Document 8V1NgGov33VvMqwMGbe9zDZaB

8 THE WAl.L STREET JOURNAL/ _ : Monday, June 30, 1980___. . j More Chemicals-Controls Strongly Urged By Panel, Citing Rise of Cancer Incidence Dij a Wai.i. Strebt Journal Staff Reporter WASHINGTON--A White House commit tee, reasserting its contention that cancer incidence is on the rise, issued a strong call for more regulation to control, chemicals. The group, the Toxic Substances Strategy Committee, found that "man-made toxic chemicals are a significant source of death and disease in the U.S. today," said Gus Speth, its chairman. Of the health hazards arising from chemicals, "cancer is a leading cause of concern," the committee reported. Mr. Speth acknowledged recent public sentiment against increasing government regulation but said that in the area of toxic substances "we must strengthen govern ment action, not weaken it, if we are going to provide the protection the public de mands." Among other things, the committee spe cifically recommended: -Passage of proposed legislation creat ing a federal "superfund" to use in cleaning up toxic spills and abandoned waste sites. . -Removal of barriers that prevent trans ferring trade secrets and confidential infor mation on toxic substances among govern ment agencies, as well as increased public access to such data. . '. -legislation to strengthen regulation of. the cosmetic industry, over which, the com mittee said, the government has less author ity to check for hazardous ingredients than other industries.. . , . ..... The committee estimated that occupa*. tional exposure to cancer-causing, agents is a factor in more than 20% of all cancer, cases. , ' : It also repeated its assertion, first made in a draft report last year, that cancer inci dence rates are rising. The committee bases the finding on data from the National Can cer Institute showing that cancer incidence increased about 10% between 1970 and 1976 after having remained relatively constant for the previous 30 years. . .. . Industry' groups charge that the finding is based on unrepresentative and incompara ble surveys. After the final report was re leased, the American Industrial Health Council, a trade group, accused the commit tee of trying .to "unnecessarily alarm the public with indiscriminate charges and alle gations based on this nohconclusive data." . Mr. Speth conceded that the committee j isn't exactly sure of the role toxic chemicals ; play in increasing cancer rates. But he 1 argued that higher cancer rates strongly j suggest "some new or intensified causal faC- , tors" in the environment. - , ' I Measure Creating Superfund to Clean Up Chemical Wastes Is Voted by Senate Panel ib.i By David -Ignatius... products, such as benzene or butane/20% Staff Reporter of The Wall Street Journal ' drawn from sales of inorganic materials, WASHINGTON--The chemical industry :such as arsenic, lead or ;mercurj///and l5%, seems to be losing, its battle to block a po-. ; drawn from sales of criide pil/^I^S/p/Steid tentially troublesome hazardous-waste bill;-; from clearing Congress'.'i^^^SXl^vl!; The Senate Environment Committee ap-; proved a tough hazardous-waste, bill by the surprisingly large margin of 10 to one, with the only dissent coming from freshman Re: publican Alan Simpson of Wyoming. Earlier'; this year, when the Senate panel was snarled in. debate, industry lobbyists had These fees couldn't exceedvone cent a pound'for petrochemicals ;/$10; atbri/for'inorganic materials,:;and three cents a barrel for oil. Iri any case/. they couldn't,'total more than 2% of the purchase price; of the prod uct. ' . Ta XTX.'XXy7;\TXefy'. ' . ", . / The fund would pay for cleanup of some of the 5,700 waste dumps that have been hoped that the bill might die in committee.7, , identified' as/ potentially hazardous by the Because : two similar hazardous-waste Environmental Protection Agency. It could proposals have already been approved by also be used to relocate families whose House committees, congressional aides pre: diet that a final bill could be enacted this; health might be threatened by:.toxic emis sions at such cities as the Love Canal tract year. But. the' industry, during House and'. in Niagara Falls, N.Y.T-;,. '.V.'J . ; . Senate floor debate, is. expected to press for; amendments That would; weaken the mea-,' ,i Potentially/more'^worrisome for the sure.. ZSZ&i chemicad/sihdusfeyAare"/fee'i liability provi- ! ,The Senate biil would be' tougher on' the' sions in 'the 'Seriate billv/The; measure would j chemical industry than the'House versions. impose/"Vtrict habihty'.'/.Tor damages - It would open chemical companies and their which' meansthatplaintiffs.wouldn't. have to! customers to' a new round of government prove that negligence was involved in a and private lawsuits over damage caused by waste spill-on companies that contributed; toxic-waste spills. And it would force compa to a hazardous emission. Such suits could be . nies to contribute up to $700 million annually, filed against; the owners or operators of: to a new' federal "superfund" that would dump sites, the companies that generated help pay for cleanup of existing dump sites the waste or contracted for. its disposal, or around the country. ` , >... tlie concerns that transported it. - The only bright spot for industry lobby1 ists Friday was the Senate committee's ap proval of an amendment by Sen. Peter Do- , menici (R:; N.M.) that would prevent many private lawsuits for damages that occurred Victims Could sue under' the measure; only for actuai.'ecohomic damages, such as out-of-pocket medical; expenseSi or lost in come. This limitation , would-.prevent large before enactment of the bill. The Domenici awards to compensate vietims for.such non amendment was approved unanimously... hyi economic 'Even.so, damages as the Senate "pain and suffering." bill- would / be'much ! j Amount of Superfund , more favorable to victims thayexisting law,. The fund envisioned in the Senate bill which usually requires a victim" to.,.present-1 would raise about $4.1 billion over the next elaborate evidence of a company's wrongdo- i six years, with 87% of this total'coming ing. from industry and the. remainder coming The Domenici amendment that cleared from the federal treasury. A version of the the Senate panel is intended to deter , law superfund approved this month by the House suits by people who assert that they con-j Ways and Means Committee would raise a traded a disease such as cancer because of; total of $1.2 billion, with 25% coming from exposure'to hazardous waste long ago. Ac-'! the government/ ;y # * cording to William Donovan, a committee; The Senate measure would impose fees aide, this amendment could save the chemi-j on sales of 44 substances, wdth 65% of the to cal industry billions of dollars in. future liti-.j tal levy drawn from sales of petrochemical gation costs. . ' ' ' '