Document KBmmNng5GBMk0GKnk0wDJ3eK

The Chemical World This Week *' ft..'A Jr ' y. 'i ' t \* ":j .. EVIDENCE DOTS LCE1K3G So far three major resin produc ers--Dow Chemical, Monsanto, VINYL CiULfQlE ADD CQNCEa and Union Carbide--have spelled out large and wide-ranging price in creases for resins following the CLC action. These boosts come after a The growing suspicion that expo another four liver disease cases at vear in which listed chemical prices sure to vinyl chloride has led to the the plant under investigation, in have moved up relatively modestly. deaths of polyvinyl chloride workers volved persons who cleaned poly According to Labor Department from a most rare form of liver can merization reactors after this step data, the price index for plastics cer has apparently been reinforced. in the suspension process for PVC. resins and materials moved up A research study in which rats ex BFG has used a less hazardous 4.1% between December 1972 and posed to high levels (apparently cleaning process for the past five December 1973. For chemicals and 30,000 p.p.m.) of vinyl chloride years, however. allied products the gain was 4.9%. vapor also develop angiosarcoma of Significantly, the latency period Of course, the "gray market" price the liver was slated to be disclosed for most cancers to develop nearly for resins and many other chemical publicly in the U.S. by Piof. Cesare products has been spiraling upward Maltoni of the University of Bo (or some months. logna. Italv, just after press time. Among the recent price moves Tne study has been supp~ned by a Monsanto has posted increases of 5 consortium of European lirms. in cents a pound on bulk shipments of cluding Imperial Chemical Indus- polystyrene resins, and increases of ; tries(C&EN. Fb. 11, paged). 4 cents a pound on bulk acryloni- . tt What's more, the view that the trile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) and ' deaths are an isolated event limited styrene-acrylonitrile (SAN) resins. , to just one of B. F. Goodrich's U.S. New price for general-purpose poly- plants and not proved to be occu styrene is 19 cents a pound. Truck- : pationally linked is fast disappear load quantities of ABS resins now ing. Four angiosarcoma deaths now range from 32 to 45 cents a pound, have been confirmed at the BFG and SAN in truckload bags is plant instead of the three revealed 27 cents a pound. Monsanto says earlier (C&EN, Jan. 28. page 6). that "these increases are consistent Another diagnosed case of angiosar coma occurred in an ICI employee K*y: not txpisinod by chancy with the Cost of Living Council ac tion of Jan. 30" and reflect in : who worked in a U.K. vinyl chlo matches the great growth in the creased cost of raw materials, ener ride operation for 20 years, sources U.S. PVC industry that has taken gy. and distribution, among othef in the U.K. and U.S. say. place over the past two decades or factors. The clustering of the four BFG so. NIOSH estimates there are 5000 Dow. citing reasons much the cases "cannot be explained by workers at risk in U.S. PVC plants same as Monsanto's, has raised the chance alone," Dr. Marcus M. Key. and 1500 at vinyl chloride plants. price of its general-purpose polysty director of the National Institute NIOSH will contract out an epi rene from 17 to 26 cents a pound. for Occupational Safety and demiology study that will be inde ABS and SAN now go for 32 Health, told those at a Cleveland pendent of the study on workers al cents a pound, up from 23.5 and briefing on the cancer hazard ear ready under way at member firms 24 cents a pound. Price of high- lier last week. of the Manufacturing Chemists As density injection- and blow-mold What action the U.S. takes, if sociation. MCA's results will not be ing polyethylene was increased any, beyond interim procedures ready for ''at least two to three from 14.5 to 18.5 cents a pound. NIOSH has recommended hinges months," a spokesman-says. Ear Dow's low-density film-grade poly upon the outcome of a fact-finding lier, MCA halted circulation cf its ethylene is now 17 cents a pound, hearing at the Labor Department 1972 safety data sheet on vinyl up from 13 cents. The company on Feb. 15. Prof. Maltoni. BFG. chloride, which stated that human says that these new prices still do Dow Chemical, organized labor, carcinogenicity had not been ob not match those of the world mar and others were scheduled to testi served. ket but should help it compete on fy. AFL-CIO was to present a uni fied, organized labor position urg Plastic prices the world market for petrochemical feedstocks. Carbide's new prices for high- ing the department to promulgate an emergency temporary standard, get big boosts density injection- and blow-moiding polyethylene are the same as a procedure used earlier for 14 Dow s, but its low-density film other carcinogens. Dr. V. K. Rowe. As U.S. chemical makers sort out grade is a bit higher at 18.5 cents a Dow's top toxicologist, was expect the fine points of the recent Cost of pound. SAN is now 28 cents a ed to oppose this procedure, asking Living Council action relaxing pound, up from 22 cents, while instead tor regular rule-making for Phase IV price controls on petro high-impact polystyrene increased a permanent standard. He suggests chemicals, plastics resins, ana syn from 16.5 cents a pound to 21.5 the deaths result from gross expo thetic fibers (C&EN. Feb. 4. page cents a pound. Carbide raised the sure 10 to 30 years in the past. 4), price hikes are being announced tab on its polyvinyl chloride resin All four BFG deaths, as well as with resin makers leading the way. suspensions by 5 cents bringing the ?u*V Car KSV 0006*76