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OSHA's rules spur suits
When John II Slender. Assistant Sec retary ot Labor :imj head ol' (he depart ment's Occupational Salety and Health Administration. presented hn.d standaids for worker exposure to vm\! chloride monomer gas at the National Safetx ( .migross in Chicago Iasi week, he expected the Labor Dept "to he sued h\ both sides." He was partially light within two minutes ot the nnmnitit ement. when the Society of the Plastics Indtisirv hied a pe tition lot u-vicw ol'the standards in the Second Circuit ('outt ..| \ppeals in New York.
Other suits follow ed. Hooker aiui Union C arbide hied a similar petition in the same court, bii'esionc filed in the Sivih (`ueuit, I enneeo and An Products in the I bird Circuit. All companies will seek to eel the actions removed to the Second Cucmt Court Also. IU . Cioodneh sa\s it intends to request a legal toview.
hut one aUornos lannlinr with the Ion*: struggle over the stand.irds tells Chemical MrA that "it will be a \er\ tough case lor the industry to overturn," citing what he described as an "excellent preamble" to the standaids from OSl I A.
I he standaids are not (he "no detec table*' limit originallx proposed hv the agenex but the three-step piogrum is much tougher than indusir\ proposed at hearings earlier tins year. I * util the end ol 1 V7*4 the 50-ppm. ma.Miuum exposure set by OSl lA as a temporary cmorgencx standard m April stays in elleet. In P>7s the maxiimim exposure will drop to 5 ppm . measured over a 15-minute period.
OSHA'S SUd-UL'R Spc-tu-ii uot timet.Wd** for touyh**f vr.d Uik>,'C.e `pof.uft* n:b*s 14 CHEMICAL WEEK, OctODer 9, 1974
with a l-ppin lime-weu'hled .on me Itwa ) I.>i the eie111-11o111 dav hut am re engineering ol these c*mtr*>ls is nm p*<s sible. maximum exposure will he 2s ppm,, w ith respuatois I., he ivailabk I*ut not mundalois. toj xxojkci use \bei lan I. Ih7(> theie will he no c* i epli* ms n . ! tie 1 ppm iw.i ami ''pjmi maximum hmit, with respirators mandators .u highei ex posures
1 he other side the labor unions is also expected to attack the standards be cause ol die implementation mm (able and allowance |m the use ol uiiiinu and eaiindge tespiralors Ml would ap peal this thing has a number ol lo.-pD-lcs in il," sax s l: tilled K ubbei W * *i kei > I't csident betel Ihunni.ifito lie also takes is sue with the use oj jespuators al the workeis* discretion during !*/7s oilier union spokesmen sa\ they need mole time to examine the standards
Death Knell; hulustts sources sax u is impossible to opeiate at the lower expo sure levels, could mean the demise o! the 17 U S. plants that pri*dwee the monomer the 37 that po|\me!i/e it t> make poh\ m\ 1 i blonde { PY( ) i cm ns and the tin m sands o! plants that mold extrude and othciwm* shape the icxins mto plasm, pipe, xmsl lloormg, house siding and phonograph records
An Arthur I) Little studs for SIM mdi cates that about 2.2 million jobs m the V S depend on P\ (' production and th.it the annual loss to mdustrx m sales ai.J production would be Mo-'A> billion d the material were banned. (Some 5 billion Ibs./yeai ot' PYC are now piodikcd m tile US Wholesale \ alue ol all product' is s3 billion )
I he question now seems to be w m :hvt the courts will upset the O.Sil \ dcteim. nation. whether legal delaxs can gi\e the iudiisfr\ sufheicnt nine to tool up n> the new standards or whethei. as one mJu-*llx *)hser\er stales, "a political and c*. normc solution must be imposed hv ( on gress to save the nkhistix
(miming Criteria: Object ot Uu ik'a standards is protection b>r i,5ni) workers m monomer piocUwtum \M"i l`\( plant emploxees and about 35b`*uo uoiiei* at P\ (` labikatnm plants
