Document 97yZjVxeeoJexar9RQ0bY4KR

MANUFACTURING CHEMISTS ASSOCIATION 1825 CONNECTICUT AVENUE. N.W. WASHINGTON. O C 20009 (202) 483-6126 December 19, 1973 To: TECHNICAL TASK GROUP ON VINYL CHLORIDE RESEARCH Subject: ILO Concerns with Vinyl Chloride Monomer Gentlemen: At the last meeting of the Research Coordinators, our attention was called to a press release of the International Labour Office identifying VCM as a cause of emphysema- Our inquiry elicited the information that this implication was made in OCAW testimony before the House on the Occupational Safety and Health Act in 1969. The testimony quoted from a union representative as follows: "We use vinyl chloride in one of our buildings. Vinyl plastic we manufacture. I was very interested in listening to one of the previous speakers, because we now have three men, with better than fifteen years seniority, on permanent and total disability with emphy sema . "We have a janitor there now who worked on a mill, a two-roll mill, for twenty-five years, breathing these fumes. He can hardly breathe. The company is afraid to let him go, because they know what's going to happen, because we're going to be right on top of them. This man is almost blue, almost all the time. He has to go to the doctor every two weeks. His own doctor." It is apparent that ILO did not base their press release statement on valid scientific evidence, and in fact, it involved substantial extrapolation from the unreferenced source. RSV 0000009 Technical Task Group on Vinyl Chloride Research December 19, 1973 Page Two MCA has requested a copy of the report of the ILO meeting at which occupational hazards from VCM were to have been discussed. It should be available next March, and per tinent material from it will be made available to the TTGVCR. Sincerely, 'Kenneth D. Johnson, *Ph.D. Secretary Technical Task Group on Vinyl Chloride Research KDJ:mb cc : D. P. Duffield, M. D. Mr. D. M. Elliott Dr. Tiziano Garlanda RSV oooooio