Document 6wMpZZrNMRjzx9QE4M369Ldmm

THE DOW CHEMICAL COMPANY BENNETT BUILDING 2030 DOW CENTER MIDLAND, MICHIGAN 4BMO SOCIETY OF THE PLASTICS INDUSTRY VCM/PVC HEALTH SUBCOMMITTEE W. M. Smith, Air Products `'R. N. Wheeler, Union Carbide M. N. Johnson, M.D. BFG G. L. Binyea, Ethyl RECEIVED MAR 27 1978 R. N. WHEELER, JR. cc: John Stafford, Ph.D. Imperial Chemical Industries, Ltd. Gentlemen: Dr. Stafford was kind enough to copy me with this most interesting letter of March 3, 1978. Since the data are of interest to all of you I'm taking the liberty of sending copies to each of you. Please respect the confidentiality of Dr. Stafford's letter. By copy of this letter I'm requesting Dr. Stafford's permission to use the information in his March 3 letter. Sincerely yours. T. R. Torkelson Subcommittee Chairman. bh UCC 008574 PO Box No 6 Bessemer Road Welwyn Garden City Hertfordshire AL7 1HD Telephone Welwyn Garden 23400 (STD Code 07073) STD Code from London Area 96 Telex 264251 Iciplast Welwyn Imperial Chemical Industries Limited Plastics Division M/s Rose H Kaminski Division of Surveillancer/nazard Evaluations and Field Studies-' National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Robert A Taft Laboratories 4676 Columbia Parkway Cincinati Ohio 45226, USA Your ref. Our ref Tel ext Date JS/MJE/DSO 107 3162 3 March 1978 Dear M/s Kaminski Thank you for your letter of 1 February which I was very glad to receive. I would certainly like to co-operate with you in collating better human data than we have at present. The delay in my replying to you is not due to any lack of enthusiasm on my part - I have spent a large part of February on overseas visits and am only now catching up with the mail which awaited my return. If I may take the points you raise in order. 1 UK Case 01 Getting complete accuracy is a problem. Case UK 01 (WJ) was an ICI employe . In 1974 there was some dubiety over the classification of this man*5 employment in the 1944-1946/7 period. Our Company bio-statistician. Dr G Paddle, assures me that WJ was employed in a VC monomer plant from 1944-6. His first VCM exposure occurred on 04.04.44. Our ICI records show his death as 03*12.72 but Fox and Collier in their BJIM paper in 1977 show 23.12.72. I enclose a photocopy of this paper and on page 4 I have ringed this case. Fox and Collier are correct when they say WJ was an autoclave operator 1948-1961 but WJ had the other VCM exposed jobs listed in my table both pre-1948 and post-1961. We therefore believe WJ had 22 years total exposure and was diagnosed 28 years after 1st exposure. As you will see in Fox and Collier, the ease was microscopically confirmed by a panel of histopathologists. 2 UK Case 02 By copy of this letter I am referring your query to Dr Peter Baxter. I also enclose a copy of the BMJ paper of 8 October 1977 by Dr Baxter and his colleagues and I have marked the portion on page 920 where he refers to what I identify as Case UK 02. On the map on page 921 I have marked the location of Case UK 02. I don't know how much detail is in Dr Baxter's file about this man's exposure. The company for which he worked was I think 10CO, makers of insulated tapes (and perhaps also waterproofed materials''v. 1 knew them as cloth coaters and UCC 008575 and in the 1950's I was supplying them with silicone rubber pastes. IOCO se med to have used many chemicals and polymers. The important atatem nt on pag 920 is that there was no vidence UK 02 had b en working with PVC but the possibility could not be exclud d. Japan 02 Thank you for the information. I have asked the Japanese PVC Association to let me know whether we are now up to date. Belgium 01 Month-Day-Year Date of Birth First VCM Exposure Date of Diagnosis Age at Dx Tears of exposure to Dx Tears of exposure Date of death Hist, confirmation Exposure Job 12-01- 13 00-07- 58 00-05-76 63 18 17 29 -06- 76 Tea High Autocleaner 14 years Polyworker 3 years Are these details sufficient for you? If not, I will find out the name of some