addendum to PCBs in N Gas Lines, Belgium story, 5 tons???

[ttweed@wildrockies.org (Tony Tweedale)]

>Wasn't there a massive settlement between EPA & that huge NG company that
>has a pipeline up from the Gulf into the NE; `10+ years ago, that disclosed
>hundreds or thousands of pools of open oil all along the length of this
>pipeline, and an agreement to clean it up?  I wasn't into toxics then, so
>all I have is a vague recollection from the mass media
---
I meant to say, pools of *PCB* oil in the below--v. high concentrations.  I
believe it may have been Eastern Gas Co., and I recall mass media
descriptions of this being possibly the worst contamination site in the
country.  But of course every pipeline  has booster pumps/compressors every
so many miles, in addtn to other powered eqpmnt, so just how many such PCB
pipeline sites are there?  We should also let EPA know they may have missed
a major source of PCBs, as well as a major exposure route--PCB laced ng
combustion in the home & office..
---

other loose ends:  Alan, can you really mean 5 tons of pure dioxins in the
incinerator brick refractory wall???????????

as to the Belgium food contamination story, I see yet another reference in
the press stories to dioxin contamination--presumably if there had been PCB
oil contamination from a leaking seal in a motor (already a somewhat
discredited theory), we'd expect to see mentions of PCBs and furans (the
main contaminant of PCBs as I recall) in the press.  Speaking of which:

>the press, which also states that dioxins have no influence on our
>genetic material (Knack 2 June p.24).
>        G. De Mey
..
what they are referring to is that dioxin is not a mutagen, i.e. does not
damage DNA.  However it has been shown (by using C radioactive C isotopes
in specially constructed dioxin molecules, which slight radioactivity can
be easily traced) to enter the nucleus and lightly sit on an area(s) of the
chromosone (DNA), which is thought to be a key part of how it has so many
toxic effects--it messes-up the transcription of the gene(s) (to make
proteins) that it is sitting on or is near.