Document ymRpB7yXv9X0rm40XZMe4wGQ3

,DATE: MARCH 1 1972 Sales Information Bulletin No. 72 SUBJECT: PROPOSED TOUGHER LEGISLATION ON PCBs Attached is an article from the Wall Street Journal of March 6 on tougher legislation for PCBs being proposed by U.S. P.D.A. 1. P.D.A.'s plan would ban the use of PCBs in all applications except dielectrics. 2. P.D.A. is expected to set PCB level at 5 ppm in food pack aging materials (recycled or otherwise). This will take into account the "background1' level of PCB already in the envi ronment. 3. Tougher PCB levels will be set for foods. Proposals are: Infant food Eggs Pish Poultry Milk 0.1 ppm 0.5- ppm 5.0 ppm 5.0 (in fat, not the whole bird - therefore a lot tougher) may be "toughened" below 0.2 4. Proposed restrictions would be issued for 60-day comment period and then republished, probably for an immediate effective date. Thus these significant restrictions are likely to be no more than 90 days away. Please publicize this information as widely as you can. It now appears Monsanto's voluntary ban helped industry by giving them lead time that they won't get from the government. c ..... ... Cumming Paeon cs Attachment DSW 183185 Monsanto STLCOPCB4051076 10 THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, Monday, March 6, 1972 FDA to Propose Tighter Limits on PCBs In Effort to Cut Potential Health Hazard By Jonathan Spivak packaging ipaterials don't allow any PCBs. But Staff Reporter of The Wall Street Journal WASHINGTON - The Food and Drug Ad-, ministration soon will propose significant re-1 strlctions on polychlorinated biphenyls, or this standard was set before the problem was known and hasn't been enforced. FDA officials thus were faced with either enforcing the exist ing total ban or establishing a new limit. PCBs, an Important industrial chemical The proposed limit can be met by more care deemed to pose potential health dangers. ful manufacturing control and by eliminating The agency, worried about PCBs contami use of some contaminated paper for recycling, nating food and food packaging, intends to es FDA experts insist. The packaging limit would tablish new limits on the amount of PCBs these keep possible contamination of contained foods products may contain. Moreover, to prevent to a fraction of a part per million, they say. such contamination, the FDA also will propose The agency is expected to also propose a banning most industrial uses of the chemical in limit of 0.1 part per million in infant food. "In plants that process or make food, feed or pack fants take in more food per unit of weight and aging materials. are also more sensitive," argues one official. PCBs are made in the U.S. only by Mon Tougher Poultry Ruling santo Co. They are used widely in electrical An existing administrative restriction of equipment as heat transfer agents and in var five parts per million for poultry will be tight ious other industrial applications because of ened to make it five parts per million in the fat their conducting properties and lack of flam rather than the whole bird. This change effec mability. However, the chemical persists in the tively would decrease the permitted levels as environment after use, and high doses have much as 10 times, agency experts explain. It dam&geu test animals' livers. Scientists are would mean tnat when accidental contamina unsure of iis risks to humans at low levels and tion of turkeys and chickens occurs, usually with long-term exposure, but are eager to mini through PCBs finding their way into feeds, mize any possible hazard. many more birds would be seized and de The new FDA proposal probably will call stroyed by federal officials. for limits on PCBs in baby foods and poultry, Existing administrative restrictions of five as well as packaging, and reaffirm existing re parts per million in fish and 0.5 parts in eggs strictions in other foods. The ban on food-re would be continued as formal regulations, lated factory use would formalize restrictions while a limit of 0.2 parts per million in milk Monsanto is applying voluntarily, so it proba could be toughened. bly won't reduce further the company's PCB sales. The restrictions would rule out the chem These proposals still need final review by icals' use in heat exchangers, as a lubricant, in Charles Edwards. FDA Commissioner, but the hydraulic fluids and fc*- other purposes except agency's course appears clear. The proposed in electrical systems where PCBs can't leak restrictions would be issued initially for a 60- out and contaminate other materials: day comment period and then would be repub Limits on Packaging lished. probably to take effect immediately. One of the chief issues is the restrictions on When concern with PCB contamination packaging materials and packaged food. Last mounted, Monsanto voluntarily restricted its fall, PCB levels ranging up to 433 parts per use. The company no longer sells it for applica million were found in food packaging made tions where it can escape into the environment. from recycled paper. Much of the contamina But the FDA insists Monsanto's PCB sales in tion was found to result from the chemicals' the U.S. already have been reduced about as use in carbonless carbon paper, which then much as they will be. was recycled into packaging materials. This use has been discontinued. But FDA experts The regulations primarily would affect ma say PCB levels ranging up to 10 parts per mil kers and users of packaging materials. FDA of lion have been found in virgin pulp. ficials argue the packaging industry can meet The FDA feared the chemical might mi the five-part-per-million restriction with suffi grate from the packaging into the foods. While cient care, and it will provide adequate public the contamination level found last fall in dried protection. "When people are watching it (PCB foods, particularly cereals, was far lower than contamination) it can be kept below five parts that in the package, FDA officials announced per million,". argues one federal official. The they would consider regulatory action. agency insists that if the restriction were set The new proposals are expected to limit below five parts per million the packaging PCBs to five parts per million in any food companies couldn't meet it. Moreover. It's at packaging material, recycled or otherwise. that level that the problem of transfer to foods Current regulations for reclaimed fibers and first becomes apparent. DSW 183186 STLCOPCB4051077