official in Belgium with whom you could correspond. NIOSH Tables of January 1978 (a) Canada I thought all the 10 cases had been histologically confirmed. You could check this with Dr Theriault of Laval University, Quebec. (b) FOR Be Case 04, I have a note that Dx date was 26 November 1974, post mortem. Be Case 06, I have failed so far to get anyone in Germany to "own" this case. I am still trying because somewhere X got the impression he had been a polyworker. Can you give me any leads so that IIcan pursue with the company in question. X thought this ease came from Hoeehst's Gendorf factory but only last week their factory physician denied this! Be Case 07, I have Dx as 12 November 1975t day before death. Be Case 08, X have failed to get anyone in Germany to "own" it but X am still trying. Be Case 09, the employers confirm 1st exposure February 1961. Dx end 1976 15 years exposure to Dx and 13 years total exposure. (c) France There are now 10 cases in France. Case 09 Caae 10 Date of Birth First VCM Exposure Date of Diagnosis Age at Dx Tears of exposure to Dx Tears of Exposure Date of death Hist, confirmation Job 08-10-14 10-01-48 26-04-76 62 28 28 16-12-77 Yes Polymerisation operator 24-05-19 00-12-56 00-01-78 58 21 21 00-01-78 Yes Autocleai UCC 008576 - d r:-:.!' to fill is the 00-00 of the days and ruc r.ro inilir.g cutters. Perhaps you could Lit -il 7. i-iru* us up to date tabulation. "There are ,3--~-' u- - '--J Inkc Cus= 02 uai 16 years to Dx (not 15) : :.l zz 11 years aspo^. re (not 10). Case 06 had 13 7-. .-3 r-rrtcoure (sot A7' and I think this is the only r`; r .i ;:.-re -i a noil uno had acro-osteolysis first and 1 C,i-. 3e Oj..~v 02, X `..-onder whether he was purely a sonocer work r* At third hand, I had a report of a Keaanord manager having puli A i..iz unconscious from VCK exposure. I must cheek wui :r.ir uhia uas iron a 7CM or PVC building. ! a) OCA I r.ocico tone changes -since you last reported. Is the change in Case 03 iron Ox 01' 1954 to 1945 a typographical error or is 1945 correct? The cechacisn for discounting cases, especially peripheral ones, such as your accountant US 15, our UK 02, German 06 and Italy 01 is not known to as and I tend csrel;- to repeat in ay tables the best opinion I can get. The cases which I court as genuine really omit US 15, UK 02, German 06 and Italy 01 which are all atypical and saae very such "query". I cake the present "genuine" ASL count. USA Canana G', runny France Sweden Italy UK 1ap&n Yugoslavia Chechoslovakia Norway Belgium 23 10 10 1C 4 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 69 The clustering of these cases in a relatively snail nuaber of factories is the coat interesting feature of the whole story. I hope the above rather long screed is helpful to you. Please do keep in touch with ae and if you are on ih3 side of the Atlantic, please do not hesitate to cone and visit ae to exchange data. 'din b-i-st wishes. lours sincerely cc Dr T H Torkelson Dow Dr P J Baxt r, XMAS Dr G Paddle Dr V G 7 Adams Dr D P Duffield Dr D Vinter Mr G J Sleddon ucc 008577 March 22, 1978 THE DOW CHEMICAL COMPANY BENNETT BUILDING 2030 DOW CENTER MIDLAND, MICHIGAN 4B840 M. N. Johnson, M.D. BFG W. M. Smith, Air Products ^R. N. Wheeler, Union Carbide G. L. Binyea, Ethyl cc: C. D. Kary, Shell John Lawrence, SPI SPI VCM/PVC PRODUCERS SUBCOMMITTEE As you recall our efforts to find a data information service capable of handling vinyl chloride were not successful last year. Since then I have kept on slow burner under the problem but have had no success. At the request of C. D. Kary of Shell who brought the question up again at the recent MCA Vinyl Panel Meeting, our SPI subcommittee will again try to get a hold on the literature. I've already made two overtures; the first to IARC in Lyon, France, is I suspect not going to produce anything since time and distance are too great. The second, however, may prove useful. In telephone conversation with Helga Gerschner of the Toxicology Information Response