Document BRJY0mwxjGBM2jEKpdw1LN7n4

JOURNAL OF COMMERCE, Thursday, February 20,1975 Chemical Markets Lanolin Price Range Shows Consolidation Fine Chemicals A degree of "sani'. v" has re turned to the lanol.n market is prices have started to show some signs of stabilization sources said, and they are consolidating into a narrower range than has been seen in die recent past. But, the producers envpha- size that lanoiin supplies are tight and wool grease, the primary raw material, is stiH priced at very high levels and s in short supiply. Overall prices are falling into a range of the mid $1.3Qs to the low $1.40s for cosmetic grade, although at least one producer is quoting prices ranging from $1.55 up to $1.64 for ltl quantities. During the closing weeks of 1974 prices were scattered all around, ranging from $1.08 to about $1.60 per pound. Pharmaceu tic a 1 grade was quoted Wednesday from $1.31 to $1.35. *`I think that those who sell the grease realize tha t it is not worth $1.10 per pound, and if the prices keep going up for wool grease and lanolin, the markets will be lost," said one producer. Another source said, "this is the general theory." Sources also noted that they have heard of spot sales for wool grease as high as $1.30 or $1.50 per pound. Industry people have ex pressed fears that if the price of lanolin goes too high then users would look to substi tutes. At one time some said $1 per pound would be the cut off point. But notv, with many in dustries reporting slow sales, it is difficult to tell who is cut ting their use of lanolin be cause of the price and who is reducing its consumption be cause of reduced sales. Sev eral sources said the demand for their product was still relatively high. However, an executive with one producing company said that users might be reluctant to change existing formula tions and product identity, but lanolin's growth could be stunted if new products are formulated without it. Wool auctions are currently West Coast Director Named by Cyanamid Journal of Commerce Special LOS ANGELES -- Richard G. Keppler has been appointed- to the newly-created post of regional director of chemicals on the West Coast for Ameri can Cyanamid Co., it was an nounced here by George W. Russell, senior vice president. Mr. Keppler's offices will be at 2300 South Eastern Avenue here. Mr. Russell said crea tion of the new position is in line with Cyanarrmi's proj ected long-term growth poten tial m chemicals on the West Coast. being conducted in Australia, and the Australian Daily News, published by the Con sulate General's office, said that the Japanese ar.d Eastern European bloc arc the princip al purchasers. A lanoUn producer assented that the Australian1 Govern ment has bought more than 40 per cent of the auction's offerniga in order to support the price level. ``When what they have stockpiled hits the market, we'll have grease coming out of our ears. The question -is when." Industrial Chemicals Current prices for alcohols posted by the Union Carbide Corp. are as follows: Ethanol 190 proof, undena tured specialty grade, $1 per gallon: ethanol 200 proof, un denatured specialty, S1.10 per gallon; "Synasol" solvent, 190 proof GF-3, $1.04 per gallon. N-propanol, 23 cents per pound: isopropanol an hydrous, 70 cents per gallon; r.-butanol and isobutanol both 22 cents per pound; n-pentanol, 2-methyl butanol and primary amyl alcohol are list ed at 30 cents per pound. Methyl amyl alcohol is 27.5 cents per pound, 2-ethylhexanol is 28 cents per pound, and diisobutyl carbinol is 58 cents per pound, freight col lect. All prices are for Carbide's freight zone A. Phthalic anhydride produc tion declined by 105.57 million pounds in ; December com pared to Nov.'s figures. The U. S. International Trade Commission reported that December's production totaled 308.47 million pounds while November's stands at 414.04 million- pounds. The cu mulative total for 1974 is 5.998 billion pounds. Paint Materials Scattered small resales of casein, at 73 to 74 cents fcr in dustrial! and 88 cents for edible have been reported by the U. S. Department of Agricidtune. Exporters are reported in creasing their inquiries about XJ. S. inventories because it's been almost a year since the last large volume purchases were made. However, in dustry sources have said that inventories are stretching out because of tlte overall slow pace of business. BELOW SCHfOULE POLYETH. LO, HI DENS. POLYPROP. Coll (212) 355-3085 TOBEY CHEMICAL CO. 414 Mo4ion Av., NYC 10017 Slur. 1946 WANTED PENTAETHYLENE HEXAMINE PYRAMID CHEMICAL SALES CO. Plastics Corner Vinyl Industry Decides To Make Another Attempt Against OSHA Regulation By WILLIAM H. LANDER Journal of Commerce Staff The vinyl industry has de cided to continue its court fight against the OSHA regu lations for the vinyl chloride industry promulgated by the secretary of labor on Oct. 4, 1974. After two days of con sultations involving executives of The Society of the Plastics Industry, senior executives of manufacturing firms, and a battery of lawyers, in Wash ington, the question was -what to do about the 3 to 0 adverse decision handed down by the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York on Jan-. 