Document GkXw0OQNKYMJYQ4en3xqgYd7

Oakland, CA (Alameda Co.) Tribune (D. 195,937) (S. 168,485) 'tobv 17 1983 C C km, i |"to.me saying gosh, somebody , .'felse has come down with can- v:.der. ;-.Why are fall these people-. l-fcomirig dowhf-with cancer?'T ^1 >vh.V.il f|make that ' Royal saidv she 'toldf'former:^ f{office;manai gerfBili:;.Becker . 7f{and;a;pfobe:by;th^fCalifornia;.f ;wi,Occupa tiona 1 f{Saf ety'^hndffy ^;|f;.v^yaL;-abd'7pfeseht^^fi^f; ' 'manager Robinson .said* the 'agencychecked for possiblea^r * Wise&e m iive-year perm;one dead *& C* ;y;:*.r,-:. ` $ By [ T/a Gerald Tribune DD aavvisisA-\ii`:-:^:;^!,^(S{I^*'c.;.Crceereaf)a)s:sheeaisn melanoma (skin can-. b|en reported among | f yEmploycesJat the main Oak-:-'WX employees'^according 'to Kel- ' ^ilarid office of "the- state's rr'~' :yployment/-Development ;De^#g$At the otpe^state office, ac- HpartmenV'report a;high cancer l{cprdihg-'tdjtLeVin, there Had ftfa'te among co-workers, and' refff;; been 18 caincer cases. in five y '- searchers' sayit may be due^ibv-;years among a staff of 100. He : y a' toxic "time bomb" .of..indoor' did not name the building, say- y/pollution ticking away in Some' f)j>ihg lie would do so in a report "Jmodern^bffice'/buildings. plater this Z `According tof&flist drawn up','0^However'(|empidyees at the ;^by emplpyees:at^the l225 4th;^yOakland EDD; office told The V jffAve. EDD .voffice[:,2(J',pers&iis|;;/;HT^ibune oh; Wednesday' that . ^whoJ.work^;j|^;dtiitegt^e'^;^Qieir'Jmbrk^A<^'^.'^iejQne-Sjtd>, J-past five years haye'contracted;;^died' by Levin,'';and tthat two ;'a variety; oL cancer types. .The'^^additionai daricer cases,had die- ; ({office has a'work'force'of lOO^fvfvfveloped.f ` {and no: figures were imrnedi-||^.4ccordingito Kelter andLev- fately aVailabl'^.onf the total;' inthe cancer symptoms may -; {number who worked there dur- .ybc blamed on' the ilourescent [ f:ihg(.the;peri6d.';"i^|:;vjy $)'^j^bgbi--fixturesV that 'may leak P.:<Six of the. victims contracted fV^PCBs (polychlorinated biphen- -T, ? breast cancer and five have; i cdSTThnd on the proliferation of .' ; Jilting cancer, .employees; say...-synthetic .wpod materials that One has died ; ?; emit formd|dehj(de fibers .-> -.Sixteen of-the victims have "(fLevimsaia:most carcinogen- i; been.women, a reflection of the' Jnic pollution problems are found i: sexual composition of the staff, in buildings? built after World 7 ^according to employees. .;* (War II, which more often lack WyjblDD office^manager Chucknatural vehtilation and are ;'jftObinson expressed : suprise.];;:?; made of a Variety of synthetic i and'disbelief about the reporty.%;(rnaterials. . He said he has not been told of \ , Levin alscHdentified a high- 7^ thev alleged problem. An em- '^ '-er skin cancerrate at the Law-;7; |yvhcfassumed responsibility for. 5 ,;ii^;.^ew.:'lWex)ico.- He. theorized f f ; the. office in .'$eptehi)>er'.. thait .the building, -not the refy; V(The reported high rates of f (search, could .be the cause, 'office-worker cancer surfaced ' .`"We have [to recognize that, during; a hearing Tuesday in fwe may be (sitting in a time5; v Los Angeles of the Assembly . bomb that.vyill explode at the y Committee on. Consumer Pro birth ; of the>fpext generation'; tection and Toxic Materials. with more eancers and birth. V Dr. .Alex (Kelter, chief epide-7 defects and [other -illnesses;"/* mologist of the state Depart- .Levin,told the!Assembly com- '& merit; of Health Services, and rhittee. ;> v fUC Berkeley environmental; (yyfimployefesv.at the Oakland '7 ; research specialist Hal Levin EDD.office told The Tribune ' a^Only the Sacramento'dfficeffft{;f.;yEmployees; Started corning f .' of CalTrans was specifically'*'???- ' named."m T.here. , a' t e_ n_ rfo_lidj feSee rC'WAlSNiCl7ET2R, Ro/t Porya V C&j&SjiSSiX lhn<St- (H'iiivhd requested; gnonymit^ said. ;{f|h^i|l^fAb^taicted;fLeyin7fwhdf I ' study), of^the Oakland ,.)] ' ' ;)|?|djff.icfe;?';;he '?did|difef;,seyCThl)||) - '.||^he;6nesf:W)edhes&ay; for^theffj; :ffmay7fbefleakirigfjcarcinogehicff IV;^f? ^!^|Eniyy^|^enr'trtaK l,in>y;li^n^dttAeO^ : ^fe)jEhstalia{idh ;qf (the PCBs-lad-;;: .. pen flpuresceHt fixtures was dis-:; Continued: xq ld72, said Leyin 7'!lThe Sacramentopffice building; feswas ' ronstriicted `in 1969. `The -5 -(Though the.- transformers (.'-{(should be goodljfdr only seven-. ; ,i N-l 6;.yearS; we know that, what's . supposed to befand whcit is, are ^ * U-fflUSs&ivi; '.,i,n'vWr^Q >> rrn e-- |||{|`^fyner'gefic'ef fecf.beVtWeen .ilpurescent lighting and ; v):.||?dd.!fglothihg|Sybs^hdfTaundry^ '. products; He cited d l969 study ')| sf;^p^ii^;;hiifiUiefmiCe)expdsedfg . . (ftp tlie brightening agents along f| 7yvith'ultrayiolet;radiatiqnfcon-;j m ^|isible: band of '.th^dightfspec-f'r$f . (Strumf. but pf it is emitted^f fro'rti-floure'scentHliehts than Ultraviolet;iightby7itself({| '. could cause'cell abnormalities :7=; leadingfto)fCancer; said . Lejjin..( ^ So $.couldT`formald4!uni?T/ie 4,1 ^sDr.fjp.B. -Meyera-profeSsor- <$of. cheniistryat`) th."Uiiivdrsityvy|i l.i.df -Washington, recommended. a a' letter fto fthe^embly ^ {'Committee that California re- "quire manufacturers to dis-;'.si fi ' close formaldehyde emission rates for all plywood, particle- ;{ bnai-d and fiberboard so that A PCB-ARCH-EXT0376163