Document 2JqJ9ZBmzKpwqdO859BG37wyg

SPRINGFIELD MORNING UNION - 1/12/82 A study by the University of Pittsburgh contradicts a University of Massachusetts report that links cancer deaths of Monsanto Co. workers in Springfield to exposure to a material used in making plastics, the com pany says. . PAGE 13 Pg. 13 ^lonsanfo'doubts piastic's-camcer link! /j.' By ROBERT PERKINS that a continuing study at the Uni- Business, Industry Writer A continuing study by the Univer sity of Pittsburgh contradicts conclu sions of a University of Massachu setts study that links cancer deaths of former Moananto Co. employees in Springfield to exposure to a material used in making plastics, a company spokesman said Monday. "The results of the Rosenman (UMass) study are not confirmed by the University of Pittsburgh study," according to James Shriver, man ager of the Springfield plant '.'The principal difference is that the University of Pittsburgh study shows that those employees who died of digestive cancer were less likely to work for a long period of time with vinyl chloride," Shriver said. Shriver was commenting on a pub lished report on the deaths of 110 varsity of Pittsburgh "does not con-' firm" the UMass results. "The information we have from' the (Pittsburgh study) shows this: (long exposure to vinyl chloride) ls: not the case'." in cancer-related; deaths, he said. '; Monsanto has been involved in an. ongoing cancer study of the Spring-. field plant using the Department of. Public Health at the University of. Pittsburgh for more than four years, Shriver said. "A detailed report of the Univer sity of Pittsburgh study has been made available to the union (repre senting Monsanto employees) and sent to the appropriate government authorities," he said. "Monsanto was not consulted on' the data used in the UMass study. We arc r.ot aware of the details of the analysis. We don'* know where the former Monsanto employees that data came from," he said. said that 34 were caused by cancer Rosenman's study was aided by a and may have been work related. group of UMa:<s graduate toxicology The study, headed by former Uni students and studied former employ versity of Massachusetts prefassor ees who worked at the Springfield Dr. Kenneth Rosenman, concen plants betweer. 1943 and 1975 when trated on two specific work sites at vinyl chloride was used. Monsanto's two Springfield plants They reportedly made use of and determined that "people who seniority documents provided them worked there longer, who had a by Local 288, International Electri longer latency period, have higher cal Workers Union, which represents risks of dying of all malignant neo--- Monsanto employees, to determine plasms (abnormal tissue growths)." which employees worked at which However, Shriver said Monday locations in the plants.