Document 3pOanD3gER6naG50RmLONd0y

April 26, 1974 To: Management Corot t tee Briefing Group From: V. T. Duke (CHEMICAL COMPANY: A, Vittone cc: E.W. Harrington J.L. Kelson E.B. Osborne B.H. Zvicker B.J. Weaver R.D. Dovney) The attached news release concerning public exposure to vinyl chloride coved on the 0?I vire late yesterday end in en altered version this afternoon. One query from a nevspeper has resulted free the vire story. Ben Zinser, vho is science editor for the Long Beach Independent Press Telegraph, called the Long Beach plant and inquired about the report. The Long Beach plant referred the call to me. 1 returned the call to Hr. Zinser and told him that ve had just seen the story and that for further information he should check vith the Environmental Protection Agency. I gave him background information about the Long Beach plant in regard to number of employees and products manufactured, stressing the fact that it is an extremely snail plant which was started in 1960. X then gave him previously released information on the current PVC situation. Mr. Zinser hss cot used any of the PVC stories in his newspaper up to this point and will point out in a shore story in the Long Beach paper that there have been no employee fatalities et the Long Beach plant. Mr. Zinser mentioned to me that he felt the report was most inaccurate from a scientific standpoint. The Center for Science in the Public Interest is located at 1779 Church : Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20035, Tel. 202-332-6000, It was organized in 1971 ns a Ralph Under operation but apparently operates independently vith support from some foundations and the public. It's a non-profit organization sod has investigated lead cad ocher gasoline additives, aerosols, asbestos and food additives, among others. Its principals include Albert Frltsch, a Jesuit priest vith a Ph.D. In organic che.tlstry from MET; and James Sullivan, vith a Fh.D. in meteorology and oceanography from HIT. W. T. Duke :plh Attachment 23120001 BFG23906 WASHINGTON (Up]) -- a RESEARCH group told THE GOVERNMENT TODAY THESE IS A "FKAlUTL POSSIBILITY'' THAT PEOPLE LIVING IN AT LEAST THREE INDUSTRIAL AHEAS OP THE NATION ABE BETNG EXPOSED TO AIRBORNE . DOSES'O*' VINYL CHLORIDE, A CHEMICAL LINKED TO LIYEB CAKES. THE CENTER fob science dj THE PUBLIC INTEREST URGED the ENVinOKMEKTAL PROTECTION AGENCY TO HAVE STATE AGENCIES MAKE MEASUREMENTS XLAH FACTORIES IMMEDIATELY TO DETEF.MLVE THE EXTEXT T Of THE HAZARD. "HE REGARD TJH3 AS A POTENTIALLY SERIOUS PURLi'C HEALTH PROBLEM, ** IT SAID, "AKD WORTHY OF SMHLjjIATE INVESTIGATION. 013 RESEARCH INDICATES THAT CERTAIN' TOWNS AND CITIES MAY BE SERIOUSLY AFFECTED by vinyl chloride pollution." IT SINGLED OUT THE HOUSTON, TEXAS, AREA. S01T7TT:RX LOUISIANA AND WESTERN HENTOCKY, AS THE THREE PRIME ABEAS WHERE FACTORIES PRODUCE so much vinyl chloride that smokestacks are vextlsc the chemical. HIGH miMUMTY AND OTHER CLIMATIC CONDITIONS IS THOSE HfcGlOXS, IT ADDED, COULD MAKE THE SITUATION WORSE. IT ALSO SAID THERE MAY BE A SIMILAR PK0B1EM IK Tin; PALNSVILLS, ' OHIO, AREA AND AROUND MJXH REACH, CAMFOSNlA. THE CENTER SAID IT HAD LEARNED THAT EPA'S OWN MEASUREMENTS SHOWED 0.:i7 MHIS TEE MILLION VINYL CHLORIDE ALONG ROUTE 225 IN PASADENA, TEXAS, ns THE HEART OF THE LARGEST VINYL CHLORIDE ZQOQZIGZ PRODUCING REGION JN THE UNITF-I) STATES. IT CALCULATED THAT AT THE END OP EACH BATCH OF POLYVINYL ClIi/iAIDf MADE IN* A 10.6jCALLON KF.ACTOH THESE IS A STACK EMISSION OF S.oso GRAMS OP MATT. CHLORIDE CAS. "A PERSON UNFORTUNATE ENOUCHt TO BE DOWNWIND 100 METERS from the EJS5SICN H-?UJJ> RE EXPOSED TO 200 PA ms per million,' it Added. BFG23907