Document Q823qjJokxmOaxwnj1a34wqE

ARsie _ iHo uttuiMUNe E. I. du Pont de N emours & C ompany fM C O ff^ O ffA TfO WiLMiNGTON. Delaware 16398 PLASTIC PROD UCTS AND RESINS D EPA R TM EN T PERSONAL & CONFIDENTIAL CC: J. R. MUNDA B. C. MC KUSICK - CR&D B. W. KARRH - ER P. M. NORLING - "ADMIR.' S. N. BOYD - CD&P A. A. WRIGHT July 25, 1979 * TO: R. L. RICHARDS FROM: J. W. RAINES ORGANIC FLUOROCOMPOUNDS IN BLOOD Published Article Organic Fluorocompounds in Human Plasma: Prevalence and Characterization, by W. S. Guy, D. R. Travs, and W. S. Brey, Jr., was published by the American Chemical Society in 1976. They reported organic fluorine in blood plasma obtained from blood banks in 5 U.S. cities, determined by subtracting inorganic fluorine from total fluorine. 3M Company May 30, 1978, informed Du Pont of elevated organic fluorine (1-71 ppm) in blood of employees exposed to long chain perfluoro surfactants such as the ammonium salt of perfluorooctanoic acid (FC-143) which they supply to Du Pont. Control group was less than 1 ppm. July 20, 1979, advised Du Pont: No adverse health effects. Decay rate after removal from exposure relatively slow (71 ppm - 47 ppm in one year). Fluorine in urine also decayed slowly (484 micro grams per 24 hours to 220 micrograms per 24 hours in 10 months). FC-143 not adsorbed through skin of rabbits. University of Minnesota professor is doing an epidemiology study on 4,000-5,000 employees who worked at 3M's oldest and biggest fluorochemical plant. EID 107198 T H E R E 'S A W O R L D O F TH IN G S W E A R E DOING S O M E TH IN G ABO U 1 000162 RL001779 R. L. RICHARDS 2 July 25, 1979 Eight Chinese peasants had significantly lower (0.004- 0.017 ppm) blood levels than general U.S. population (0.002 - 0.13 ppm). CD&P Analyzed blood of 55 employees at Chambers Works. Average .15 ppm, range 0 - .37 ppm. Discontinued blood sampling. Exposure is not to same family of chemicals as that at Washington Works (WW) and 3M. PP&R Analyzed blood of 8 employees potentially exposed to C-8 (FC-143) at WW. 2 Laboratorians 2 FEP Polymerization Operators 4 TFE Dispersion Polymerization Operators .4 - .5 ppm 2.2-3.5 ppm 9.5 - 21.1 ppm No adverse health effects attributable to C-8. e Decided not to report to EPA under 8(e) of TOSCA because fluorine in blood per se was disclosed in 1976 article and because no adverse health effect is known, therefore, no substantial risk. Program Obtain raw medical data from WW employees and study by Corporate Medical to confirm that liver function and other medical analyses are normal. Identify personnel in all jobs with potential exposure to C-8 for the past 10 years at WW. Analyze blood samples (Jackson Lab will do) of selected additional employees at WW to: - Check all employees currently exposed to C-8. - Verify that fluorine levels in blood are due to C-8 exposure rather than other fluorocompounds. - Define the decay rate (confirm that found by 3M). EID107199 000163 RL001780 R. L. RICHARDS 3 July 25, 1979 (Cont'd) - Communicate results of latest tests to WW employees before additional blood samples are taken. Defer blood sampling at Dordrecht until additional results are in from WW. Textile Fibers will decide by August 3 about sampling blood of employees at Spruance where they produce fibers from poly TFE dispersion containing .3% C-8. RL001781 JWRildb EID107200 000164