Document DMm34z6jgNLGJbgqYg7zQkO4d

MEMORANDUM TO: Dr. C. U. Dernehl - NYO Mr. R. E. Graebert - 511 Mr. R. E. Gulick - NYO Dr. E. Q. Hull - 511 Mr. A. w. Lutz - NYO Dr. A. B. Steele - NYO Mr. J. w. Whittlesey - NYO ^CC: Mr. D. L. Engle - 515 Mr. G, J. Hanks, Jr. - 511 Mr. E. Jusko - NYO Mr. R, Leviton - NYO Mr. W. C. Quinby - NYO Mr. A. R, Ryrholm t 514 Mr. A. Walker - NYO Mr. R. W. Wesson - NYO Mr. D. L. Wiley - NYO Dr. N. L. Zutty - NYO June 3, 1974 PLANT MGRS. FH 3 recd. JUN 1 01974 dle Development of Information for Possible Union Carbide Presentation to the Labor Department on Proposed Permanent Vinyl Chloride Standards - Other Pertinent _________ Matters Concerning Vinyl Chloride On May 31, at 10:00 A. M., the following people met to review subject: Drs. Dernehl, Hull, Steele, Messrs. Graebert, Gulick, Lutz and Whittlesey. The Selikoff visit to Charleston - This is being coordinated between Welty and Copenhaver at Charleston, our Medical Department, and Dr. Selikoff, in accordance with a meeting that took place in New York on May 28. In general, all parties agreed that the union plus UCC will handle any publicity; there will be a control ` group of employees who worked in Charleston but have not worked with vinyl chloride. The NIOSH industrial hygienists are coming into the plant the weeks of June 10 and June 17. CBS plans to be in attendance for the Selikoff visit and the NIOSH industrial hygienists' visits. A meeting will take place today, June 3, in Charleston, with Ed Prochnik, Ralph Leviton (both of Corporate PR), Art Ryrholm, Dick Graebert, and others to plan the CBS visit. Attached is a draft of UCC information which should be made available for the CBS program. We are anxious to use the program to tell Carbide's position openly and clearly. John Whittlesey agrees that there is no concern about stating our position on TV in the light of Labor Department hearings and possible litigation at a later date. All parties in attendance at the above meeting are in agreement with articulating the attached position on TV. UCC 090656 V2- - / .5 Proposed UCC presentation to the Labor Department - The date of this presentation will now be the week, or so, following June 25. John Whittlesey has agreed to rewrite the draft presentation to date in the light of the discussions at 'the above meeting and the attached position paper. This draft paper is to be circulated to all in attendance at the last meeting by June 7, so that there will be ample time to review same for our next get-together at 1 P. M. on June 11. 6. The proposed animal test work to* show that "excursions are unimportant" is moving along, and the 3PI Steering Committee should take it up in the very near future. It is hopeful that this protocol will be approved by them and they will be on the verge of starting the test work by the time the hearings take place in late June. 7. Check on whether mice are a suitable human model for vinyl chloride Dr. Hull advises chat maximum effort is being placed in this area and, at best, we will have the results of these tests at Mellon on June 25. We are keeping the maximum effort on here such that, hopefully, we will be able to show that mice are not a suitable model, and thus be able to go to UCC Medical Position Alternate 1, as described on page 3 of the attached position paper. 8. Medical position ~ Dr. Hull advises that Carroll Weil, at Mellon, had recently stated in a paper that a 5,000:1 safety factor in going from animals to humans is required in cases of carcinogenicity. Dr. Hull checked this out further, and it is fell that probably IU:i is okay, and Carroll agrees with this and feels that the 5,000:1 is totally impractical and would lead to essentially zero concentrations for any carcinogenic materials. In our brief we plan to state that there are no technical papers to show that vinyl chloride vapors exposed to skin can systematically affect the human body and thus it is only necessary to take precautions from inhalation of vinyl chloride. The present proposed standard re quires complete cover-up of the individual. Dr. Hull will review this with Mellon and Dow personnel. 9. Environmental aspects of vinyl chloride - In separate conversations with Drs. Zutty and Steele, it was agreed that the ultimate solutions to the environmental protection problems all lay in process improvement, and Dr. Steele is hard at work in this area for his sphere of interest. Dr, Zutty does not have anywhere near as severe a problem with solvent resins and plans to observe the evolution of the environmental positions further before making major moves. TWC/ad Attachment T. W. Carmody UCC 090657