the extent of confining PCB's use totcloscd electrical systems under what was. termed '`strict controls." No longer will it be em ployed uh an additive fur sealants, paints and other products. Recently Monsanto ullocaled $2 million to Its environmental control division to tackle the PCB pollution problem. U has already banned "uncon trollable" PCH Items in Great Rritain, where Mon santo uiso is the solo manufacturer. "Two years ago," said one European cont|>any official, "the sea gull problem was a Joke in this building. Gradually, we slopped laughing." - Can Only Guess Rut, asks Goldberg, how much has already been produced by Monsanto during the past four decades? Unless such institutions like Scripps obtain this in* formation, they can only guess. From these foggy figures they can then try to determine the amount now contained in the oceans and what the future fallout may be. There is some optimism, though, that a better notion of PCB's prevalence may soon be gained by a six-member federal task force, including re presentatives from such bodies as the Council on Environmental Quality, the Environmental Protec tion Agency, the Pood and Drug Administration and the Agriculture Department. . The Department of Health, Education and Welfare earlier this month made a quiet announcement of the project, which specifically centers on the PCB issue. Monsanto has said it will cooperate. Rut Goldberg, while allowing that this is a move In the right direction, calls It "only a microstep." Some recognized, non-governmental scientific group should have the information, so that extensive and impartial tests can go forward, he said. While his academy panel recognized the economic reason for trade secrecy, and a firm's proprietary Interest in an exclusive product, It added: "We also feel that there are times when it is not In the public Interest for government to maintain as privileged data thut are necessary for research Into the sUte of our environment and for on assess ment of its condition." Single Laboratory The acudcmy therefore asked that the law be amended so that noninvolvcd scientists can over come this "obstacle to effective environmental man agement." Especially, said the panel, as regards polychlorinated hydrocarbons (like PCB). "By utilizing a single laboratory to manage the program," Goldberg and his colleagues noted, "dif ficulties in standardization and in sample prepara-, lion and handling can be minimized." A group of Nobel scientists has joined in that plea with a message to the United Nations Confer ence on the Human Environment, to be held next spring: "Some pollutants, especially (substances like DDT and PCH), and also lead arc distributed globutKvta the atmosphere. Their concentrations may roach levels sufficient to damage ecosystems (a community of ecological and physical components taken as a unit) irreversibly on u worldwide scale before the damage is recognized." ' Should ISc Curtailed The Nobel group, like Goldberg and the acadcmv. want a thorough study of "their origins and ultimate sinks as well as their routes through the food webs and 'effects on the ecosystem, including myn." Their entry into the seas should lx? ''curtailed to every practical extent, even if this renuires re strictions on production and use," the NoM group said. Since PCH Is also manufactured in Japan, Russia and several European countries, it would apiiear that the 1072 U.N. conference olfers the best pus sible chance of attacking a diificuli global problem globally. Goldberg said that Japan turns out approximately 10,000 tons of PCH annually. Based on each coun try's gross national product, he added, that would mean that Monsanto could be making .'>0.000 tons a year. That, however, is only an educated guess. Goldberg admits. The company neither confirms nor denies that figure. In Science magazine, official publication of the American Assn, for the Advancement of Science. University of California research ecologist Robert Risebrough, an authority on PCB, declared this month that contaminants in PCB arc ` among the most poisonous comtiounds known." Half of Shrimp Died Half of the shrimp exposed to one part per mil lion of the chemical died during a record Florida environmental agency lest. The same article reports that Monsanto technicians found "no adverse effects" when rats were given doses of PCB as high as 100 ppm. Risebrough said that in "our throwaway society" PCBs will ultimately become wastes that drift into the environment--and eventually the fowl chain itself. According to Science, the FDA has set an "interim guideline" of 5 ppm of PCB "as safe for human consumption of poultry." But scientific nonbelievers rate the federal guide line as "unfounded and arbitrary.'' Says Risebrough: "Five parts per million is just a number. I'm sure FDA pulled it out of the air." In rebuttal, an FDA spokesman Insisted the stan dard was determined from the "best scieniine in formation possible " Whereas the data (ov "short term exposure" Is not complete, he concluded, the FDA must go on what information it possesses. "We can't be held accountable for every damn chemical," he told Science. So the schism exists--and grows--among the scientific community, government and private in dustry. That is wliat spooks men like Goldberg and Rise brough. The Scripps marine chemist calls the poten tial PCB danger "frightening." He says massive detective work" has to lie done. soon, ami the real clues aren't yet available. MONS 031756