Document mmLXkz2roZomkj7G3ME9EZ16Z

t OEC 1981 HONS Oil660 Environmental Roundup Nm Study Raise* Doubts About Eariitt Work on Health Effects of fCB# In o Nprr rvbrtnl in mU-Srplrmbn. Wllkem R. Geffev. an epMfmiokc tosf with Munwnlo Co., made public Hie findings of examinations of M epi demiologic studies of human exposure to polychlorinaledbiphenyls The result. of the piper ire tun to prove controversial in me current regu latory aetting. in which the Environ- I Protection Agency I* engaged in fort to revile PCB regulations which were overturned by the federal Court of Appeals for the District of Cotumbia In 1M0. Galley concluded, after examining the 24 studies: A/tcratisas tn liter and fee arrtsMwn arrrejbmnf in meet studies that exemimed Here jmetiem, M there was no daticnf flnrss eeetewted with there aftrratasrv tr with level and duration of exposure to PCjr. Stadia vf mahvlity rata in ex- fvetd pspulslions bow sboron no pattern el omen dmlils nfatrd to PCS exposure. For many years, PCBs have been te emed of causing illnesses ranging from acne to cancer. Widely used to heatresistant dielectric fluids for transform ers and capacitors, as weB as hydraulic systems and electrical motors, PCBs are not biodegradable. Only recently have acceptable methods of PCS destruction been developed, through btcfneralfon at exceedingly high temperatures or through a chemical process which tare Into harmless components. The push to eRndnele PCBa from the envi ronment was given strong loapetus when Congress passed the Trade Sub stances Control Act (TSCA) in 1976. TSCA gave broad regulatory authority over chemicals to the EPA. but men tioned only one specific chemical as a target for regulation: PCBs. Behind the regulatory and lecMatlvc drive to regulate was a aeries of animal PCBs. CaHry did MM idunpt to review every Mich atudy, but concentrated on if nT*1 n mtiain. t) Studies of accidental heavy expo- sum to PCBs and reeufting acute and chronic effect*. - 2} Studio* of Ihe itlstipnshlp be tween exposure to PCBs and the resulting body burden of PCBs fai serum or adipose tissue. 3) Shkttes done because the popula tions to guerdon were known or swyectsd to be exposed to PCBs. Gaffey chafscterfaed other ttudfc*, par ticularly dfcicri rtudte* of the effect* of heavy exposure to PCBs, as "extremely useful to Identifying the Undo of effects tost should be studied." He did not review such audios. ho\vmt, H-vjusa* those studies "tk not address the quesMon of the risk of incurring such ef fects." Accidental Heaxy Exposure There were two studies of such expo sure reviewed by Gaffcy. In toe first. Involving 14 workers to a plant where process chance had introduced an un specified PCB compound Into toe plant environment, Caffey agreed that seven of the 14 had developed chloracne as a result of their exposure to the PCB com pound. The sene condition later disap peared upon treatment, while Improved plant controls prevented any further recurrence. The second "heavy exposure" Inci dent Is the now-famous "Yusho inci dent" to which a thousand Japanese Suffered tttotss after eating cooking oil which had been contaminated with Kanechlor 400, a PCB compound manu factured In Japan. The symptoms In cluded hyperptgmcntatton. acne-like le sions, discharge from the eyes, central nervous system symptoms, vomiting and diarrhea. Ntoe of ten babies bom to women involved at Yusho displayed hyperpigmentatfon and increased eye mschsrgM, although these symptoms later disappeared. Among the Yusho patients, an Increase in cancer deaths wss noted, exceeding the norm for torn locality. Nevertheless, Caffey concludes the mftetionahip of these symptoms and ef fects of PCBs Is Nghly questionable fora mimlisr of seasons. Vito regard to toe cancer deaths, Caffey nows that toe criteria for diagnosis of Yusho had changed after the original incident, so tost to determining percentages of can cer deaths it was impossible to deter mine how the etrfier researchers were able to reach thefr conclusions. Second ly, In compering Yueho cancer deaths to cancer deaths in toe immediate locality, no adjustments had been made for age. FtoaBy, toe tone from exposure to death was less than ten years, which Gaffcy concluded "assy weff be too short a period for cancers resulting from the exposure to show up." The most Important evidence throw ing the Yusho incident into s new light, however. Is more recent reanstysis of toe cooking off Ingested by toe victims. These more recent examinations of oil showed tost PCBs were not the only contaminants. In fact, polychlorinated dbensofortm (PCDFs) and polychlori nated quarter-phenyls (PCQs) were In gested to amounts roughly