Document M4Vqz4X6z76mN5MKx2QR0GyZL

Monsanto Monsanto Company 800 N. Lindbergh Boulevard St. Louis, Missouri 63167 Phone-. (354) 694-1000 March 19, 1982 dcpartmeht Or msdicins a CNVIROSMEVTAL hEalTH Mr. Brian Alleyene Occupational Epidemiologist Occupational Health and Safety Division Fourth Floor - Donsdale Place 10709 Jasper Avenue Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T5J3N3 Dear Mr. Alleyene: Recently Ms. Diana Konopada from your office called Monsanto's plant in Springfield; Massachusetts to request a copy of a study of that plant by a group of students from the University of Massachusetts. The request was relayed to me, and I enclose a copy of the study. I am also enclosing a report of a study of the plant by the University of Pittsburgh. The University of Pittsburgh report gives a history of the previous studies of the plant, culminating in this case-control study of digestive and genito-urinary cancers, which were previously found to be in excess. This study is relevant to your inquiry because it found no relationship between exposure to VCM or PVC and deaths from digestive or genito-urinary cancer. The above report was received by us in late October, 1981. About a week before that we received the report from Dr. Rosenman's group. We were not contacted by Dr. Rosenman in the course of his study, nor were we aware of the study until the report was received. The findings of the Rosenman group are not confirmed by the University of Pittsburgh study. The latter study was submitted to NIOSH,- whose reviewers stated that it "uses well accepted methodology and appears to have been performed in a highly professional manner." We expect that it will be published soon in an appropriate scientific journal. ASV 0007920 Mr. Brian Alleyene March 19, 1982 Page 2 The University of Massachusetts study, on the other hand, has several defects that lead one to be wary of its conclusions. Some of the major problems are tiese - 1. The seniority lists used to identify the exposed population were those that happened to be available. The population studied is therefore a sample, but no one knows what population the sample is from. 2. Date of birth was determined.from census data for those who were alive, and from death certificates for those who had died. This means that persons whose birth dates could not be found in the census data got into the study only if they died. We do not know to what extent that occurred. 3. The analysis is stated to have been performed using, among other mortality rates, those for the United States for 1980. Those rates do not exist. In view of these and other problems which you may note in reading the study, I urge caution in accepting its conclusions. Yours sincerely. aw Enclosures William R. Gaffey, Ph.D. Manager, Epidemiology RSV 0007921 Monsanto r.e- tLOerlo,,, 70 p. Bureau, Springfield, Mass. Ext. 2660 March 5, 1982 Request for Prof. Kenneth Rosenman's "Book" re Vinyl Chloride cc F. E. Kearney, E2SC J. L. Shriver W. R. Gaffey, G2WE la HIV 1 '72 On March 1, 1982, I received a call from Diana Konopada requesting the address of "Professor" Kenneth Rosenman or how she might get a copy of the "book" relating to Vinyl Chloride. She indicated she tried Monsanto after failing to get this information from several other sources. Diana was making this request on behalf of her supervisor who works for the Occupational Health and Safety Division for the Province of Alberta, Canada. Dow Chemical has a chemical plant in Alberta and this Medical Services Branch wants to keep abreast of all the information relating to Vinyl Chloride. I informed Diana that I believed we could help her and would be back to her in a relatively short period of time. As discussed over the phone, I believe we should forward a copy of Dr. Rosenman's report to her with appropriate comments. We should also send her a copy of the Gary Marsh Study. The reason being that I'm positive that if we do not send her this information, she will succeed in getting it elsewhere without the benefit of our remarks. The address to contact is: Mr. Brian Alleyene Occupational Epidemiologist Occupational Health & Safety Div. Fourth Floor - Donsdale Place 10709 Jasper Ave. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T5J3N3 Please call me with any questions and I would appre ciate a copy of your correspondence. PEB/SBN V. E. Bureau RSV 0007922