31, 1975, It is understood that a variety of opinions were expressed, -but at the end it was decided not to accept the Circuit Court's decision. An appeal to the highest court in the land -- the U. S. Supreme Court in Washington -- however, does not auto matically mean that the court will hear the case. In normal practice, when an appeal reaches the court, it is sub mitted to the Justices, and un less at least four want to hear the case, it is not put on the calendar. It is not easy to get four votes out of nine, as many ap pellants have found out in the past. And as things now stand, the vinyl manufacturers will need four votes out of seven, as Justice William O. Douglas and Justice Thurgood Mar shall are absent, being at Bethesda Naval Hospital. The decision of the SPI and the manufacturers to go to the Supreme Court means that it was felt that it was not good strategy to go back to the Sec ond Circuit and ask the full bench to hear an appeal against what its three-man panel had decided by unani mous vote. It will be recalled that Justice Tom Clark, a for mer member of the Supreme Court, said that the court found that the contentions of the appellants were "meritless.'' In the final paragraph of the long opinion, he said: "It is our conclusion that the challenged aspects of the sec retary's vinyl chloride stan dard are supported toy sub stantial evidence in the record and that the petitions for re TIRES PASSINGS*, TRUCK, CONSTRUCTION AND TRACTOR FOR EXPORT OR DOMESTIC USE. All SIZES AVAILABLE FROM MAJOR MANUFACTURER. RADIAL AND BAIS PLY. DIRECT FACTORY SHIPMENTS. ASK FOR MAC BERG CHEMICAL CO., INC. 441 W. 37th St., NYC 10O1B (212) 868-4995 OFFERING CAUSTIC POTASH STD. Ftaka BORIC ACM?. Tcth., Gran. A Powder BORAX, DCCA A RENTA SGOIUM SULFATE ANHYOROUS STPP, Gran. A Powder I 4. CHEMICAL CO. view must be denied. Taking into account the delay occa sioned by these petitions, we think that a reasonable `lead Court is the one that should resolve the final status of the standard, he said. time' is appropriate and there fore order that the secretary's Carbide Promises regulations, rather titan being Full Disclosure effective Jan. 1. 1973. shall be come effective 60 days after the date of this order and that the time requirement as to respiratory protection ... is rescheduled accordingly." F. Perry Wilson, chairman of the board of Union Carbide Corp., has promised full dis closure of the cause of the ac cident at the Antwerp low-den^ sity polyethylene plant as. soon As a starter the Society of as it has been determined. the Plastics Industry filed a motion with the court of ap peals ai New York, asking for a stay of its ruling of Jan. 31, pending application to the Su preme Court for a writ of certiori. The SPI also asked for a continuance of* the temporary standard of 50 .parts per mil lion pending final disposition of the case. , It was announced that the petition for a writ will be filed within 20 days, and that every effort wild be made to get the proceedings before the Su preme Court on the ground' "It is our intention' to share everything we learn with the rest of the industry so that fu ture tragedies of this type can be avoided," Mr. Wilson said. He expressed regret for the tragic loss of Hie. and the in juries resulting from the Feb. 10 explosion. It took six lives. A team of technical experts 1s continuing the investigation. As previously reported, it caused substantial damage to the facility and operations will be out indefinitely. Customers have been assured that their needs will be supplied from that the court of appeals erred . other Union Carbide affiliated in its (interpretation of the companies in Europe ard `substantial evidence" rule when it on Jan. 31 upheld the from producing locations in other parts of the world until OSHA one part per million production is resumed at Ant standard. werp. Union Carbide and its The SPI further argued affiliates produce low-density that, contrary to the enabling polyethylene in Sweden. Scot legislation which created land. Japan, Australia, India. OSHAv the one ppm standard Brazil, and Canada, in addi subjects -the industry to a tion to the United Sta tes. technologically and economic- The plant, situated on the a 11 y infeasible regulatory right bank of the Sheldt River code. in, 'Antwerp, is operated by The SPI further contends Union Carbide Belgium, a that even OSHA has conceded wholly-owned subsidiary of the infeasibility of the stan Union Carbide Ccrp. It had a dard based on one ppm; the capacity of 300 million pounds SPI also said that OSHA made a year. a "policy judgment" in the case rather than basing it onfactual data. National Patent Ralph L. Harding, president of the SPI, said that the VCMPVC industry is making every effort to reduce worker ex posure levels, and added that this work will continue regard less of the fact that it has peti tioned the Supreme Court for a review. He said that the de cision -to ask for a writ of certiori was based on the fact that the appellate court ruling wrould have required the VCMPVC industry to develop in National Patent Corp. reported net income for the fourth quarter of 1974 was $195,113 on sales and other revenue of $6,954,877, com* pared to a net loss of $2,144,785 on- sales of $5.691.325,, a year earlier. Net income for 1974 was SI.732.821 on sales and other revenue of $27,769,184 compared to net loss of S5,531,4S3 on revenues of $18,094,521. feasible engineering controls and work practices in an at Meitinger Named tempt to achieve unknowable exposure levels. The petition ers believe that the Supreme Sylvester Meitinger has been appointed marketing manager-automotive rubber | for 'the SWS Silicones Corp., DIOCTYL PHTHALATE Adrian, Mich. SODA ASH RESORCINOL AVAILABLE FROM OUR WAREHOUSE HYDROQUINONE DIPROPYLENE GLYCOL TITANIUM DIOXIDE PROPIONIC ACID ZINC OXIDE 1SOPHORONE BORIC ACID - BORAX PRIMARY AMYL ALCOHOL CHEMICAL SERVICE CORP. 2 - METHYL BUTANOL P.O. Bax 270 Rockville Centra, N.Y. 11571 (516) 536-5533 (2t2) 291-7875 ASK rOA MAC BERG CHEMICAL CO.. INC. 441 W. 37th Sf., NYC 10018 (212) 866-499S OFFERING MORPHOLINE D ET A PYRAMID CHEMICAL SALES CO. 1035 Virginia Drlva TO PLACE YOUR ADVERTISING ON in/- n a 21419001