Document wgRkXagrkamE2n1n4zR5pkxM6

m MACHSOW, lOKW OUIOCMT a 7735 SEP 3 7 1979 </* IN WASHINGTON Martha Angle and Robert Walters Persistent, prevalent PCBs By Martha Ae<k aad Baton Walters WASHINGTON (NBA) With apologias le composer Woody GuUirie, here's a new lies lor one of tee country's bestknown fort sontK "Prom the redwood forests to the Golf Stream waters, inte land it soaked with PCB PCBs are polychlorinated biphenyls, a family of toxic, high ly persistent industrial chemicals that have caeeed liver dam age and birth defects in laboratery animals. Ths rodwood forssta span the southern coast of Oregon, here a commercial bakery recently discovered that it ned purchased - and now moat destroy - JO.MO PCB-contatninaiad tep Ths Gwf Stream watsrs wash ths west coast of Florida, whors a chemist recently found s marked decline in the poten tial fertility of youeg men that appeared to bo rotated in part (o PCB traces found in the subjects' sperm. This month's reports of Ptfi contamination aren't limited to those two statso. In Franklin. Idaho, a pooltry company is i the preessa of destroying more than MS.000 eontamtoated In Clinton. Iowa, a pocking company is destroying ths most from MOW mare ehishsns, all purchased from tbs Idaho firm. In Richmond. Utah, PCB traces have bom foond in 7S.000 frown cakes that also moat be destroyed. In Billings, Mant.. federal health officials have tsnvsrged on a hog processing firm whew meat meal byproduct ka ma th* country's northwest owdrant becsese the \ pony mllo IM.dM to MlflM pounds of a ` ihrougheot Washington, Oraum, V-------North Dohou and fiothDahr The Florida expartooeo. described at lhe mid-heptembm anmtai moating of the Americao Chemical Society, led reeeorchan to conclude that U percent of a groep of male college studonts involved in the otody oofforod from funetteual sterility. Other scientleta roportod at the American Chemical Society the Great Lakes. Feed prodocts confiscated. destroyed or kenned by federal officiate hecaoaa of PCB contamination dtecovsrsd te the ear ly l*7s iadode the following: mare lhaa tOt.OM eggs in Vkr- uaie and North Caroline. S&d.MO pounds of turkey roll in Sooth Carolina, MOM tnrlMye te Mlnnoooia and SM.eee chickone te Mateo. Now York and North Caroltea. There's more. Now York's Hudson lUvor, Alabama's streams and Labe Michigan wore found to have sack htgh lamia of PCBa that risking to thaaa waters waa banned. MBk contamination baa boon reparted in West Virginia and Okia Meanwhile, the compwy that was the sole U.S. pradocsr aad marketer af PCBa for aimaat half a century la bvaiiy prepeganditteg the pubilc about the reel and imagined glertea The Mocaflue Gn of Si. Lotus finally halted its prediction of PCBa (said ondar the Aracier trade name) in the autumn of 1*77 - bat not until rt had produced enough of tht toxic lipoid te float an ontiro navy. Monsaoto ha* claimed te recent yean that it always waa concerned about tea danears paced by PCBa and "has mam every effort'' to koap the puhUc informed about the basard*. But when tee three! of PCBs ww first dtecleeed hi tee early 1170s, Memento denigrated those revelatione as mere "peiitt- cal.charges and sonaetlewl hwdlteee ... team tactics and sen- The company new has mounted an anteUloue and expensive advertising campaign designed te dsmsnetrate teat ebamieala are valuable. if aottedtspenoshls. to modem Ufa. toes of chemieait I from proaervativos to firefighting wtillaunt* --- ----- i the product that the natioo for many decados to eomo - PCBa.