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Page One, THIS NEW YORK TIMES F R I D A Y , AUGUST 8, `..975 State Says Somo. S I:riped Bass And Salmon Pose a Toxic Peril by Richard Severo State officials warned consumers yesterday not to eat striped bass from the Hudson River or salmon from Lake Ontario because Federal and state researchers have found that the fish contain dangerously high amounts of PCB, a toxic chemical used in n wide range of manufacturing processes. The "warning was issued by Ogden R. Reid, the State Environment,i.l Conservation Commissioner and Dr. Robert P . Whelan, the State Health Commissioner. "I don't want t:o be an alarmist," Mr. Reid said, "but this is a question of public health." The warning is essentially a regional on e . Striped bass from the Hudson River can be bought many miles away. H: is not possible to tell just by looking at the fish if it contains PCD. Hr. Reid said his advisory would remain in effect at least until they were able to determine the full scope of the problem, which ho is'"fearful".m a y .involve more than just striped bass or salmon. (continuation from p. 56, IKE NEW YORK TIMES) Mr. Reid's restraint, was endorsed by Dr. Michael M. Baden, deputy chief medical examiner of New York City. "I think it is important," he said, "that the preliminary findings not frighten -anyone, because they must'be more fully evaluated to determine what risks there are to humans in the concentration found." In Use Since 1930 The chemical in question is polychlorinated biphenyl, more commonly known as PCB. It has been in use since 1*930 in the manufacture of plastics, paints, electrical transformers, printing ink, caulking compounds and hydraulic fluids. It is similar in molecular structure to DDT and is not readily soluble in water but' highly soluble in fats. Like DDT it is a chlorinated hydrocarbon, the dangers of v/hich were voiced by the late Rachel Carson in the early nineteen sixties. But not until the last five years' has a broad spectrum, within the scientific community begun to warn of VCD's perils. It has already been banned in Canada and Britain. 729448 NEV 021393 --2 In the United Slates, where i.t is nwmifacLured only by Che Monsanto Chc'mlcal Company, Fedora], .standards say that any food containing more than 5 parts per million of PCBs is unsafe to cat. In recent, weeks. Federal researchers tested 1.31 shiner minnows and throe rock bass from the Hudson River at Fort Edward and Hudson Falls, about 50 miles north of Albany, and near two General Electric plants that have dumped PCBs into the water. The rock bass contained 350 parts per million of PCB and the minnows 78 parts per million. Testing Is Continued The Federal researchers reported their findings to Mr. Reid, who ordered his staff last Monday to continue and amplify the testing. Six striped bass caught near the Tappnn Zee Bridge, less than 20 miles from New York City, had an average, of 5.7 parts per million of PCB in their flesh. One had 37 parts per million. Mr. Reid says he's sure that General Electric's discharges into the river have contributed to the PCB problem and that other companies are involved. Some fish caught north of Hudson Falls also contained PCB. "1 have asked our counsel to contact Monsanto and got from them as quickly as possible'a list of their customers in New York State," Mr. Reid said. G.E., which lias a permit to dump some toxic wastes into the river, lias closed the two plants in question for summer vacation and will reopen them Aug. .18. Robert Paul of G.E.'s communityrelations department: at the Fort Edward plant, said, "We don't put PCBs into the river intentionally. But we live in a real world, and it is going to take time to solve the problem." Mr. Reid has also ordered his staff to start checking quality of drinking, water at various points in the .state. Poughkeepsie, for example', takes its drinking water directly out of the Hudson River, and., no water purification process known can remove PCBs . There are no data to suggest that eating fish from New York water has caused either illness or dentil. A spokesman for the Federa 1 Environments 1 Protection Agency said yesterday that physicians did not: normally check for PCBs. This was confirmed by Dr. Baden. NEV QZ139<* -more- 729449 I --3 "Checking for this kind of compound in body'tissues nt present is a research project: and is not done in routine post mortem studies here or anyplace else in the country that I'm aware of," Dr. Baden said". Featured At Restaurants It is difficult to assess how many people have eaten the various fish that thrive in the Hudson-, Lake Ontario and other waterways in the state. Commissi oner Reid has been advised by his staff that 1.3 million pounds of striped bass were taken from the Hudson last year by sport and commercial fishermen. 1 No fishing license is required of sportsmen who fish the Hudson, and thus there is really no sure way to say how many fish they accounted for, how many they threw back and how many they ate. There are between 10 and 13 commercial fishermen active in the river south o f `Albany, and striped bass is featured in restaurants in the Hudson Valley. Mr. Reid said he feared that northern pike, large-mouth and small-mouth bass, yellow perch, white perch and white catfish would have.unhealthy concentrations of PCHs- in their flesh. He is more hopeful that shad and'sturgeon, which spawn in the river in the spring, may be less affected. Not all of the many varieties of `fish 'have been tested, and it is thought that shad and sturgeon would not be in the river at this time. The PCB problem is not a new one, but the emergence of it at such levels in New York waters has surprised state officials. A Problem Stated "I understand that despite all the warnings w c 'vc had, Ccnernl Electric was putting 48 pounds of PCB into the Hudson at Hudson Falls and Fort Edward each day*," Mr. Reid said*. "This year, they apparently reduced the amount to less than two pounds a day, 1 don't see why they should be putting any of this stuff into any river." Mr. Paul of G.E. noted that PCB was used' in making capacitors, devices that hold electrical charges, and that if for some -n.ore- NEV 021395 729450 reason the capacitors had to be disposed of, they were buried in landfill, sites away from water. "That is absurd,'* said David .Seymour, president of the Hudson. River Fishermen's Association. "lias anybody at G.-E. asked what happens when it rains at a garbage dump? If any of the containers holding PCB are broken, the stuff will leach into the ground and may contaminate water for miles around." One of the earlier incidents involving PCB occurred in 1968 in Japan when approximately 1,000 people developed a skin disease after using rice oil that had been contaminated by PCB. According to research.done by Dr. Robert Riseborough an authority on PCB from the University of California at Berkeley, there were nine pregnant women out of 300 studied. He said that two of their babies were stillborn and "all showed symptoms of chlorobipheny1 poisoning." The Japanese attributed 16 deaths to PCB poisoning. In 1971, the presence of PCB in Lake Michigan ended its role as a commercial fishery. Stanley Kleinert of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources said yesterday that "we had hoped the PCB would biodegrade but it- has not yet happened." Mr-. Reid said his research suggested that PCB in water could remain toxic for decades. Ubiquitous Substance The substance is ubiquitous and persists once it gets into the food chain, A federal environmental protection admin istration spokesman said yesterday that PCB had been fi..r.d i . turtle eggs in Europe, and in the milk of pregnant wonu-u in Newfoundland. It has also been detected in chickens that have eaten feed made from fish meal. The "new Columbia Encyclopedia" notes that PCB "is-extremely stable withstanding temperatures of up to 600 F. The Encyclopedia notes that in the past the contaminant has been found in cardboard containers which was ultimately traced Lo printers ink. The effect of. PCB on minks living near Lake Michigan has boon documented. Gilman D. Veii.h, head of the Federal EPA National -more NEV 021396 729451 --5 Water* Quality Laboratory in Duluth said that minks eating fish with 0.6 parts per mil]ion of PCIS failed to reproduce and suffered a mortality rate of 717. Adverse effects, including pigmentation changes and liver enlargement have been noted in' tests with rats,, guinea pigs and chimpanzees i 02l397 729452