Document peY7L1NB7ZkVr1nyr40Ejrvkj
LONDON "Time." Dee. 17, 1970
Science Report
Pollution: Sewage killing marine life
The way in which several (on* of
Ihe industrial chemicals polychlor inated biphenyl*. or PCVi are heit dumped caoh year in coastal water* round Britain ia outlined in report ir>m the Freshwater
Fisheries laboratory, Pitlochry*
Scotland.
'
It provide* the pov-'Me explana*
non ot how (hit tubtuoor has been iWr 'y accumulate uffnhnre in mnicirni quantities to harm marine lla.
is earned bv boot to the estuary
and dumpad ia deop water, six mile* south of Cianecti Head, hie of Bute.
It appears that it it in thia pro* cam that ifuantitic* of biphenyls are
betn dispersed in the sea. Prelim* inary estimate* nuggett thet about
a too of PCBs is bmn dumped in the Clyde estuary mis way.
Similar disposal operation* foe Manchester sod London usoioatt that similar quantidae are bain
Anxiety about the spread of
Pi. H has frown over the past two
vc*re with ihe detection oi harm*
rnl IcVttft in tea bird*, aeals and
other marine life. Them chemtcaU
have been conmbutorv earn* of
the death >'( large population* of
mine mldlilr ipccics.
.
PCBs are produced for a wide ' variety of induamal procomee. The imm hkeK- cause of their .spread
seemed to he 'he discharge of fac* ' lory effluent into river* end thence, down to eetuanev But it ha* been difficult to reconcile Out meminply straightforward event with the find ing of biphenyl auhaunoM in car* tern cam* of wildlife death.
The invcuiimtHia *t PiHoehry tuned from an analysis of manna fih und modutcs in BuottiA waters
that showed the kigtot residue* of PC Of to be in samples. taken from the Wnfc of Clyde.
Attempts wore mode to trase dir sours* of pelhliton hy <lam inin ihe vanooft waters dtachargvd
inn* the river at miarvab atow the < hdr to the centre of Ouvgmi.
No dctortatda amount*
ttnind: nor were any appreviehie levefa vhown Mi an examination of
the elHurni from the trunk mwera tarrying the KieHt of treated waMt *ln*harped from many hundreds .*f favtnnca.
In Pm report Mr. A V. Holdm ifa*Bribes bow the mvaeUganon then
dumped in dt# northern Mali fee
tnd the Themes estuary.
.
hjr. Holden suppeM* shut soma
PCBs may be cnlenni the tea directly in ire* where waste <( ditfuirjNsd offshore without treat*
ment, and the disposal of sludge on taod v-ould lead to PCS rcsnlucs entering the terrestrial ecoaysum by transfer through food ohaine. By Pearce Wr%l*. Mtnce Csme poodan RdwTVeL St. Deev I*
worts wh*
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