Lxposuie to V('M ai |in old si.m-l iui * >! *00 ppm, ol highei h i % been hrb . d n about 2'v deaths wotldw.de Worn in.n.'sauom.t ,i late loci satnet sin^e o "a.o lust iii'iutal m l.itujatv llCJ ni i.'jniei w.ukels al H 1 tma.llld \ I ot'is*. jj!; K\ . P\ (` plant lechnisa' imms ;.u it, OSH \ standaid o annua! Usb m 11 and the 1 S u ft. Jul\ I ", p hi oei*.* *ii Oralira* angiosaKonia m rats, mue sad
h uusk rs at *o-ppm exposuie K.ilph llatdmg, president of SIM uli^
ifw siamlards ''unrealistic." s,i\s u [Mob* able will he impossible foi most, it mu al! plants h< meet them ami dial (hex 'aji|se.u to base been deseioped mi some basis iikuiiMsteut with iet<M,-de.l lads "
1 rmilile S|mts: Slender is mote opti mistic about lhe mdiistrCs ahtlilx io cope wnh the regulations Hut he says the l*V( plants will be ''hardest pressed " 1 he bate h-process pol\ ineri/ation ot wn\l eldonde m kettles is the point ol highest exposure to the monomer eas
Vmxl chloride maker Dow ( hemical is bunging legal actum seeking lo block the ()Sfi\ legulations I he conip.mx says n lias heen operating al beloxc pi ppm and considers the new standard "more restnetixe than necess.irx." Dow questions the "abihtx ol the mdustrx to develop the needed techno|oa\ " On the other hand Kobmtech saxs all its l*Y( pipe tahncatmii plants w ill meet the ne\c standards and that it xcill expand its 1 feepott. I ex . ic'sin plant to I *M-milliondhs vear,
Shell loses a round
I nxnonment.il Protection Agencx Ad ministrator Russell (rain last v `'ek oiciv red Shell C hcimcal to stop production ot aldnn and dieldnn br most uses, claiming the pesticides can cause cancer I he bar, will remain in died until I P \ completes hearings to determine xxi,ether the pesueicles' registraii-ons diouM be canceled
Shell, sole mantitadurei o' tlie pesiicides. would have to cancel plans lot P>"'5 pi i >cl tic in mi ol about 10 nullum lbs. hut could sell the mater;.il it has m stock
I he two pesticides are ehlotmated Inilrocaibons used lareelx \*n ci'tn, citrus 'iunis .Mid ceitain seeds
Aldim bre.iks down uuo dieldmt attvi application
Irani luid earlier disclosed his inten tion to impose the ban because Lib ;ests with rats and mice showed dieldnn in creased :he incidence ol m.ilienant Ill inois t( ft Jue /s', p i ' i Shell recjU'.sted a healing, and last month I P\ a dm Mi isl i a ti\ e law jildee Hei'k:: Pe.'im m mged th.it maimta* turc of the j.esticides be suspended
I a si w eek. She!! appealed I r on s bice ordei mi die 1 S ( ircu11 (. our! m. s.cxc ( Oic.ins I Is, I r;\ inmmeuiaf i ?s tjse i "nd the en-up th.it iimiakw! the vom j'i iM'l also hied sum (act week m iSderai
:mju i - c`mi t m W ashtne: >n D i u Ok o;.;g th.it me ban be extended to me ,.nd sale1- of vxistme unentor :e-
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I op of I he nows
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Demand for scientific manpower is accelerating'. . ,
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01LI
I
I
I
I ____ JI
II i I
1961
19G3
1965
19G7
1909
1971
1973
Oc*iili<U.
ft t:Viin* s*'*<)nu.r7icu'rHis4 fi*in,intl m*h'S |'.t\c`l on till n*m
Irtchw Ol ,Ktvd tis!tt(J,
. . . but the supply of new graduates is legging
Chemical engineering degrees
Year
BS
M.S.
Pli.D,
Chemistry degrees U 5 M S I'li D
m
iWr
1970 1971 1972 1973
3,234 3,433 3,730 3,620 3,600 3.686
1,142 1,081 1,065 1,086 1,158
98G
3G0 402 452 395 413 405
NA 7,(>43 7,794 7.956 7,908 8.060
NA 1,61? 1.665 1,94 : 2,019 2,005
fXI A not .lvatl.Uilf, Sutmis
anj Mimnocvrf Con* in v,.On Aim'i M .-JM
NA
1,91? 2,145 2,097 1,929 1,880
,j 1 '...........,
mg, is attributed by most manpower ex* ports to an upsuruo m energy and envi ronment-related spending by induxtiv and government Another up-and-com ing held toi chemists in health sciences rcHMU ii
One b.uonietei d die Male ol' the chemical joh market is the number of new cUomistrv PhDs who have taken posidottoi,il research positions. '1 hese are
m>rmal!\ teg.odes* as "holding patterns."
