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M O U N T S I N A I S C H O C H . OV NI L: DI G IN L* .
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Dfptiflmtnt of Commumiy CMtJu. n r
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August 4l977
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V-'H, Y / :
Mr. Bernard Leonka, B u sin ess Agent L o c a l 332 U n i t e d * E l e c t r i c a l , R adio M achine W orkers oC A m erica 32 W i l l i a m S t r e e t G l e n s F a l l s , New Y o r k 12801
.
Dear Mr. Leonka:
We a r e now a p p r o a c h i n g t h e f i n a l , a n a l y s e s o f a l l t h e m e d i c a l d a t a t h a t ! we o b t a i n e d d u r i n g o u r c l i n i c a l f i e l d s u r v e y i n M a rc h , 1975i .
The f i r s t in fo r m a tio n t h a t i s a v a i l a b l e can bo summarized as fo llo w s :
1, Skin ab n o rm alities
T h e re was a h ig h p r e v a le n c e oi s k in ch a n g e s among th e exam ined w o rk e rs . Some o f t h e c h a n g e s were ralhexr . s p e c i f i c i n n a t u r e and s im ila r to those seen a f t e r c o n ta c t w ith c h lo r in a te d compounds* A few c a se s o f c h lo r a c n e , the most s p e c i f i c ty p e o f sk in d is e a s e r e la te d to PCB's were seen. It is d i f f i c u l t a t the present time to evalu ate the sig n ific a n c e of those fin d in g s. There is reason to b e l i e v e , h o w e v e r , s t h a t t h e s k i n a b n o r m a l i t i e s may n o t o n l y r e p r e s e n t a l o c a l e f f e c t on th e I s k i n , but a l s o r e f l e c t some d e g r e e o f^ m e t a b o lic and b i o c h e m i c a l d i s t u r b a n c e s i n th* b o d y .
2. Porphyrin metabolism
D u r in g o u r f i e l d s u r v e y , we e x a m in e d 30 i n d i v i d u a l s w i t h r e g a r d t o t h e e x c r e t i o n o f a compound Jru the? u r i n e c a l l e d u r o p o r p h y r i n . Au elevated excretion o f .t h i s substance is invarLably associated with m etab o lic d is tu r b a n c e s in the body, in most in s ta n c e s r e f le n tin g inpajLrmeat in l i v e r f u n c t i o n . In th e exam ined g ro u p , t h e r e was .one
i n d i v i d u a l wi c h m ark ed ly . e l e v a t o d u r o p o r p h y r in e x c r e t i o n . T h i s car. bo F C S -r o i a t e d . T h is f i n d i n g w a rr a n ts f u r t h e r stu d y among a l a r g e r nuft-.ber o f w o r k e r s .
3. Pu} con ary f u n ct io n t e s t s
A l l i n d i v i d u a l s p a r t i c i p a t * in-,; i n t h e e x a m i n a t i o n h a d p u l m c n a r y
f u n c t i o n t e s t s d o n e . We i v y r e .in t e r e s sod i n d e t e r m i n i n g w h e t h e r t h e
in h a l a t i o n o f PCBs r.ay huvo an e f f e c t on lun g f u n c t i o n . A lth o u gh
t h e r - vorc very- few - in d iv id u a ls w ith s u b j e c t i v e c o m p la in t s o f b r e a th
i n g d : f i c t i l t \ o s , wo wi. r e a b l e t o
i t i*/c
PLAINTIFF'S
GENP 003229
EXHIBIT
* -U Q8L
771394
Mr. Bornard- kocikv
b r e a th in g t e s t s th at: th e re was h ig h e r p r u v a lv n c * o f pulmonary fu n c t i o n a b n o rm a l i t i e s in t h i f i g r o u p o f i n d i v i d u a l s when com pared with a p o p u l a t i o n w i t h o u t PC 13--e x p o s u r e , We a r e i n th o p r o c e s s o f a n a l y ing these abnormal rtdes in r e la tio n to tho d iffe r e n t job c a te g o r ie s and p o s s i b le i n t e n s i t y o f e x p o s u r e , w h ich'm ay shod f u r t h e r L ight oa these i n i t i a l fin d in gs.
4. Immunelogical changes
S i n c e i t has- become known t h a t s u b s t a n c e s s i m i l a r to PC3 can . a f i e c t t h e i m m u n o l o g i c a l , system we c o n d u c t e d a p r e l i m i n a r y i n v e s t i g a t i o n on ten em p lo y ees i t h r e g a r d t o th e number and f u n c t io n o f blood c e l l s which are in volved in immunelog Leal mechanisms (B and.T c e l l s ) . T h is p r e l im i n a r y i n v e s t i g a t i o n showed t h a t t h e r e were some abnorm al i t i e s in th e se .c o l l s . However, in th e lim it e d number o f people e x amined, th e changes seen were of lim ite d s e v e r it y . Extension of these stu d ies is planned.
5 . FB c o n c e n t r t ion in b lo o d
We h a v e c o n c l u d e d t h e L a b o r a t o r y a n a l y s i s o t t h e amount o f PCB found
in th e -b lo o d . Serum c o n c e n tr a tio n s v a r ie d between lQppm to s e v e r a l
hundred ppm. -These a r e v a l u e s w h i c h .a r c c o n s i s t e n t w ith h ig h PCD-
e x p o s u r e . We a r e c u r r e n t l y a n a l y z i n g t h e PCB c o n c e n t r a t i o n s , i a re
l a t i o n t o ' d u r a t d on o f enployitien t , jo b catF^-rory and o t h e r c I
l
and l a b o r a t o r y a b n o r m a l i t i e s . We p l a n t o l a t e r r e v i e w th e r e s u l t s
with you in d e t a i l .
From tho in fo r m a t io n c u r r e n t l y .a v a i l a b l e . w ith r e g a r d t o - h e a l t h e f f e c t s among y o u r members ve ;wcre p l e a s e d to n o t e t h a t , f i r s t , g e n e r a l h e a l t h appeared good and n o iu r g e n t, immediate problems were found. Second, some a r e a s o f p o t e n t i a l i n t e r e s t nvere ideint i f i e d ; t h e s e w i l l be f u r t h e r s t u d i e d . L a s t l y * and n;ost i m p o r t a n t / we w i l l be a b l e t o s t u d y ; t h e long term e f f e c t s , p o t e n t i a lly th e most im p ortan t, as w ell as th e pagging q u e stio n o f p o t e n t i a l ' e f f e c t s on r e p r o d u c t io n .
We have been p l e a s e d t o firtdi t h a t G e n e r a l E l e c t r i c h a s .shown i n t e r e s t in c l a r i f y i n g t h e PCB h e a l t h e f f e c t s , l a d e c d t h e y h ave o f f e r e d c o l l aboration and h e lp in fu tu r e s t u d ie s . Coupled w ith the v a lu a b le a s s i s tance the U n ite d E l e c t r i c a l Workers Union has g iv e n and i s g iv in g u s, t h i s -adds t o t h e p r o m is e t h a t r e s e a r c h w i l L be u s e i u l irv h e l p i n g >r e s o l v e such PCB problem s, a s m ig h t e x i s t , and p r e v e n t . h e a l t h h a z a r d s in t h e r.'u tu
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Sin cerely yours
u '. Se.li.ko & .
fate
Al f / isch b e in ,. M.D.
Instructor
Af :si
c e : M rs. D o r o tu y Ikm a by Mr. B o r is n i i c k
D r. D a v i d ' K o 1 1c h u c k
GENP 003230
771395