Center (TIRC) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory it was obvious that TIRC could meet part if not all of our needs. Last week Dr. Kary and I discussed the matter with Mrs. Gerschner at the Society of Toxicology Meeting. A copy of a folder from th Oak Ridge group is enclosed. Mrs. Gerschner is going to prepare a proposal with estimated cost in the next few weeks. There are administrative as well as tech nical problems to be met but we'll see what can be set up. You will be kept posted of any progress we make. Sincerely yours. Theodore R. Torkelson Sub-Committee Chairman bh UCC 008578 ^Lent tirc publications* r ORNL/TIRC-76/1: Toxicology Information Response Center Literature Search Index. I. 101 to 2100. ($7.50). ORNL/TIRC-76/2: Trichloroethylene: I. An Impact Overview. II. An Abstracted Literature Collection, 1907-1976. ($20.00). ORNL/TIRC-76/3: Kcpone. I. A Literature Summary. II. An Abstracted Literature Collection, 1952-1976. ($15.00). ORNL/TIRC-76/4: Mirex. 1. An Overview. 11. An Abstracted Literature Collection, 1947-1976. ($10.00). ORNL/TIRC-76/5: Toxicology Information Response Center Literature Search Index. II. 2101 to 2600. ($7.50). ORNL/TIRC-76/6: Lead Analysis: Literature Collection, 1966-1976. ($18.00). ORNL/TIRC-77/1: Selected Case Histories and Epidemiological Examples of Human Mercury Poisoning. I. State-of-the-Art Review. 11. An Abstracted Literature Collection, 1947-1976. ($20.00). ORNL/TIRC-77/2: Mclhoxyflurane. 1. An Overview. I). An Abstracted Literature Collection, 1947-1976. ($22.50). j 1 ! ; , 1 QRNL/TIRC-77/4: Health Aspects of Chloroform - A Review and An Abstracted I Literature Collection 1907-1977. ($28.00). ORNL/TIRC-77/6: Toxicology Information Response Center Literature Search Index. III. 2601-3100. ($7.50). ORNL/TIRC-78/1: Toxicology information Response Center Literature Search Index. IV. I 3101-3500. ($9.00). PUBLICATIONS IN PREPARATION ORNL/T1RC-77/3: Vinyl Chloride and Vinylidene Chloridc. ORNL/TIRC-77/5: Asbestos. A Perspective. Lcptophos. Polychlorinated Biphenyls. \ >! | j Available from the National Technical Information Service, Springfield VA 22161. ucc 008579 ' TOXICOLOGY INFORMATION INFORMATION RESOURCES AND RESPONSE CENTER BIBLIOGRAPHIC RETRIEVAL SERVICES #f \ The Toxicology Information Response Center TIRC utilizes a variety of information sources. V (TIRC) was founded in 1971 to establish a national ' On-line access is available to several computerized and international center for toxicology information. data systems: MEDLINE and TOXLINE, RECON, TIRC provides information to all individuals on a Xt 'i; and the diversified files of commercially available variety of chemicals such as food additives, 'hi;;,: data systems such as DIALOG (Lockheed), ORBIT pharmaceuticals, industrial chemicals, environmental pollutants, heavy metals, and pesticides; and other (Systems Development Corporation), and BRS i/j/ (Bibliographic Retrieval Services, Inc.). The ORNL topics of toxicologic concern. ' data files are searchable in batch mode and also provide SDI service. ORGANIZATION TIRC is sponsored by the National &(!! Medicine's Toxicology Information Program. '^',: Located at the Oak Ridge National Laborator"y,'.4 TIRC is part of the Information Center Complex, a Hard copy secondary sources used by TIRC include Biological Abstracts, BioResearch Index, Chemical Abstracts, Current Contents, Excerpta Medica, Index Medicos, ATOMINDEX, Science Citation Index, ERDA Energy Research Abstracts, Nutrition Abstracts and Reviews, Air Pollution major scientific and technical unit within Abstracts, and others. In addition, the ORNL library Information Division. This Complex coordinates the,system provides an abundance of valuable resources functions and activities of several information units SJ&ggg. with more than 200,000 bound volumes and 600,000 at the Laboratory. These associations provide reports. Of the 3,500 subscription journals, about unique opportunity for scientific and technical