Document 6Bjn8mKLmLoKnXqbbRO2GKzMd

Manufacturing Chemists Association TECHNICAL MEETING ON THERMAL DECOMPOSITION PRODUCTS OF FOLYVINYL CHLORIDE FILMS DuPont Plaza Hotel Washington, D. C. March 6, 1974 RECORD OF MEETING PRESENT: Paul Beebe, Jr. Bell Boyne R. T. Bucsko R. K. Burkhart A. S. Cummin A. S. D1Amato T. M. Finnegan L. E. Ice D. G. James B. 0. Krueger R. C. Parsons W, E. Rinehart M. F. Saggese Delbert Volchko P. L. Wright K. D. Johnson The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company Borden Chemical Division of Borden Inc. Tenneco Chemicals, Inc. Reynolds Metals Company Borden, Inc. Borden, Inc. Filmco Diamond Shamrock Corporation Borden Chemical Division of Borden Inc. Borden Chemical Division of Borden Inc. Reynolds Metals Company Ethyl Corporation Tenneco Chemicals, Inc. Filmco Monsanto Company MCA Staff The first matter considered by the attendees was health effects research, and this topic was first discussed by Dr. Witorsch, of the George Washington University School of Medicine, who attended as a consultant to Borden, Inc. Dr. Witorsch discussed the technical and credibility problems .associated with the design, conduct, and reporting of epidemiological studies, particularly as they related to prob lems such as that under consideration by the committee, where Suh,}e^ Ross v. _ sJ , 'jo. 90-4837, .Vi*Court t 9ls.ua CMA 016319 -2- health effects are likely to be subtle and of a kind prevalent in the background experience of the population at risk. The selection of a valid control group, differing from the study cohort only in the matter of exposure to the fumes from thermal decomposition of PVC film, was recognized as a vital, and difficult, decision. He suggested that, to be meaningful, the study would need to include 400 to 600 subjects, including the control group. He also recommended that, to achieve maximum credi bility, a well-regarded university source be retained for the design and conduct of the study. He estimated that about $100,000, and not less than three to six months,would be required to complete such a study. It was the consensus of the group to proceed with investigation of an epidemiological/clinical study of an ap propriate segment of the meat-wrappers in the retail trades. Mr. Timothy M. Finnegan and Dr. A. S. Cummin were requested to develop (1) a list of proposed grantees for the epidemiological study (2) a "Request for Proposal" draft (3) a "Statement of Work" outlining the goals of the proposed study. After a general discussion of the current state of knowledge concerning the thermal decomposition products of PVC films of the kind used for meat wrapping, Messrs. R. K. Burkhart, Paul Beebe, Jr., B. O. Krueger, and Delbert Volchko were requested to review physico-chemical studies of film ion. Their assignment includes (1) a compilation of available data relating to the qualitative and quantitative composition of the decomposition products of PVC films, as these are related to the composition of the film and the temperature and ambient conditions of the decomposition; (2) an evaluation of the range of variables in commercially important varieties of meat wrapping films, and a recommendation as to the kinds of film proposed to be subjected to laboratory study; CMA