Document GmVKKkmO6b48qrnzJ63DVa5JV

RECEIVED FEB 4 1974 PUBLIC RELATIONS SPECIAL SECTION -- LOUISVILLE SITUATION PM EDITION EXECUTIVE NEWS DIGEST This special section contains all press clippings and media releases received during the past 24-hours on the Louisville situation. External Communications and Public Affairs BFG32380 24557001 The following UPI dispatch appeared in a number of newspapers over the past weekend. LOUISVILLE,- KY- UPI-- AN OFFICIAL OF THE KENTUCKY OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION REPORTS THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS D DECLARED A RARE LIVER'CANCER WHICH HAS TAKEN THE LIVES OF,FOUR LOUISVIE *. * - * v* B F GOODRICH CO EMPLOYES AS A NEW .OCCUPATIONAL DISEASE RIGHT NOW THE ONLY FOUR KNOWN CASES'OF THIS DISEASE APE RIGHT HERE ^ IN LOUISVILLE BUT THIS THING HAS TPEMDNOUS IMPLICATIONS NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY SAID.DR J BRADFORD BLOCK MEDICAL CONSULTANT FOP THE ^ 't KENTUCKY OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION BLOCK SAID THE. NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH MADE THE DECISION TO. LABEL ANGIOSARCOMA AS AN OCCUPATIONAL DISEASE DURING AN AiLLDAY MEETING.IN WASHINGTON FRID* AY i- . ` , ELOCK SAID TWO PROMINENT PATHOLOGISTS FROM THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH AND THE NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE CONFIRMED THAT ANGIOSARCOMA THE LIVE CANCER TOOK THE LIVES OF FOUR EMPLOYES WHO WORKED THE PCLYVINl %* - k. CHLORIDE PROCESS AT THE GOODRICH PLANT HERE HE ADDED THAT 13 PLANTS ACROSS THE .NATION MANUFACTURE VINYL CHLORIDE AND ANOTHER 15 USE IT IN SUCH A WAY AS TO EXPOSE THEIR EMPLOYES TO IT HE SAID AUTHORITIES ESTIMATE THAT AS MANY AS 6,507 WCPKEFS. HAVE EFEN EXPOSED TO VINYL CHLORIDE THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES 24557002 BFG32381 fcLOCK SAID NATIONAL HEALTH OFFICIALS AFE PLACING SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON RESULTS EXPECTED'NEXT'WEEK. OF FURTHER/TESTING. OF 55 WORKERS./IN THE L LOUISVILLE GOODRICH PLANT* WHOSE PREVIOUS BLOOD TESTS SHOWED AENORMALI ' 5 ' . ' ` TIES THEY WERE AMONG 271 EMPLOYES TESTED AT.'THE PLANT , - '* '' - THE LOUISVILLE FACILITY USES VINYL CHLORIDE IN THE PROCESSING OF A PLASTIC FOR MANUFACTURE OF PHONOGRAPH RECORDS AND SOME FOOD CONTAINERS *. - . * \ ** `* "- BLOCK SAID GOODRICH COMPANY RECORDS SHOW AT LEAST 2S EMPLOYES AT ITS LOUISVILLE INSTALLATION HAVE DIED OF CANCER SINCE THE FACILITY WENT . INTO OPERATION IN THE'1S40S OF THAT NUMBER 22 WORKED WITH VINYL- : CHLORIDE BLOCK SAID '. ' * _ ' * V % .. ' , -lE SAID THE FOUR WHOSE DEATHS HAVE BEEN ATTRIBUTED TO ANGIOSARCOMA * ' ALL DIED WITHIN THE LAST SIX YEARS AND ALL PROBABLY WERE.EXPOSED TO HIGH CONCENTRATIONS OF VINYL CHLORIDE DURING CLEARING OPERATIONS ' i t j GOODRICH OFFICIALS SAID THE COMPANYS STANDARDS REGARDING EXPOSURE TO VINYL CHLORIDE ARE MUCH STRICTER THAN THE FECEFAL GOVERNMENTS THE COMPANY SAID IT ENFORCES STANDARDS ALLOWING A MAXIMUM EXPOSURE OF 50 PARTS PER MILLION PARTS OF AIR COMPARED WITH GOVERNMENT STANDARDS OF . 5C0 PARTS PER MILLION PARTS OF AIR j BFG32382 mziodz \n c.r* try ID <3* 1 -r ^ 1 '**' ________ J <8. PAGES' ___________ ', SATURDAY tVSNINO, FEBRUARY1 1,1974 Cnrtl|lit 7 t, tk Tlmu TEN CENTS FINAL HOME LOUISVILLE ES - 2-MUiDAY, fESSU-A'iY 2nd Pftga- 2 cancerit "Ack pay=E ?3iid; Goodrich deaths linked C? :'.1bsv4 From IVse One i*. -icing worker exposure to vinyl cMo* r* so an iMatc minimum. ::?snv-i.ile, there were other dtvcloj-mtat* ui the case: AFL-010 has scheduled a meet ing in Ahron, Ohio, for Feb. 12, when the isdaUrj'vide Ireylkufien* of the ceoccr ou\Uri`s ia Louisville will be diteussed. The wjoti already hi* a task force inrcstigotlog ia the polyvinyl chloride in dustry. s* OSHA announced tht it will hold ;n informational ana fact-finding fceiring in Washington at the Department of I-sbor on Feb. 15 to Ritber more data in connection with wiling federal worker* protection standards. Sheldon SajuocU. an lr. lurivi.-'.hj cicca expert at the AKL-CIO. raid yesterday i that he and `.her labor official* are; "gravely conce. ried" about the Louisville ' rju-stioii i-sd that worker* are "veryj reared.* He said that since 1951, for example, the Dow Chemical Co- ha* voluntarily en forced a aundard in it* own plants Hist ia 10 times lower than the current federal standard of SW jKttii of polyvinyl cbl* j ride vapor. { "Daw t;3c34ed there were effect* oa the workers at st least 160 pari* per mil lion t<d they *c4 a 50-pMtsd>er-iniUion standard for tberejeh-os,*' Samuels said. .