or decision gro · 1:en e. - l • notorious Kepone poisoning case is also vie damag On another front, Assistant Administra or Roger "Most Ameri ans had no idea , until relatively Strelow has contributed an article about his recent recently, t71a . ll'hen they went to work in the trip to Iran to help advise the Government there morning, or when they ate their breakfast-that about air pollution control techniques. The automo­ ll'hen they did the things they had to do to earn a bile. he reports, is an even greater contributor to air living anJ keep themselves alive and well--that when pollution in the capital of Tehran than it is in major they did tliinr; s as ordinary, as innocent and as American cities. essential to life as eat, drink, breathe or touch, they The discovery of a new genus of sponge found could, in fact, he laying their li ves on the line. They clinging to drums of radioactive waste on the floor of had no idea that, ll'ithout their kno11'!edge or con­ the Pacific ocean is the subject of another repo11. sent, rhey were often engaging in a grim game of A major EPA research project being conducted on chemical roulette H'hose result they 11·011ld not know the plains of southeast Montana under the direction until many years later. " of EPA 's Environmental Research Laboratory at -EPA Administrator Russell E. Train. Excerpted from re­ Corvallis, Ore., is discussed in another article. The ma rks delive red before the National Press Club. February EPA project at Colstrip. 100 miles east of Billings, 26. 1976 Mont., is designed to develop information which can be used to minimize the environmental impact of r. Train recalled in the same speech that when coal-burning plants. M he became the first chairman of the Council on Concluding the year-long series on EPA's regional Environmental Qualit y in February. 1970, his first operations are two articles from the Agency's North­ directive to the council's small staff was to develop a west office- Region X on Parade. legislative proposal to cope with the problems caused The magazine ends with an intriguing report that by toxic chemicals. bass, popular game fish, are now being caught in Now some six years later Congress has finally large numbers in the Potomac River in the Washing­ approved and the President has signed the Toxic ton area. U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Russell E. Train, Administrator Patricia L. Cahn, Director of Public Printed on recycled paper. Affairs Charles D. Pierce, Editor ARTICLES Staff: Van Trumbull, Ruth Hussey, TOXIC CONTROLS TO BEGIN PAGE 2 David Cohen A review of EPA's role under the long­ sought toxic substances control law. COVER PHOTO Donald Emmerich SOLID WASTE CONTROL PROGRAM EXPANDED PAGE 4 PHOTO CREDITS Page 2-Grand Rapids Press New legislation gives EPA major responsibilities Page 4-David Hiser* in the solid waste area. Page 6-Don Long Page 8-Roger Strelow JUSTICE IN THE KEPONE CASE PAGE 6 Page 9-Joel Horowitz A report on a landmark decision by a Page 10-14-Donald N. Emmerich Federal judge involving a notorious pesticide. Page 18-Emest Bucci Page 19-AI Wilson Page 20 -Doug Wilson* EPA HELPS IRAN SOLVE AIR POLLUTION PAGE 8 Page 22- David Falconer* by Roger Strelow Back Cover-John Neubauer* A report on recommendations to help a *Documerica Middle Eastern country control pollution. COVER: Thomas L. Gullett, a biology technicianfrom EPA's Environmental RESEARCH ON THE PLAINS by Charles Pierce PAGE IO Research Laboratory in Corvallis, Ore., An account of a major EPA research project checks condition of a ground squirrel as in Montana to assess the impact of fumes from part of a major research project being a coal-burning power plant. conducted on the Montana plains. NEW SPONGES FOUND AT OCEAN DUMPSITE PAGE 15 The EPA Journal is published An EPA scientist has discovered what may monthly, with combined issues July-August and November- December, be a new genus of sponge while conducting by the U.S. Environmental an underwater examination of drums of Protection Agency. Use of radioactive waste. funds for printing this periodical has been approved by the Director of the REGION X ON PARADE by Robert H. Jacobson PAGE20 Office of Management and Budget. Views expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect EPA policy. THE CROWDED OUTDOORS by Thomas A. Waite PAGE 22 Contributions and inquiries should be addressed to the Editor (A-107), BASS IN THE POTOMAC BACK COVER Waterside Mall, 401 M St., S.W., Washington, D.C. 20460. No permission necessary to reproduce DEPARTMENTS contents except copyrighted photos and other materials. Subscription: NATION PAGE 16 $8.75 a year, $.75 for single copy, domestic; $11.00 if mailed to a foreign PEOPLE PAGE 18 address. No charge to employees. Send check or money order to PAGE24 Superintendent of Documents, U.S. INQUIRY Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C. 20402. NEWS BRIEFS PAGE25 PAGE I TOXIC CONTROLS TO BEGIN EPA h a~ been given the power. starting priate regulatory action can be taken before environment protection program. Laws to January I. to regul ate the production it is 100 late to undo the damage.