interactions. , 1,200 are biologically or environmentally oriented. As part of the Information Center Cofmplex, INFORMATION SERVICES ` yf -;Fv? v1' TIRC maintains ready access to consultation and ' * (Lr* information exchange with other distinct. As an information analysis center, TIRC acquires, . : discipline-oriented entities which specialize in: selects, stores, retrieves, evaluates, analyzes, and synthesizes comprehensive literature packages according to a user's specific request or a current il\; Preparing evaluative multimedia monographs, state-of-the-art reviews and overviews need, TIRC provides extensive toxicology `jU information assistance and reference services to the -y\ t-ij* scientific, administrative, and public^K:' communities-health science students, educators, practitioners, scientists, and administrators. Interested persons may request: Specific published toxicology data - . ;> > . v v*. f j'' Building an interactive computerized Toxicology Data Bank Constructing and maintaining computerized reference and data files on mutagens and teratogens Compiling environmentally oriented data files Individualized literature searches '' 1 Topical bibliographies j't1 jr I'; , -;l . Annotated and/or keyworded bibliographies . ' K l- Collecting and distributing published energy information as well as ongoing research and development data. State-of-the-art overviews , SEARCH REQUEST INFORMATION Custom searches of computerized data Literature searches are initialed after receiving from the requester certain background information: SDI Service Access to over 650 bibliographic Definition of the search request in detail generated annually Subject, scope, limitations, lime and literature ln-Center use of the toxicology reference library coverage, languages, suggested completion date Selected reports available from the National Technical Information Service, Agreement on the cost estimate of the completed search. COST Searches are accomplished for requesters under a direct, full-cost recovery system. The rate is 1.10/hour with a minimum charge of $35 for domestic search requests. Charges for search requests from foreign countries are $35/hour with a $40 minimum charge. Computer-associated charges, . reproduction costs, as well as use fees for / copyrighted materials, are assessed in addition to the : hourly rate. \ Following agreement between TIRC and the ' ' requester, a thorough literature search is conducted . utilizing on-line computerized data bases and traditional library sources. Scope, time coverage, and search parameters determine the overall search cost. i ; Payment is collected by the National Technical Information Service in Springfield, Virginia 22161, either by direct billing or through deposit accounts. Work for government agencies can be l accomplished through interagency agreements. SEARCH COMPLETION TIME Response times vary from an immediate telephone answer to eight to twelve days for computerized data base searching to three to four weeks for detailed literature searches. PERSONNEL TIRC's professional staff members possess multidisciplinary scientific backgrounds covering chemistry, biology and medicine, pharmacology and toxicology, microbiology, bacterial physiology, information sciences, and administration. The staff specializes in bibliographic literature compilations, slatc-of-the-art overviews, and consultations. Scientific interaction occurs with personnel front the other information centers within the Information Center Complex as well as with the multidisciplinary Laboratory research staff. CONTACT THE CENTER Telephone inquiries can be made by direct dialing (615)483-8611, extension 3-0211. For those who have ' access to the Federal Telecommunications System ; (FTS), the number is 850-0211. Written requests for ' ' information or searches should be mailed to: . i` Toxicology Information Response Center ' Post Office Box X, Building 7509 > 1 Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830^^h ucc 008580