Document B8XJj2xqJaEn4nKzg0RMooBej

I ^ k;u. > iv- r-. 1 . - t < x 1 News Release Health <Sc Safety Executive Bayncrd* House 1 Chepstow Place Londcm W2 4TF Telephone OS-227 3456 Zxt* 179 October 7 1977 BISK or LIVER CANCER FROM VCM COULD HAVE BET2i OVERSTATED BAYS REFOBT A preliminary report publiohcd today suggests that the hanard from the chemical VCM to wrfcsra employed la the manufacture of FVC or FVC products *** to the general public living around the plants involved night not be as great as was first supposed* VCM (vinyl chloride monomer) is tho gas used in the manufacture of polyvinyl chloride (PYC)- The report, published today (October 7) in the British Medical Journal, is written by Dr. Pfrtnr Baxter of the Health and Safety Executive1 a Enplaymant Hedionl Advisory Service (DiAS) and three other medical experts. In 1974, medical findings from the OB indicated for the first time that workers engaged in the manufacture of PVC were at risk from developing liver cancer (angiosarcoma) Urgent action, by the Health end Safety JQcfreutlva in collaboration with both side3 of the chemical iniustry resulted in levels of exposure to VCM being draotically reduced in the six British plants involved. The report soya that out of a total of 4? reported cases of angiosarcoma of the liver in the ten-year period 19&3-73* in uly 14 was the diagnosis verified and out of these only one could be confidently associated-vith workplace exposure to VCM. It also cwya that the overall incidence of Angiosarcoma did not appear to be geographically linked vlth the location of factories dealing with tha chemical, although there wae one confirmed e&ee of angiosarcoma in a man who hod lived within half-a-milo of a FVC factory for ai* yeaira before hia death- There vac no indication of angiosarcoma having arisen through swallowing minute amounts of VCM, for example, from plastic food wrappings. 000>7f 2 VVC 00 2- - Out of 47 deaths in the period which were attributed to angiosarcoma, nays the report* 37 had sufficient information supplied by hospitals for the data to be scrutinised by the panel of medical experts- Whore the . cause of death could be definitively agreed as angiosarcoma (14 cases), full occupational and residential case histories were obtained and analysed in 12 whose next-of-kin could be traced. In the one caae whore workplace exposure could be associated with the worker's fatal illness* ho had been exposed to VC?< levels probAbly exceeding 200 parts per million in nir for over 20 years. (The current agreed level in this country for worker exposure which ia enforced by the Factory Inspectorate in ten parts per Billion in air over an eight-hour day.) The authors of the paper point out that their findings are generally reassuring ia that not only doss the annual incidence of nngiosarcoma, appear to be in single figures* in a population of about 50 million, but expo cure to VCM eeema to have been responsible for only one death over the whole ten-year period. However they say that there remains * possibility that Angiosarcoma uy be associated with VCM at low exposures so a close watch on the ocflurt*enc of this tumour should be maintained. The paper* ''Angiosarcoma of the liver in Great Britain, I9^3"73n* gives the results of a preliminary study, which is now being extended to include ell known cases of angionarcora occurring from 1974 onwards. This survey in being undertaken by EMAS* as is a full curvey of all caucea of death among workerc engaged in PVC manufacture. This work parallels studiea set up in a number of Industrialised countrieo since 1974. An EMAS opokeBBvm commented: ,rThese findings give us grounds to hope that this chemical will turn out to be leoe of a cancer rick then vaeoriginally supposed when the American findings were announced. The single cane of A man living near n PVC factory who died from anglesarcoma la insufficient evidence to draw any eoncluaions at this stage-1' oO &