Document 4avobr2JwnXZ1e7ozonDebJmG

\*i COURIER-JOURNAL 12-5-75 Goodrich says PVC uQtC 8 V` ' output, safety up f ` HB. F. Goodrich Co. has been able , to safely expand production of polyvinyl ehloride despite.s4t^ri^ct l.feJdera1l regul-lia.:t.i,ons imposed after it was found that 17 Good rich workers had died as a result of pro ducing the chemical, the firm's president sold yesterday. -* ' Eight Goodrich workers at the Louis ville plant have died of angiosarcoma, a ."rare cancer of the liver, after being ex posed to the fumes of vinyl chloride, a chemical used in making polyvinyl chlo ride (PVC), over many years. , John D. Ong, the Goodrich president, aid at a news conference in New York City that while "we still face the possi bility that, because of the long latency leriod, we will aee other cases of angio- larcoma the company believes Stances "are extremely remote of future tngiosarcome cases resulting from vinyl chloride exposure is our current eper- atione mPrV/C is the second-largest selling plas- , tic in the United States. Goodrich oper- . ates five PVC plants and one plant that , produces the vinyl chloride from which . PVC ie made, l - , About 40 employes of chemical plants worldwide havered of the rare disease, including a totaltil 17 Goodrich workers. Ong said Goodrich has under way a $42 million progrtttf'lo reduce exposure to vinyi chloride, fie said worker exoosure is now below levels required by the feder- , al Occupational Safety mid Health Ad ministration. Ong predicted demand for PVC will . require 7 billion pounds annually by 1980, up from the 5 billion pounds cur rently produced industrywide. He said that while Goodrich's PVC pro- ; duction was "somewhat reduced" by it* program to reduce exposure to vinyl chlo ride, the addition of new equipment in_ Louisville wiH more than make up the difference. The equipment will begin production . next month and make the Louisville plant 1 "as good as or better" than any other - PVC plant in preventing employe ex- poture to vinyl ehloride or allowing the gas to escape into the air around the plant, Ong said. ;` . .* * r* 7 .-i'ai !> *',*[ C|w '.'.Yts.rj- r BFG28907