250 
organisms, which are prime sources of food for some species of deep 
sea fish. 7 
I would like to say a few words about the state of our knowledge 
of the movement of pollutants through the marine environment. We 
actually know very little about where all these dumped chemicals go 
and the amount of research being done on this is very small compared 
to the problem. I note that your subcommittee is considered the allo- 
cation of several million dollars to identify marine areas which will 
permit waste disposal. I think it is equally important to spend money 
to determine what happens to those substances which are dumped, 
particularly those known to affect the environment adversely. ‘The 
painful situation today is that we have been dumping indiscrimi- 
nately for decades and nobody bothered to see what was happening 
until some of the effects began to show up in the marine environment 
and in the food we eat. 
In conclusion, I would like to recommend the following : 
(1) Congress must act now to ban the dumping of the most haz- 
ardous chemicals anywhere in the marine environment. 
(2) A thorough study should be made of suitable sites for the 
dumping of low hazard materials. The study should include informa- 
tion on bottom currents and bottom dwelling organisms. It should 
use direct visual observation by a research submarine. Also, there 
should be a periodic evaluation of the effects of the dumping by com- 
petent scientists. 
(3) In classifying wastes with respect to their effect on the environ- 
ment, and in evaluating the effects of dumping, I favor the suggestion 
of Dr. Grant Gross, of Stony Brook, (7) that an outside agency such 
as the National Academy of Sciences establish a panel of experts to 
review existing data and advise the pertinent regulatory agencies 
about continued use of dumping sites. 
(4) Congress should seek ways to support long-term basic research 
on the dissemination of pollutants into the marine food chain of the 
open ocean. Some Government agencies who have the mission to sup- 
port research on the environment have not concerned themselves with 
problems beyond the territorial waters of the United States. Unfor- 
tunately, the fish do not observe these boundaries. 
(The data referred to follows :) 
REFERENCES 
Goldberg, E. D. (1970) “Chemical Invasion of the Ocean by Man” Yearbook 
of Science and Technology, McGraw-Hill, pp. 65-73. 
2. Tokuomi, H. (1969) “Medical Aspects of Minamata Disease”, Rev. Intern. 
Oceanogr. Med. Tome XIII—XIV, pp. 5—44. 
3. Spencer, D. W. (1970) “The Distribution of Some Chemical Elements between 
Dissolved and Particulate Phases in the Ocean”, Atomic Hnergy Commis- 
sion Research Progress Report Contract AT (30-1) -—4150. 
a 
4. Ritchie-Calder, L. (1970) ‘“Mortgaging the Old Homestead”, Foreign Affairs 
Spring Quarterly, pp. 45-50. 
News Article (1970) “U.S.-Canada Agree on Lake Erie Ban”, Oil and Gas 
Journal, July 6, 1970, p. 67. 
6. Bumpus, D. F. (1965) “Residual Drift Along the Bottom of the Continental 
Shelf in the Middle Atlantic Bight Area”, Limnology and Oceanography, 
Vol. 10 Supplement, Nov. 1965, pp. R50—R53. 
OX 
