Document wDeVGqpZDBB9XQDNqeX8KmNRD

iKnKMATIOMAl PuafrCuTTTNO Kueiau X i..!>aiOft Own, London, S.W.l, Eitrtct from Econonuu, London _______ u OEC 1969_______ Pollution Within the law xT\ Lethal levli of chemical pollution have cauied the death of 10,000 tea birdi washed up in the Irish Sea over the put two montkf. The chemicals, derived front chlorine and known at PCBt, are used in plastics, pa bis and cosmetics and turn up b many industrial effluents The normal concentration of PCBi b most animal life is around ten pens in a mSBdn but concentrations twenty times as high are being found in the dud birds. Sadly, it is not possible to point to any accidental or illegal dumping of the chemical that could explain tne deaths like it explained the death of fish b the Rhine. It seems that the pollution hu built up entistly within the framework of the law. 1 -- The royal commission to look into the .pollution of the environment, which the Prbte Minister announced on -Tbetradsy, I will concern itself with how far the law should be changed, and like all royal commissions, is likely to take its time. Tat y more immediate issue is whether the-7 existing law is being enforced as wall as U might. The answer is almost certainly that it a not, Twelve different departments at present dabble in the subject; the most , important of them, corning under the aegis of the Ministry of Housing and Load, Government, being tbe river authorities. Almost all the ^500 million gallons afj 'water that are daily polluted by domestic or industrial use pour into riven and tidal, waters.- And, the- law leaves k to each' authority to decide wnat levels of pollution, it will allow. Them are eg rim authorities; they all act independently,' are all subject to local pressures, and so far have been slow to use anything like tbe full powers given to them under the Clean Rivers Act of 1961, Some even complain that the equipment needed to measure the chemicals In their water it too expensive to buy. So the situation could be even worse than we suspect, This it where some action is going to be expected of Mr Anthooy Crotland t new ministry ; he is already setting up two advisory panels, on* for farm chemicals in the post-DDT era and another for noise. MONS 030374 * *- 7; % \ i;* j > f-VjX7' 7^*1' - * - 4 *1 * - Vt ' u DK*_.,____ tPT~ ^Newport-made -PCB in dead -- r * ' , r'J*u ' - V , ' > w sea birds',1 "4nr ,T ^ rv- ,, AfONSANTO CHEMICALS whose Newport works ~x Is Europe's sole producer of the chemical PCB --trews of which have beta found in hundreds of dead sea birds washed up oa the north-west coast-- claimed today that their own tests had shows the -SAub-.sct..aonmcepawn^ays--"sp>ao*phkteeJasdkmJHlfahBnlxJtp^t.ox'l1e`.**;** ,l.llprl-'1' . ' - ' * 1 '*" 1 "" said the information had been obtained durian a re steeramrcihneproetrhaemmebiotloogidcael effects of deliberate -doses oa various forms of wild- *"# including Bsh. 1 Vjokwbowartyi Mmau.alts*cuoye-#Mmmaseri i uti. **ta *l*siy-d*y snwlyj r rats (ban wtrv no aSvsn*1 sCsctf wtMr* taadlasa W oolo 109 sart* *or snflUoo worn aO rrt*iAlietSifttia tha mm o.r On <- -tbblertr*o iwsbslcoktbbtomf toMpsesatsfetmhaet lbs tbooricw tmni1 tlfetr .- 'Impossible n* sate ta *? * ruiatUn cnatamed/'m .rjoAam. aUboefb U wsulSbsr* Ufemt&so- *nolhtowsSltswlptoosskfiem* fue M IthowioO *SW*ort. - T--IM --ssc>Uml Iaff t]ko ytssU at NfaMeewtsprOotsrntu*mrciosacsoior*aooodoi Mltwwsiiatohttofmec adtaito-r ,*oPrt,C"*. or p-otysblottSMtsS W; l1o1fhs1csmianporoidtssxstgattavis.hrpIetiliytUtliesnsM.tbUs mamiinsmts., eSksstvM snd u a taiWatinj |uM^ ter Aeloetrtcsl swriptoont > ^ndb 4ArIl-iCfaSMMoaffnIiliiuts"Nno'sse--Srktwwosvccspsl*skssuao^orsss*arrw--aSqttwraoafMUTetrOUssmMrbC_tslo_lnb*Tlr_nsdosu_dynS*irssndNimhp?snsonmt*trostnt*bsuirier.s-.i Is*tto*ibla*gt?o ;l2usJfrnSv {T.----1, ovMesM wo kami that It wst nsponstWo (or tbolr Suias," a* mM.i * _UnajpformrtotnoiitwUtify ttnhcenn mts ' -pK rnasb*soil utisttabonm*sseUxaanac*t oalovrvsaeO&)asbaal#ost wbteb PC* bscoaos taxlc to sm HONS 030375 V