Document QJ90zR9r4RoZxbakDvObdkbZv

t UNION CARBIDE CORPORATION P. O. BOX 471 , TEXAS CITY, TEXAS 775SO July 5, 1983 TO ALL TEXAS CITY UNION CARBIDE EMPLOYEES: t...... ................- .......... --1 4r The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has released the results of their Case Control Study as the final report of the joint UCC-GSHA-NIOSH epidemiology project. This mas a study of primary brain tumors among employees at the Texas City plant. In a "case-control" study* people who have had the disease (the "cases") are compared with a group of people who have not had7 the disease (the "controls") to determine how the cases and controls differ with respect to possible risk factors. The cases consisted of 17 workers whose deaths resulted from gliomas (a specific type of brain fcancer). Each case was compared to six controls for the following potential risk factors (bdth work and non work related): a) which chemicals they were exposed to b) how long they were exposed to each chemical c) when they were first exposed to each chemical d) where In the plant they worked e) what job titles they held f) which departments they worked in g) where they lived and how long they lived there NIOSH concluded from the results of this comparison that chemical exposures in this plant could not explain the observed brain tumor excess. A curious finding was that more of the cases than controls lived in LaMarque at some time. This could not be explained by the source of drink ing water or the proximity of major chemical companies or the Texas City Wye dump area. The LaMarque association Is not supported by preliminary results from an ongoing NIOSH sponsored study at a nearby refinery. Furthermore, LaMarque does not have a higher brain tumor death rate than Galveston County. In summary, the brain tumor excess at Texas City cannot be explained by any of the chemical exposures or other factors considered in this study. We will continue to follow the health of our employees and to ensure that our standards and practices provide more than adequate protection from known health hazards. Divisional Medical Director Solvents & Coatings Materials FSP:DHG:mm / UCC 097479