Document zmojQEbLdmKr4rorX9OrG8GR

1 i f Copie8 to: J. R. Eck / J, Mason W. B. Paoa|eorge H. S. Bergen E. P./Wheeler P. s/ Park HOUSTON CHRONICLE, Aug. 23 19 71 Monsanto Spends $2 Million Against `Relative` of DDT From E. V. John BYEDEDELSON ln, Unlvmtl Selene* Newt At first glance, the family of chemicals called polychlori nated biphenyls (PCBs) would seem to interest only industri* al chemists, but the obscure PCBs h;ne become the center of an ecological story with some surprising twists to il. PCBs arc a close chemical relative of DDT. While not as toxic as DDT, they have been linked to birth defects and liv er damage in'animals. They have the disturbing habit of turning up In unexpected pacts such as in birds and fishos from England to San Francisco and in fish meal fed' to chickens, turkeys and | f hogs used for human food. I . Contamination in 12 States I. Last year and agatn this ! July, PCB contamination forced the destruction of more 1 than 100,000 broiler chickens. , Last month the Department of i Agriculture reported that a j "significant proportion" of the chickens raised in 12 southern states became contaminated with PCB by eating tainted fish meal feed. The Food and Drug Administration also con fiscated 6000 dozen whole eggs and 30,000 pounds of frozen eggs raid by chickens that ate ^contaminated feed. k Hie twist to the story is this: the Monsanto Co., only American producer of PCBs, is not waging a fight against controls that most pesticide manufacturers have mounted. Instead, the company has vol untarily started to limit PCD sales, to nonpolluting uses. At a cost of about $2 million, il has started an education and safely program aimed al com pany employes and custom ers. Not everyone is satisfied that it is going far enough, but the program is unusual enough to win praise from many ecologists. Some Bought Back Federal officials insist no The PCB story started in the 1930s, when it was found that the chemicals could be used as liquid insulating ma terial in large electrical equipment. In 1960, chemists discovered new uses for PCBs -- in sealants, inks, paints and pesticides, among other things. While PCB as an insu lating material remained in clcscd systems, the new PCB contaminated chickens reached consumers, but admit they have no way of knowing if contaminated eggs have been eaten. The Department of Agriculture claims the dan ger is slight because federal limits for PCB content give a wide margin of safety. How ever, levels above these limits have been found in both chick ens and eggs. uses spread the chemical out FDA Says No Danger into (ho environment, Monsan There Is still no danger to to's plan is to eliminate all poultry eaters, says Deputy uses of PCBs except in closed Commissioner of the FDA systems. James D. Grant. "Any The company bought back possible health hazard would some 200,000 pounds of PCBs ' come from continued con intended for such products as sumption over a long period," adhesives and coatings. Mon he points out. santo representatives are vis iting customers to set up safe ty programs designed to avoid leakage of PCBs. A tight con Ralph Nader wrote the FDA and Department of Agricul ture insisting that emergency sampling programs for PCB trol program has been started In PCB plants, to the extent that (he cleaning fluid used on in chickens, turkeys, hogs and fish were not adequate to pro tect consumers. Nader argues employes' clothing is caretuliy that egg sampling tests only a collected and destroyed. tiny fraction of one percent of Ail these actions have not the 70 billion eggs produced stilled critics of PCBs and annually. Monsanto. Ren. William F. Monsanto believe? the out Ryan, D-N.Y., is pressing for break of PCB incidents can be a full ban. Rep. Ryan believes curbed with proper safe that a total ban is the only guards. and that a total ban way to eliminate PCB pollu on PCBs is unnecessary. The tion. company is working to pro in the most recent chicken duce a new family of PCBs contamination incident, t h c that would break down into PCB which caused the trouble harmless compounds in a came from a closed system -- brief time after release into a leaking pipe in a heating the environment. This could system at a fish meal plant in eliminate the pollution prob Wilmington, N.C. lem completely, another argu For nearly three months, ment against a complete ban. PCB dripped from the pipe The problem is that the U S. into the fish meal, which was docs not have a worldwide fed to catfish and to chickens monopoly on PCB production. on farms in Virginia, Dela Several companies In Europe ware, North and South Caroli and Japan make the chemi na, Georgia, Alabama, Flori cal. and these companies have da. Indiana. Tennessee. Ken not adopted the same expen tucky, Arkansas and Missis sive 8ntipoilution programs as sippi. The FDA ordered the Monsanto. chickens destroyed and seized .45,600 pounds of catfish food. MONS 031778