Document 2J8MQDGGg1915OBRxmqxG5Qa6

RECEIVFn MAR 7 1983 DOW CHEMICAL U.S.A. 1803 Building 4 March 1983 midland, Michigan osmo Dr. John Stafford Imperial Chemical Ind. Welwyn Garden City Hertfordshire AL7 1 HD ENGLAND Ltd. Subject Eos5 v. _C 14th Jnli-V'*, 1 Calcasieu Parish, 1 y* \ ' 137 'T'-t Louisiana Dear John, Again, I have failed to answer a lot of your letters. You seem to have more activity across the Atlantic. It is not that we are not doing anything in the U.S.A., we are making progress on the up-date of the old Tabershaw-Cooper (Equitable) epidemi ology study. I was with Carol Stack on another matter Monday and we agreed that as soon as Environmental Health Associates (the current contractor) has something to talk about we will schedule a meeting. We will try to give you as much lead time as possible so that Dr. Bennett can consider coming. If that meeting Isn't convenient, I suspect there will have to be a subsequent meeting to approve the protocol and proceed with the second phase. We certainly look forward to Dr. Bennett's visit. I appreciate the literature you have been providing. There appears to be little regulatory action in the U.S., primarily because the agencies look on VCM as a problem that has been solved. I certainly agree, there is little to be gained by tightening standards. My biggest concern is the legal activity and law suits for cancer other than angiosarcoma. I think all the larger studies as well as Theriault's data from Shawinlgan indicate no increase even in populations where angiosarcomas are increased, but we have the data from Waxweiler, Infante, etc., suggesting Increases in certain other locations. If the increases are real, my opinion is they are due to other factors in those locations. These men were in, many cases, rubber workers and who knows what else was present In their workplace. The information on hamsters will be useful. I am sorry to hear of the Italian case and the English scrap merchant. There appears to be little reason to suspect any relationship to VCM in the scrap merchants case, but you can be sure it will be used by plaintiff's attorneys. If there is any suspect material, I would suggest arsenic from some source. AN OPIRAT1NO UNIT OP THE DOW CHEMICAL COMPANY CMO 006062 Dr. John Stafford 4 March 1983 Page 2 I am glad to hear Mr. J. Hodgson is persistent and will get a chance to up-date the British study. Toegether with the CMA study, they should provide good information. I will keep you posted on when CMA will meet. Thanks for everything you have sent. Sincerely yours, T. R. Torkelson, Sc.D. Health and Environmental Sciences 517/636-5197 9 cc: Dr. C. M. Stack Enclosure 006063 RECEIVED OEC 2 0 1982 DOW CHEMICAL U.S.A. MIDLAND. MICHIGAN 48640 1803 Building 16 December 1982 Mr. Langley A. Spurlock CMA 2501 M Street, NW Washington, DC 20037 Mr. Edward Callahan Allied Corporation P.0. Box 3000R Morristown, NJ 17960 coil" I--' Subject to co-; Boss v- Conoco^j"- 14th Ji^i '''1Calcasieu Peri'"1-. Gentlemen: The Vinyl Chloride Task Group has had little interaction with the SPAC coranittee this year due, in part, to travel restriction. While the stage of current Task Group activity probably does not require such contact, we anticipate that next year we will reach a phase in our epidemilogical studies in which interface will be needed. Sincerely yours. T. R. Torkelson, Sc.D. Health & Environmental Sciences 517/636-5197 9 cc: Carol Stack, Ph.D., CMA< AN OPERATING UNTT OP THE DOW CHEMICAL COMPANY CMA 006064