Document zKK50L8n7LobregkE3JQbx1a

He Knoxville News-Sentinel KNOXVILLE. THIN. D. 108,750 SUN. 182,255 AUG 2 61975 Toxic PCBs Spark Alarm By ANN MeFEATTERS KrWi'NiwM Staff UfrttW WASHINGTON - Federal officials, alarmed by danger* ously high level* of a group of toxic chemicals found in fish, may act to restrict the chemi* cals' use. But they will not ban them aa other countries have done. The chemicals are called polychlorinated biphenyls -- PCBs. They have been widely used since 1916 in manufacture ing processes auch as the making of electrical trans* formers. PCBs now appear to be widespread in the nation's lakes and river* where the manufacturers dump them. Earlier this month consum ers were warned not to eat striped bass from the Hudson River in New York or salmon from Lake Ontario because of unsafe levels of PCBs. Also fish broucht from Wisconsin to stock lakes in St. Louis. Mo., were found to be con taminated with 10 times the safe level of PCBs. All fish in five lakes in the city had to be destroyed. In May the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seized 124,8)2 15.5-ounce cans of coho salmon from Lake Michigan and MSO frozen Lake Michigan salmon because of PCBs con tamination. Although PCBs have caused liver damage in test animals, the potential long-range-threat to humans is not known. PCBs build up in the human body. The only clinical experience came in 1968 when 1000 Japa nese ate rice oil contaminated by PCBs and developed dark ened skins, eye discharge and severe aene. Sixteen deaths from that incident have been attributed to PCBs, but this has not been proven. Russell E. Train, adminis trator of the Environmental t ,Protection Agency <EPA) called a meeting for later today of his top aides to set public policy. HONS 030003