Document M4380z8423Yo2OYMoXO0qVeqL

DR. RUDOLF PRAEFKE CHEMISCHE WERKE HCiLS AKnENSESELLSCHAFT MSy4370 MARL KRElS RECKUNOHAUSEN TSISPON (O 33 OB) 4Q2BB7 PNlVATi LtUNAKM STM. 17 TEUSPON (0 33B) 40 84 0# 3 1 , 1 97 6 Mr. R. N. Wheeler, Jr. c/o Union Carbide Corp. P.O. Box 8004 South Charleston, W, Va. 25303 USA r"- JUN 8 1976 * N WHEELER, JR. Dear Mr. Wheeler: Thank you very much for your letters from February 24 and March 29, 1976. I read the voluminous attached copies carefully. The studies of risks for the employees and for the community in connection with studies on the metabolites of VC are very exciting and seem to lead to the conclusion that there is a concentration limit for increased endangement by vinyl chloride exposure. I hope our industries are now working well below this limit in working area and immission. In my mind the VC content in PVC articles never was a problem for health hazards for consumers, the only problem in the US is the Delany Clause. In Europe now there is no public activity against VC/PVC. In Germany the Verein Deutscher Ingenieure (VDI) is going to prepare a document No. 2446 for emissions of VC in new VC and PVC plants. This document will be published not earlier as December 76. I am a member of this working group consisting of members of engineering companies, VC and PVC producing companies, and local and governmental authorities. Very truly yours Enel. UCC mi ?fin 1091 <- <2o 0^40 6 $00 1}03 IMP i Miti MNia 29,197J AN| NCtPNAir* AMD *fl*A MilllM 19 MAl kMI I'* HlivrllAl .OHM> *t|| I YrSf 1970 1971 1972 197} 1974 1970^ 1974 AMftctptwJiH fiHiov.m SlAtC Mb t No ol mn Am** Clftl Mam 0 0 0 74 30 1 10 ) 34 7 J 1 Ji 4 )l 4 1 2 24 9 27 M 0 00 22 4} 4 U 1 144 5 7 SpM I'wiwiiiNt V*ir mt Ka Hi CAM* Malt c*v> K*ir } it) 54 III > JO 44 4 9 u III! 4* 9* 2 74 9 4* 9 J 1 1)1 29 Art 9 212 224 4 9 1 Per KMMmiiI Imic kinki. u,t the discrimination of vector of means can be letted for sipnifi- cance. A high discrimination between the malformation group and itt matched control! appeared within the hrtt 10 of the 2a variable* (tec accompanying figure). Even with I variable* a significant discrimination of both groups at I'i level was found. The discrimination of both groups was also possible without the two factors "abortioni/tiillbirths in mothers family'* and "hours of daily work". So, even in a sample with factors each not discriminating significantly between both groups, the linear discriminate analysis makes it possible to discriminate between the mallnrmition group and the matched controls. This might mean that the malformations in our sample can be captained as caused bv the combination of inanv minor factor* textriiisic and intrin sic). Inimirt fur Htimintftnctik, Klinikwm dtr fntiifW oUgAtlf, (nvlkt-l nitffMlil. Frinkfufl iMi Mm. Fd*rl lUyyWtt ofGtr*M>y. J, KiiistaiiritT K.-H. DsurNHsanT CONGENITAL MALFORMATIONS AND VINYL CHLORIDE Sta,--In March, t975, a Significantly increased raie ol ccntral-nervoui-systcm (c.n.O malformations was reported in 3 Ohio communities where polyvinylchloride tr.v.t:.; polymeris ation plants are located;1 2the increase was not uniform and appeared more prominent in the Faincsville area. There are two p.v.c. plants in Pamesville, one of which began operation in 1949 and the other in 1967. The btnh-delect rales were computed front birth-cemficaie data lor 1970-73 and were compand with similar daia for the entire State of Ohio. This siudy suggested a relationship between the higher rain ot c.n.s, malformations and the increased risk of exposure to vinyl chloride in these communities. By analysing data collected through the Center lor Disease Coniroi't hospital-based birth defects monitoring programme (i.O.M.r.),' we examined this relationship. Two hospitals parti cipating in the a.n.n.r. arc located in cities with pnlvnierisatiofl plants: one is in Pennsylvania, the other in I'aincsvillr, Ohio, c.n.s.