Document Lpd848qNMDLkMx6JmE35jYD23

CHEMICALS research MANUFACTURING CHEMISTS ASSOCIATION FEBU 1825 CONNECTICUT AVENUE, N. W. WASHINGTON. D. C. 20009 ~~ - FOR RELEASE------------ For Immediate Release CONTACT: Richard F. Blewitt (202) 483-6126, ext. 282 WASHINGTON, D. C. -- The Manufacturing Chemists Association (MCA) has announced that it has stopped circulation of a chemical safety publication because of recent events involving employees in vinyl chloride operations. The action on the 1972 edition of MCA's Chemical Safety Data Sheet SD-56, on vinyl chloride, has been taken as a result of the report by the B. F. Goodrich Chemical Company that, at one of its plants, the company had experienced four fatal cases of angiosarcoma (a form of cancer) of the liver among employees in such operations. Through MCA, a group of companies producing vinyl chloride monomer and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resins has been conducting animal exposure studies and an epidemiological study of industry workers. Uncompleted at this time, the current studies were initiated because of reports from Italy by Dr. P. L. Viola that long term, massive exposures of rats to vinyl chloride vapors had produced malignant tumors of a kind not found in man. (more) DTH 00001^4la Page 2 of 2 In its 1972 revision of the data sheet, MCA called attention to the report, but added that carcinogenicity (cancer-causing) to humans had not been observed. The Goodrich experience now questions the validity of the latter statement. A revised edition of the vinyl chloride data sheet is planned after this question has been resolved. ### MCA-3835 DTH 000013420