Anniston Star
February 17, 2003

Funds for PCB study approved

By Sara Clemence
Star Staff Writer
02-17-2003

Funds for a long-awaited, comprehensive study of PCB exposure in Anniston have been approved by Congress, according to Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Tuscaloosa.

The money is part of the $81 million budget for the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR).

Many hope the $3.2 million study will finally answer questions about how polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have affected Anniston residents.

"The people that live around the Monsanto plant have higher PCB levels than most any other residential population," Shelby said in a statement. "I cannot believe that we would continue to work towards a clean-up, monitor groundwater, surface water and soil composition and never once ask how all of this is affecting the health of the citizens that live there."

Monsanto manufactured PCBs at its western Anniston plant from about 1929 to 1971. The chemicals, which were mainly used for insulating electrical equipment, got into local ditches, waterways and residences, and from there into people's bodies.

PCBs accumulate in human tissue and have been linked to a range of health effects. Residents and community activists have long maintained that there are high rates of disease in the area, including cancer, thyroid disorders, heart problems and learning deficits.

Community activist David Baker, who testified about Anniston's PCB problem before Congress last spring, said the study was a long time coming.

"I'm kind of ecstatic about it," Baker said. "But it's just one part of the puzzle that we are putting in place. We've got a long way to go."

The community owes thanks to Shelby and Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., for giving their attention to the issue, he said.

Henry Falk, assistant administrator for ATSDR, said in December the study would begin this year.

"The community is anxious to begin the work," said Anniston Mayor Chip Howell. He said he hoped for a "completely unbiased opinion" about how people had been affected by PCBs, and what could be done about it.

The study will have four components, ATSDR's Falk said in December, including an epidemiological analysis that will be designed by the ATSDR with community input, then bid out to researchers.