-malformation rain for white inlantt born in those two hospitals in 1970-74 were compared with Ihe rates lor white infants in each State. No increase was seen in ihe Penn sylvania hospital, but an increase, primarily in sncnccphaly and spina bifida, was noted in the Painnvillc hospital lor the total time 1970-74 (see table). The a o.w.r. hospital data for raincsvillr were compared with birth-certificate data Imm the Ohio department ul health, and 1 additional ease not included in the x.ii.w.r. report ws< added, bringing the tola) to I). 30 controls. the lirst normal white infant born belorc and after each case, were selected from the hospital birth registry. Medical records tor cases and controls were reviewed to confirm the diagnosis and to obtain, among other data, the parents' occupation and residence ai ihe time of the infant's birth. In addition, parents ol 14 ol the affected children were interviewed about previous occupations and residences. The study revealed that none of the interviewed parents of affected infants had ever worked at either of the two r.v.c.-polymerisation plants in Painesville (I set of parents could not be located, but records show that they did not work at these plants at 'he time of 'heir imam'* birth-, 1 of tor fathers Ol'controls had worked at one of the piant* at the tune of their infants' births. Non* of the parents in either group lived within 2 miles of the two plants. The chi-square lest of significance was used in comparing the distances from residence and work-place of mothers and fathers to the n r, plants for cases and controls. Comparisons were made at distances of 1 to 10 miles, in 1-mil* increments. A significantly larger proportion of control mothers than case mothers worked (including housewives' within a 10-mile radius of the r.v i . plant, at the 9J'J confidence level. This is probably a chance occurrence among multiple comparisons. Vmyl chloride is a known carcinogen,' and concern has arisen over its possible teratogenic effects. This concern stents from recent studies which have shown ia> an increase in muta genicity in bacterial assay ysiems* and <bi increased breakage in chromosomes of r.u .-polymerisation workers." Ihe Ohio Department of Health study' is the only report ihat has sug gested that vinyl chloride causei birth delects in man. Although ihe follow-up siudy reported here conhrnwd a moderate increase in r.vs. malformations in I'aincsville. Ohio.' no association was found wnh vinyl-chloride exposure. Caw lag Hush Itvtcci* Umwaa. HmMof Fimkimilifi, ItMfT lor IkKw Umni. AiImm*, tkorgio Will, l .S.A laMT D. Eomonds, Hiniv Fate Jack E. Nissim LATE COMPLICATIONS OF TUBAL LIGATION Six,--Unlike Mr Daruish and Dr Saafan INov !5. p. 975', we arc uncertain as to the etiology of the Isle wqucle ol' female sterilisation, which they refer to a* menstrual irregu larity, but in our study n will be noted we looked specifically at menorrhagia and dysmenorrheas. It seems unlikely ihat a psy chosomatic cause could be present when two diflereni lev) 1. Wrw. r m Piwm4mm *4 lw Crwlemwr m IVnivHvwal t'wtwwwi* M site Nor Tt Acgflwj W Scmm. IS XUwfc. IS'* Nsw VwS m the 2, Umcr to Hwm C<*wr*( iwiwri 1924. Ailmu. IfTJ, MiNhmmi AMtto 1. (IftMtr |r IIiwmc Atotolny m4 Muntinv VMh Ktfurt, ( rt 9.(974,^49 4. KmNf. 1*.* )A--ms. A . KimI. Cw ffc;lwom(s C. A. l<?4, I* 194 9, t'iM(94>>wMk Fw Ijmkn. M- LmAmb. |. Uahi* 197}, t 4)9. " 'W+-IWt*; -i uce 031261