Document 0JL6X28Bz8GkJkYnMwqYbbmxm

U C C 097457 NlflsH studies death rate of Carbiders t *'/"// * C>h , By Norman Oder -STAFF WRITER A draft report by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health shows that workers at Union Carbide's three facilities in the valley have experienced a flower death and cancer rate than would be expected from the gen eral population. However, the report, based on a study of death certificates of 29,139 employees, indicates that there may be cancer hot spots among groups of workers. The study showed that there were ex cess deaths from liver cancer and lymph cancer, among 80 causes of death studied. The study traced 11 white males who worked at least one day between Jan. 1, 1940, and Dec. 31, 1978, at the South Char leston plant, the Institute plant and the Tech Center. Of the employees studied, 5,788 died, while 6,148 deaths would be expected. There were 1,088 can cer deaths, while 1,159 deaths would be expected. The report does note a '"healthy worker" ef fect, which means that people who work are in better health than the entire population. "I think the results are very en couraging," said Carbide spokes man Thad Epps. "It would Indi cate that, based on this epidemiol ogical study, that the employees were not at risk, in terms of their occupation." NIOSH researchers cautioned that the study is not conclusive. "On the one hand, it is reassuring that we didn't find excesses in more than two of the causeof-death categories," said Bob workers exposed to vinyl chloride. The liver cancer deaths came af ter Union Carbide began using vi nyl chloride in its processes, and Rinsky, an epidemiologist in were increased the longer em NIOSH's Cincinnati office. ployees worked and the more they "On the other hand ... this is were exposed to the chemical. not one plant with homogeneous When the link between vinyl exposure of all workers," be said. chloride and liver cancer was re Workers In certain process units cognized in the mid-1970s, the may have great exposure to cer company took steps to control tain chemicals, while office work such exposure, Carbide officials ers may have little exposure, > said in a letter sent to employees Also, the chance of earlier death | and retirees Thursday. may increase the longer an em The letter states that research ployee is exposed. ers do not yet know the cause of Rinksy said the agency will fur ther explore the work histories of employees who died of liver and lymph cancer, to see If the can cers are related to occupational the increase in the two cancers that arise In the lymph nodes: lymphosarcoma and retlculosarcoma. There were 48 such deaths, 14 more than expected. exposure. Plant, union and NIOSH offi ``Phase n Is where the real pay offs will come," Rinsky said. "What we're trying to see is if we can make associations that will be helpful on an industrywide basis for people exposed to certain compounds." NIOSH, In cooperation with Carbide, also will review the death data for men who worked in butadiene and ethylene oxide pro duction areas, as well as In the coal hydrogenation unit. "One cials met to discuss the study Thursday morning. While the sta tistical work has been completed, the report must go through fur ther scientific review, Rinksy said. It should be Issued officially in a few months. The project, began in the .late 1979s, when NIOSH hoped to brace exposure to ethylene oxide, a sus pected carcinogen. NIOSH, aif arm of the federal Centers for can't tell from the overall group what the results will be for those composite populations," Rinsky said. Rinsky said NIOSH and the company hypothesize that the 39 Uver cancer deaths -- 10 more than expected -- came frojn A Piece Disease Control, conducts re search into workplace hazards. Because so many workers were exposed to the chemical, NIOSH decided it would be almost as easy to study the entire group of workers, Rinsky said. More than 96 percent of the employees were successfully traced through 1978 and research ers found the cause of death for 95 percent of those employees " who had died. Rinsky. said researchers divided up the data using several different variables, which included age of workers, number of years worked, and the time period of the years worked. He said the data did not Indicate that employees who worked at Carbide the longest had fi greater chance of dying. The study does not address inju ries or sickness. Death rates, espe cially for cancer, often correlate with disease rates, Rinsky said. 1 However, hundreds of workers at the South Charleston and Insti tute plants have filed workmen's compensation claims .for asbesto-. sis, a'scarring lung disease caused by exposure to asbestos, which was once widely used as an insula tion material. No arrests made of the Past - m armed robbery By Andy Wessels STAFF WRITER After emptying the safe, the men took Rogers back to the house and Magnet Bank has a rare investment opportunity for those who believe in taking a different approach to their future We are nroud to offer the Your author can point out It to buy a Porsch can give you a g one soon: On Januan come tax dedut tax is history. A*944'S 3 Guards Red * ! Patrick Sire Weekdays `til Sunday 1 - The W/tJ-