- Goodrich officials have coat-ended that ihtyi too. are eftfortis-g a .standard in their Louisville plant and in four clher* , around the country' that is far hr low the j maximum amount permitted fc* OSltA. ` "We think the l/juisville situation will com* under control.1' Samuels said, "and r thick the reactioa of the company will ` be responsible. They are not to be crjti- - cited mi this.*- Samuels, however, had harsher word* for lfce government. He el irged that NlOSfr and the chief of its tc^rfonlopicil branch. Dr. Herbert S!otkiu?er, have not been responsive to the polyvinyl chloride situation in plants around the country. ' "Stocifncer jet the crigist? standards.-* Samuels said, ` and hi recently rut the standard ff;m 503 to 0'3 psrts--but he ! i* tie one v.bo i-s mpctjr'bl* for fencring ; '.He Dow jtf.cdard. He fir.-'U out what the ; mojt ncjndtrthaliaa company wants to i do and then he sett it at that kveL" j V/ BFG32385 N> Ui 01 N| o a 98cOd9 $ = 3 S Sr=r <S:52^ =5r "3 ( I*1 SI*^"** 1 !Sf| t s1 S *e~?* a11'02 I s i i * 2 f-S'S : e? Ji=.lr2 8 3-5 S e**f 9CS?`* ifflill S**PJ Sue>~e il|-:li >l?5.*3'33 2 P'** \ if ! ST* e * |S85-"-f p-*1 farZ2W liWSa*-agI^fiS5** *2 2-5 a S btE? 2& fc ?o ss& 153 f^f &,,*^* q2;.*c> S3"3'"TaS'-r~si . z|ffia5g !&.'*& 'l *1***3 9I Vf?s*?*|S3"5'<-i" v ff 5* f=o.* n - "nS, 9 * ilsiffe ,,-*Sgis`2 SJ* O O ii. *r to ^ LOUISVILLE, SATURDAY MORNING, FEBRUARY 2* 1974 C tpyW 't JW, Ifc* C*iwl**WMl i <trriis oi rare liver k^i&koc*: : F ; 1 - gains wider attention COURIER. JW2?;At SATURDAY, FEB PAGE - 2 Oustineed Tran Page Oae * chloride la Europe." Block said. "I think wbta peep!# start looking brtk at medical record* la other place* we're sure to find more deaths from this particular dis- /' ~ The Louisville plant us** Us* cbeencal to mike polyvinyl chloride, a pintle need Sot such thing* as phonograph record* . and some food contain*TM.. ' The federal food and Drag Adminis* trslloa wa* represented *t yesterday'* meetsstg. Block noted, because of the use of polyvinyl chloride In food container* and wrapper*. `There's no reason to be high exposure to the vapor* of the chem ical lead to the cancer, Block said. Tb# feur men who died were *11 vrlenn em ploye* who were probably exposed to high concentration* during cleaning oper ations. Present federal regulations set stan dard* of m) more than 500 part* of vinyl chloride per million parts of air. Good rich officials say their plant standard is maeh more rigid, only 50 part* per mil lion. Ths federal government will hold * public hearing Fb. 15 on whether its i:0 pert* per million standard is safe. Block noted. "I don't think there'll be anybody > lieve there'* any danger to the general there to argue against toughening the pub'ie,'' ho said, "but FDA wants to Stay standard." he said. informed." The B.F. Goodrich plant in Louisville reported, lari week that it was lo ve Algstiag the cancer deaths of three rich (s fourth war later added) to see if they were related to their work. State - laand federal OSHA official* then joined lvv Block said hi* state staff will work with .. the company and the Center for Disease ' Confcol in Atlanta to continue research into past medial records at the Louis... ville plant aad to cowpietc tests on tb# <i{her worker* at the plant who have been py.rticalarly exposed to vinyl chloride. The doctor said that Goodrich record* Vthow *t least 23 worker* at the plant' have died of cancer since the l&Ws, ~kn e* t It opeeed. This U sot in unusually high number. Block erophasited. Of those, however, 22 had worked with vinyl chlo ride. - At tbs plant only about 270 of some * 1,200 worker* are involved la th# vinyl ' chloride manufacturing process. 'It'* jiut ! another $fa* we'll bar* to go back rjjd da j more work Ob," Slock satA. u Bkek' said that B. F. Goodrich begad - testing fho Mood of 271 worker* in the . vinyl Chloride section ef tb# plant last . September. Of those, 55 were found to , bare some form of abnormal Ih er fune- . tioa tad revesting a completed this . weric When th# results am# In. probably some to# next week. Block said, doctors will he able, to determine if more should be dob#. ' Other organizations represented at the meeting la Washington yesterday will continue the investigation of vinyl chlo ride cs th# national and international levels, Block added. The State Department is contacting at - least one European country which Is re ported to hare done research on vinyl chloride that ha* not bees published In ' the West. The-Manufacturing chemists Associ ation, which had already been conducting a study of industry us* of the chemical, - via tees&a andtensity it* research. MGSIi i star. jg a worldwide' Keri, i "afar* search for medical data on the" chemical and the rar# assissarco*# it'g ~ o* linked with. Among the question* the expert* are < seeking answer* to are whether long levels of 'lo' w*- tx"aS .tsa'n\o"r 4br.ie*f periofds >o 'f BFG32387 004S S ba