vheiebv nou iw.uhiales mark tune by
pertutmine tcse.uch or teaching m aca demic departments mUil dies can locate
permanent p*`stiiou>, tvptcul example
j Ohio State I mwtsitv icporis that three [ \L\irs ago M** ot its new ctieiuisirx Ph.D.s
accepted ptsli!t c U u a I positions; |\m years ago ihe number `aas 50';, Lot sear ire;
While the biggest gam in employment
ltr chemists lias been regie-
tert^^H ilie diktiua! level,
li S
chei^ms .ire stdl experiencing dillicullies
in locating p^sjti.-ns \ placement ollut.il
at ( ahlornia Institute ol lechnologs s.iss that the job outlook lor Ii S. chemists is Mill light. 'Thes're going to graduate school because there aren't mans jobs available," he ,ulds. " l ho :s lcadine them uvv.iv from industrs and into liolus like medicine and education "
All hough chemisirv jobs are mouplentilul this scar, starting salaries have mu i inch substantial!). I his is patticulariv true at tiie b.uhcjor's level, where median Mailing salaries. according to the \mvri* can (hcmteal Soviets', rose irom 'suiioo Iasi sea' to xd.7st) [ilJS sear At the mas ter s lestl \LS leporw a change in a\eiage starting salaries foi graduates Horn M'ohh lirt sMyitWi m P>7-1 1 he helliest gaols in starting salaries Were recorded at tie, doctoral level nM.uoO Dst v ear to s I n,!`>0 i}u\ y,<;,tr
Ihe improved cmpLuruvUt prospvcts in v hemistipamcul iris at the I'hl) lev el, hive imi vi I e, no ued a roc m the nuliihei ol i'll \) eiavltiales hi i f.m/, t No\ ih^'oiates m dn'iimiw wlovf. .have
been declining since L>7L .ire expected
In most evperts to eontiriue (ailing lor
much ot the rest ol the decade, Imgctv re
jecting slim enrollment in giaduaic
schools during the slow lU7ti-|u7i pertod
Ihe l S Labor Dept s Olhce ol 'Ldu-
calton contittns that hrst-sear graduate
enrollments dropped srgnilicantiv ,u (hot
tune Irom an average ol about 7,15b be*
tween iWifc and IV70 to h,K2l in I'>7!
\nd a survev ol academic departments
he ( II indicates that enrollments have
since (alien lurther. In one typical ease,
the l msersitvol Washington reports that
its iota! enrollment ol chemistrs majors
dropped Irom 350 a lew scars ago to tins
vear's
in contrast, the school sav*
chemisirv class enrollments have in
creased as much as |0\ tills vear over last
vc.ir Olheials .it the umveiMtx attribute
this trend to majots m other heIJs elect
ing dienrarv courses,
Wlule the over-all chemisirv enroll-
merit has continued to dt dine, the situ
ation Las been most marked at the gradu
ate level Most schools still jcporl a lirm
desire .n tiie part ol undergraduates to
major m chemisirv Hovvevct, academic
ians see this development as linked to the
increasing popularitv ol premedical stud
ies ,>.:mundergraduates.
While manpowei specialists agree that
decreasing chemisirv enrollments and
graduation rates m.iv eventually lead to a
slum.tee oj' chemists, tiiev concede that
the timetable 'or this development de
pends on a lot ol unpredictable variables,
duet among which is the state of the L' S.
uonoim ovei the next couple ol wars.
\`wertheless. several predictions can
be made In college teaching, a tradi
tional outlet lor chemisirv Ph.D s, most
experts predict modest growth, Lor ex
ample. A1 lan Carter ol the Limcrsitv of
( aiiiornia at Los Angeles, asserts that the
college-age population will not grow cub-
stantiallv during the next 5b vears, with
11ic result thill new college te tellers will
not be needed in great numbers,
OuiM,!e the academic sphere, the out-
! *ok .of chemists is brighter I or ex*
imple, the labor Dept.A Occupational
ti.Mloor Handbov'k predicts that the de*
iti.'iiM 'm chemists m rndiistrv will exceed
Mipplv bv LLy\ .\tui the Hureau ol I jhnt
statistics joresees an average vearlv de
maud o' n.Sm nevv industrial chemists
irom now until )VS5, but the course that
industrs s ,uiual luring rates will take de
pends ,-n wonomic and icchnologual de
velopments Mich .is the need to make
dealer Use ot receding and uricon-
1 enliona! raw matciials tiiat nov\ ^an ouiv be euesscxt ,u
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