·· curb pollu1i o n of ai r and water a nd to and use of harmful chemicals. The President said tha1 the bill closes "a assure heallhful workplaces are aimed pri­ When he sig ned the Toxic Substances gap in our c urrent array of laws to protect marily at corTecting hazards already !here. ontrol Act on October 12. President Ford the health of our people and the environ­ The new law seeks to preve nt hazards said : ·· 1 believe this .. may be one of the ment. from being inlroduced as well as to correct most important piece~ of environmental Several hundred-and perhaps as many as problems after lhe fact. It stems fro m the l eg i ~ l <i ti on . enac1ed by the Congre s~. 1.0<>0-new chemicals are introduced into growing public concern over industrial .. Th i ~ ... l egi~la tion provides broad commerce each year. Most of them are put chemicals tha t have subtle. long-l asting aulhority co regulale any of the lens of into use without testing for their possible effects. that accumulate in the body to thousand~ of c h em ical~ in commerce. O nl y long-term effects on the health of people or dangerous levels. and that res ist natural a few of the~e chemicals have been 1es1ed on plant and animal life. breakdown in the environment. for !heir long-term effects o n human health Of particular concern during the pasl T he list of suspect chemicals is already or the environment. !>everal years have been c hemicals that may long and includes such widely used sub­ ··Through lhe 1 e~1ing and reporting re­ cause cancer. mutations of huma n cell s. stances as synthetic halocarbons (PCB's quirement~ of 1he law. our understanding of and birlh defects. and PBB's). raw material for plastics (vin yl the ~c chemicals ~ hould be greatly e n­ chloride). spray can propellant gases. phos­ hanced. If a c hemical i ~ found 10 presenl a T he Act is designed to plug some lo ng phates. and nitrosamines. danger to health or lhc e nvironment. appro- recognized loopholes in the ation·s Since thousands of industrial chemicals Michigan dairy farmers shooting cattle contaminated by the toxic chemical, PBB. PAGE 2 are already on the market and are being and brought under control. commercial and financial data). Any Fed­ used with little knowledge of their toxicity "We cannot realistically expect to evalu­ eral officer or employee who discloses such or environmental effects. EPA will start ate every one of the tens of thousands of information to unauthorized persons com­ administering the new law with a huge chemicals in commerce. It will take years mits a misdemeanor punishable by a $5.000 backlog of work. to develop the information needed to assess fine and a year in prison. The EPA Administrator must first make the health and environmental effects of an inventory of all chemicals .. manufac­ even the major chemicals. This Act will be special section of the Act deals with tured or processed in the United States" in an important tool to reduce the number of A polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB's). a the last three years. This list must be chemical incidents. but there is no way to family of synthetic compounds now used compiled and published by Nov. II, 1977. eliminate them completely." primarily in electrical equipment. although Thereafter the inventory must be kept The Act authorizes $10. l million to carry formerly used extensively in industrial and current as new chemicals are introduced. out its provisions in Fiscal 1977. The sum consumer products. such as paints. inks. Glenn E. Schweitzer. Director of the of $12.6 million is authorized for 1978 and and plastics. PCB's are poisonous to hu­ Office of Toxic Substances. said. "We $16.2 million for 1979. An additional $1.5 mans. accumulate in the fatty tissues of expect there may be as many as 20.000 million in each of the three years is author­ fish. and persist in the environment as substances on the inventory. The exact ized for grants to States having a concen­ DDT does. By July I. 1977. EPA must set number will depend upon the use of cate­ tration of chemical industries to help them rules for warning labels on all products gories for certain 'families' of compounds.