HON. CHARLES A. VANIK

OF OHTO
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Monday, October 5, 1970

Mr. VANIK. Mr. Speaker, in an effort
to find a substitute for phosphates in
detergents, new chemicals and com-
pounds are being brought into the mar-
ket which may well be more harmful
than phosphates. There is theoretical
evidence that one of the major replace-
ments for phosphates—soon to come on
the market in massive quantities—could
cause cancer.

It has long been pointed out that phos-
phates are one of the major causes of
eutrophication and pollution in lakes.
They are one of the principal factors in
algae blooms. The tremendous harmful
effect that phosphates can have on lakes
is well described by the April 1970 report
of the International Joint Commission
on Great Lakes problems.

The Canadian and American Com-
mission members noted that— ,

The pollution problem requiring the most
urgent attention of the Governments of
Canada and the United States is the increas-
ing euthrophication of the Lower Great
Lakes, particularly the western basin of
Lake Erie.

In 1967, the input of total phosphorous
from United States municipal sources to
Lake Erie was 35.7 million pounds, of which
25 million came from detergents.

On the basis of the foregoing the Commis-
sion is convinced that the reduction of the
phosphorus input into Lake Erie, Lake On-
tario and the International Section of the
St. Lawrence River will significantly delay
further eutrophication and will allow the
recovery to begin through natural processes.

It is entirely admirable that the deter-
gent companies are trying to cut down
on the percentage of phosphates in their
products. The Department of the In-
terior, Consumers’ Union, and others
have made available to the public lists
ranking detergents by their percent of

8875

phosphate content and it is encouraging
to see the interest of the public in mov-
ing toward products which are less
harmful to the environment. - '

But in our rush to stop one type of
pollution, we must not jump from the
fryingpan and into the fire. .

‘What is being used as a replacement
for phosphates? Is the replacement
safe—perfectly safe? Are we sure that
it does not have harmful genetic effects?
Are we sure that the replacement does
not lead to mutation over time.

This is a vital question—a question
vital to the present quality of the en-
vironment and to future life.

There is a replacement to phosphate
that both Proctor & Gamble and Lever
Bros. appear to be moving toward. It
is abbreviated as NTA—which stands for
nitrilotriacetrie acid.

Already there is some 50 to 100 million
pounds of NTA being produced and
poured into our waterways. If NTA is
accepted as a substitute for phosphates,
some 2 billion pounds will be produced
and dumped into the Nation’s waters
each year.

When we deal with billions of pounds
of a material, we must be sure that it is
safe.

Yet there are recent indications that
NTA, now coming into heavy production,
is not safe.

I asked the Library of Congress spe-
cialist in environmental policy to com-
ment on the safety of NTA. The special-
ist concluded:

It is obvious to me from these conflicting
reports that further research on NTA is
necessary before we can declare it the per-
fect substitute for phosphates in detergents.

The Library cited a report in Environ-
mental magazine of September 1970,
written by Dr. Samuel S. Epstein, which
pointed out:

(1) not perfectly biodegradable—that is,
capable of being broken down by bacteria, To
quote Dr. Epstein, “concentrations of less
than eight parts per million in raw sew-
age are ninety percent degraded in sew-
age treatment plants under the best condi-
tions of sixteen parts per million, degrada-
tion is reduced to approximately 75 percent.
In the absence of [favorable] conditions,
NTA biodegradation can be reduced or al-
most nonexistent.

(2) potentially dangerous in concentrated
forms, raising the question of its effect over
time in less concentrated forms. For exam-
ple, two year tests on rats seem to demon-
strate that NTA does not cause cancer—but
there was an increased mortality among male
rats and kidney damage in male and fe-

‘male rats. In addition, zine levels in bone

tissue—and waste products was “markedly
increased.” As Dr. Epstein notes, “The signifi-
eance of these findings has not yet been
adequately evaluated.”

48) NTA is an agent that picks up and
joins with metal ions. There are several pos-
sible dangers here. NTA may lead to heavy
damage of metal pumping and sewer systems.
More seriously from a health point of view,
NTA may “pick up” heavy metal elements in
the sediments of lake and riverbottoms and
bring them back into the water supply. In
other words, poisonous mercury which has

"settled out of the water could be reactivated

by NTA in the water and brought Race to
our drinking taps.

(4) Finally; and most importantly, it is en-
‘tirely possible: that NTA, as. it breaks down
and forms and reforms into various com-
f

E8876 - * CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks October 5, 1970

pounds, can form into an agent called intro-
samines—which is “highly” cancer-forming. ,

In checking with- the Federal Water
Quality Administration, and the Bureau
of Water Hygiene, I have found that, be-
cause of limited funds, the first three
difficulties mentioned above are being
studied by the Federal Government but
that the last problem, the problem of
cancer produced by derivitates of NTA
is not being studied. Officials at HEW ad-
mitted that, since testing for cancer is a
long and involved process, that if they
had the money-they would—and should—
begin checking the ways that NTA dis-
solves and the possibility that some of
its forms can cause cancer. The officials
pointed out that when it is proposed to
dump 2 billion pounds of a chemical into
the Nation’s waterways, every safeguard
and test should be made.

A lack of research funds in this area is
so shortsighted as to be beyond belief.
We may be literally poisoning ourselves
and future generations to save a few dol-
lars today.

In light of this shocking emergency
situation, I am requesting the Bureau of
the Budget to provide increased water
hygiene research funds in a supplemental
budget request.

In addition, I believe that it verges on
criminal neglect for private companies to
bring new chemicals and products into
the marketplace without the most thor-
ough testing, not only by the companies
involved but by the Government. I am
drafting legislation to require that no
new chemical product or compound be
brought into interstate markets without
the prior approval of the Public Health
Service and the Environmental Protec-
tion Agency that that product is not
harmful to the environment or the health
of the American people.

 

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