Document 5DrEV7J552qjEgVvB2LaMgXL0

MITSUBISHI MONSANTO CHEMICAL COMPANY Tokyo DAT! December 9> 1968 Bren Oil Poisoning by Kaneclor CC1 Messrs. W. Richard - St, Loui P. G. Benignus - D. Boush - " S, Shaw - " *VJ. B. Durland - Tokyo II. Shiromisu - 1n1 TO Mr. D. A, Olson Monsanto Company St. Louis, Mo, \ Dear Mr. Olson: If you are informed of the recent case of bran oil poisoning by chlorinated biphenyl used as a heat transfer fluid at an edible oil manufacturer in Japan, you must wonder how such could happen. By the official investigation and inspection, now it is 100% certain that the Kaneka*s product leaked through pinholes ( See attached excerpts from Japan Times ). A great deal of sensation is prevailing all over the country. In order to defend chlorinated biphenyl from further censure, a director of Kaneka came to MMK to ask for help from MC. he told us that they dearly need technical data and literature which can convince the Welfare Ministry that the chlorinated compound as a heat transfer medium can be and is used auito safely, for many years in the United States and many other countries in the world. He is afraid that, if otherwise, the Government may classify chlorinated biphenyl as a poisonous drug and, if so, all kinds of troublesome regulations, whether necessary or unnecessary, will be imposed on users for the handling of the M4rtlg!* We are collecting data ours.Ives but, in view of the importance of the matter, we would most appreciate your providing us with the information which may answer the following questions? 1. What kind of hygienic regulations are prescribed or excersised, in U,S., to handle chlorinated biphenyl from toxicity standpoint? .2 What data or literature are available as concerned with human toxicity of chlorinated biphenyl? Kaauo Hoshino Director of Marketing DSW 162309 Ja&an mvJV/. 3 , / /1' Poisonous Compounds Found in Rice Bran Oil FUKUOKA (Kyodo)--A re pounds is set at one milligram search group ;\l Kyushu lcr one cubic melor of air, University has extracted a e(|iiivaieiH to 0,001 ppm, ho considerable amount of pri* said. snunus organic chlorine com The skin of a victim of pounds fi'oin rice hran oil poisoning by organic chlorine which may have caused the becomes darker and "chloric recent case of mass poison! ng pimples" break out. In a In western Japan, it was re serious case, the patient vealed .Saturday. shows symptoms of jaundice A spokesman for the group hlnltkl at the possibility that and liver trouble, the spokes man explained. the organic compounds might have caused the mass poison ing, which has afTcctcd'more than 10,000 persons in western Japan. Similar findings had been revealed by the National In stitute of Hygienic Sciences Oct. 27 after it conducted a series of analyses of the rice bran oli produced by the The organic chlorine com Kancmi Warehouse Co. in pounds, amounting to 4,000 Fukuoka, using X-ray and to 0,000 PPM (parts per mil chromatography, lion), were discovered when Prof. Kaoru Inagaml of the faculty of Agriculture and Prof. Sumisaburo Makl of the Faculty of Medicine jointly, analyzed five samples of rice hran oil submitted by pali- ents, he said. The experts' group was conducting an analysis of ' fats taken from patients' pim ples in an attempt to deter . mine the relationship' be tween the organic compounds VldV. 7 , and the mass poisoning, lie Said. In the United States, the tolerance of the organic com Rice Bran Oil Plant Inspected by Experts KITAKYUSHU (Kyodo)-- for one hour and a half on Kyushu University scientists food oil production methods and others Wednesday ex by the plant manager. amined the , manufacturing One of the deodorizing j processes in operation at tanks, suspected of having | Kancmi Warehouse Co. whose been contaminated with! rice bran oil, contaminated chlorine. measuring twi with organic chlorine com meters tall and one and half] pound, caused widespread meters in diameter was most! poisoning. Results of the thoroughly cheeked. ; chock were not made known A 20-meter pipe in which! immediately.* Kanokuroru. the organic This was the first time an cUTonnc compound, circulated Inspection was conducted by ran inside the tank. The plant technical experts while past manager said the chlorine had checks at the oil manufactur been used as a catalyst. ing plant had been made by The bottling and canning administrative officials. . processes (Iho foot! oil was The specialists were from bottled or canned, depending the Kilakyushu Municipal on the demand of consumers) Government and Kyushu Uni were also examined and versity. Including Prof. Ilisa* photographed. shi Shinrthara. Food specialists of Kyushu They were accompanied by University and officials of the four officers of the Fukuoka FukUoka Prcfcctui'al Health proreetural police. . Department also aLlended the The experts were briefed Inspection as observers. 4.1. S. A4 100 < 11 +) DSW 162310 STLCOPCB4040920 -wav/, (y, Ho- Bran. Oil Poisoning' .ties for the mass poisoning, no said. Meanwhile, the Fukuoka Prefectural Police said that Traced to Pipe Leak they would begin investiga tion to decide whether the manufacturer should be crimi nally responsible, as soon as K1TAKYUSHU <JCyodo)-- to determine the amount of they receive an oflicla I'report A scvon-man expert group at air leakage, the investigators on Saturday's investigation. Kyushu University Saturday reported. discovered that the organic They said It was almost cer chlorine agent blamed for the tain that the organic agent mass rice bran oil poisoning d l p h c u y 1 c h 1 oride, called In western Japan, had leaked "Kanrkuroru," had leaked from pinholes in a pipe through those pinholes and through which Utu chemical became mixed with rice bran agent circulated, oil. 'I'he group, headed by Prof. Hlsashi Sliinohara at the university's Faculty of En gineering, discovered three plnholUM In Llio circulation pifie In n deodorizing tank iluring an on-the-spot investi gation at a plant here of the Kancml Warehouse Co., manufacturer of the rice bran oil, Saturday morning. The circulation pipe In ques tion, made of stainless steel, was 20 meters long, two milli meters thick and had an inside diameter of two centimeters. According to the company, the pipe was out of use be tween last December ami late January anil was temporarily used between Jan. HI and Feb. 7. It was out of operation again between mid-February The deodorizing tank Is a and mid-April. part of the pmresslng system Victims of the mass poison for manufacturing rice bran ing are reported from among oil. those who ingested the com- In conducting the investiga pony's rice bran oil made be tion, the group took an air tween Feb. n and 7. compressor, a vacuum pump The expert group explained and other devices for testing that the holes must have been from the university. closed by scale by Feb. 7 and They discovered the pin no significant amount of leak holes when' they, after cleans age had since occurred. ing the pipe with steam, pour Kannosuke Koto, president ed water into it and sent com of the company, told the press pressed air Inin the pipe. later thaL ho had not expected An amount or ]1<1 cc of air the circulation pli>e to be leaked from a pinhole In live faulty. minutes and H Cc from a Rec ills company was deter o iniiidi hiiooilue Ihni 1iu0 mluiiunuuiteeas.. Hmuitl minlieud tio duo whnatiuever it canr a third pinhole was too anuill'to discharge its respon.sllhll 13. 9. A 100 (llMW) DSW 162311 iSF-l- ' ! li-.'j'i!".,f??l- STLCOPCB4040921