equivalent to toe amount ofPCBs consumed by the victims. Not only does this feet snake It difficult to establish any dear mac and-effect relationship. It also makes it nearly ImpossMe to generaBae on lower level environmental or occupational ex posure lo PCB.. hard on (he role of PCBs in the Yusho incident. Cevirimmenltl Irttfe evd My Bvrdnr Coffey believes Dial epidemiological studies on this topic have deariy shown that there la a relationship between Hie amount of PCBa in btooa and fatty Hasue and Ihe amount of PCBs in Hie environment to which thee subject are exposed. Once expoeure to PCBa Is eliminated or decreased, however. Hie decrease in Hie body', burden el PCBa la not conairlent. Gaily caimot npfato conclusively Ihtse toconeittsiichs. bill does point to e number of ponBilr fac tors: 1) Inconsistency may be due to the short observation periods in Mate of the studies. 2) Inconsistency may be due todWerencts to Hie average aether of chlorine noiecuka to die PCBs to- estabBsh a lelalinwtldp bilwrtn the amount of PCBa to Hie body and die of exposure to PCBs. WMfa this be due to ihe confusing cdects of a subject's tee and sex. It also could be due Id the dwcxences to the tetaboisaa of high and low-chlorinated PCBa Moee highly chlorinated PCBa ase non Italy to accumulate to adipose or fatly issues than see the has highly thfaftomd PCBs. tfHtmUofc Stotts ef PCBs emi Jfaritt In reviewing these toffies. Csdry dtvided hfa exandnatton riaag fat* af of haatth elects. efeett. There is peat df- ' chloraoie. to de- -- v _f he tak ing such ifatrtitnkttont. to spit* af these obstacles. Cadcy beBeves that the ' " t ateongly nigaiil Hiat chloeacne ner when PCBbtood tcvela exceed ' 130-200 peris per baton. Be ' .dim also sppeat lobe chlorinated blood PCB facto*. fimeUem. Tbto is one heaHh eBect Mi MB WIBOT BVMBM Wf imoting tor uptorioupf PCBi. Yet when he rcviewcu nine neffn on tole perticuier effect. Gaffcy concluded poeure to PCI*. In toe other five Mudiei, tome mfld Bver cbciormelihM wese noted, but none of them mold be mem dated with any adverse healto effect*. Fet metabolism. Caffey not toat moat rtudfc* have worialed PCB rxpoouie w- *u.n Inavu-na .u-q iajnx_.n.aQe.U. a X-MS _ O. Ma IhWflMlIW iWMt component emulating offatty add*. Hi* data remaina foconaiatent however, and Gaffey condudaa that "If PC* expoeure haa aoane affect an let meteboffam, It appean to be without any apparent ennical aignlffcance." Rood ond Uood frasurt. One itudy haa reported a "atenUkant aaaodation be tween diaatonc blood preaaure and Mood PCBe," but Gaffey baMavaa that, becauae there wat no control group with which to compare the aubjects and alnce thia war the only ttudy to report a rtlationaNp, the algnliicance at the atudy't ftndinga are not dear. CarcKaqgenicafy. Of the four atudiaa devoted apedficaSy to thia health dak, Gaffey flnda that no ttudy agreea with any other, therefore demonatrattng that one of A* prime reaubementa for an acceptable cancer atuay repealibtltty b lacking. In eeveral of die atudka. other potential cardnogtnk aganta could Mvt been preaent, Indudlng cig arette amoking, but there fedora were not accounted foe by the atudlee- hone ahady which reported an exceaa of Kver cancer deatha among wotkera at a ca pacitor plant, the deatha were tnverrdy rebled to duration and ktency of poaure. Occupational cauaatkm would Mteiefcre appear unlkely. ' WI amhlCe^adir acapmnooLvaoalcM* vH^Tf awhat BOM* tog **A> not show the agreement that would lead one to infer an exceaa tiak of cancer." ieqwrtaacr of Gofcf't Wort Gaffey doee not equivocate In aumming up hk fcuknga. He aaguca that IW BpMMDWMOBC RHM MM Ml Mgk occupation^ mpoaucta to PCh may caoae dctmoMtla of vaaiouo Undo, but that Owie arc no other dMeriy obactvabk affacta. Indudlng the occur rence of cancer." Gaffey haa not conducted any now leaaaecii, nor haa he demonatrated that KBa aax bannleaa or relatively harmkaa. The bnpcetance of hk paper k that It kya open to aeriouo queation aome of the adentlfc undatpfnwnga of the curaent PCS leguMone. aa wei aa the baata of Sec 6(e) of the Toxic Subetancee Control Ad. b unlkely tut hk report wffl re ceive e eery worm reception erlthln cerkki environmental groupa or perhapa von wffhin fftc Intnaonmcnki hotre* Uon Agency. Nevtrthrleaa, ttnea BPA k currently attempting to repefr the damagaa dona to b PCS ragukffona by anvironmentaikts' legal challengea, Caffiy'a aeport b pertkukriy Mutely. Thtre b no doubt that Mr Bruflnga, aaul m nimM npin incrufi rat k raked and muat be anawered. If ffw PA b to aatabllah teguhthma that are both adentiAcaffy welffounded and ca pable of wtthetandbig Judkial acrutiny. . --BodcrickT. Dwyai