Document pB10JYx69X4Xv7pVZK5RZrZ3j

ISuspected Carcinogen Dumped In Fish Beds WASHINGTON (UP!) * - both the Hudson River and federal license. But Cooper The government's top doctor Uke Champlain of high levels said "the rationale for the con has asked the Environmental of polychlorinated biphenyls tinuing license to discharge Protection Agency to stop in* iPCBs) in food fish are of PCBs into water where they dustrlei from dumping a eu* deep concern to us," said Dr. may enter the food chain tpected cancer-causing cheml* Theodore Cooper, the assistant should bo Immediately re ial Into waterbeds where It secretary for health in the De* evaluated. jpntsmlnatei food fish, It was partmfent of Health, Education "While the current state of earned yesterday. . , and Welfare, in a letter to our knowledge as to the bio , "The recent findings in EPA Administrator Russell logical activity of these sub Train. . stances Is not complete, we "THE SOURCE of the PCBs in the Hudson River, at least; seems to be at least in part the discharge of this class of chemicals by. Industrial feel available evidence dic tates that Immediate action should be taken to terminate the diacharge of PCBs," he wrote. plants operating tinder a per* "Such actien would be in mit by EPA for such dis the best Interests of protection charge." of public health and safety by Cooper cited recent but still eventually terminating PCB unpublished studies confirm entry Into tbe food chain and ing that PCBs have been subsequent exposure of the shown to cause cancer in rats. American people/' he said. His office made a copy of tbe letter available to UPI. PCBs are a group of cheml* cal compounds with worldwide > industrial dies. In the United States they are often used la , the manufacture of electrical transformers and capadta* tors. . . Although Cooper did not aay which industrial plants he was , referring to, General Electric plants at Pert Ed-, ward and Hudson Falls, N.Y., ro among the factories that discharge PCBs Into the water In the upstate New York areas he mentioned. PLANTS ARB allowed to dump PCB wastage into wa* terb#du4n amounts limited by AN EPA SPOKESMAN aid OE was . one of "thou sands*' of manufacturers issued discharge permits for various pollutants under the 1972 authority. i He said GE has challenged the terms of a federal permit Uut would have set limits to the . PCB dumping at Its Port Edward and Hudson Pells plants by 1177, and the plants currently may discharge such wastes "as usual" until the dispute is resolved. ' ' Pood and Drug Adminis tration spokesman said sever al recent samplings of salmon, salmon heads and fish oil in the Midwest contained higher levels of PCBs than the PDA allows In fish and shellfish. New York's commissioner of environmental conserva tion. Ogden Reid, hat Issued a public warning against eating I striped bass from the Hudson land Coho salmon from Lake ! Ontario because of the threat. ofPCBpoltoniog. IRE TAMPA lKIBUNE Qtyr (Twtqn* Simm TAMPA. FLA. SUN. 19MH SEP 8 1975 HONS 032760