Document QkrykJv00w3JR2qyKZbO7Ed38

PC3: AN INDUSTRY PR03LSI? 000055 O utline 1 O rigin o f C urrant' Concern - Zoological E f f e c ts 2 . Ib x L d ty , E ire and Other Health Hazards 3* General E le c tr ic Usage 4* D isp o sal P r a c tic e s 5 . Q ie stio n s to be Answered 6. A Proposed Progran *3^..'A, r'A' lii i h"> * J . S. Kelson Corporate Ihgineering O ctober 30, 19o9 2 ( 73 c PC3: AN INDUSTRY PROBLEM? r c 1 . O rig in o f Current Concern - E cological E ffects lA te in February, 1969, a West Coast newspaper c a rrie d a major fe a tu re about "a menacing new p o llu ta n t" found in the San Francisco Bay a re a , * The a r t i c l e was based on marine l i f e research carried out by Dr, Robert Risebrough of- th e U n iv e rsity o f C a lifo rn ia , The a r t i c l e s ta te d t h a t resid u e s o f p e s tic id e s (DDT end DDE) and p o ly c h lo rin a te d biphenyl (PCB) were th re a te n in g th e w elfare o f c e r ta in b ird s and posed lo n g -te rm th r e a t to humans. 1 She follow ing i a N a tu re 's synopsis o f Dr. Risebrough fs paper;^ Polychlorinated biphenyls are widely dispersed in the global eo o sy ste a, and a re pow erful inducers o f h e p a tic enzymes which degrade e stra d io l. Ibgether with other chlorinated biocides, such as DDT, th e y could account f o r a la rg e p a rt o f th e a b e rra tio n i n calcium m etabolism which has been observed In many sp e cie s o f b ir d s s in c e th e Second World War. These excerpts a re re p re s ffita tiv e o f press coverage:3 PCBIs a re produced under th e tra d e name A ro d o r by Kcnaanto c Chemical Coraany, S t. L ouis. They were f i r s t id e n tif ie d in European b ird s by Swedish s c i e n t i s t s . They a p p a re n tly a re re le a se d in to th e atmosphere and waterways by vaporizing, from fa c to ry smokestacks, by discharge in to riv e rs and o cean s.. . . * *----T- ' A team o f U n iv e rsity o f C a lifo rn ia and C ornell U n iv e rsity s c i e n t i s t s has determ ined t h a t PCB's a re fiv e tim es more power f u l than DDT in horm one-destroying a c tiv ity . Like DDT, th ey are fbund throughout the environment and th e ir q u a n titie s are increasing -^ r a p i d l y . h a v e - . . b e s n ^ f .the.^nLlk jof ~nvirsing_-to_th er s An.* %..=v Colorado and in marine l i f e o ff C alifornia, as w ell as in European b ird s.... n h a t e f f e c ts PCB's w i l l have on man i s not known, although in vapor form these chemicals are highly to x ic ....th e fed eral govern ment has n o t s e t to le r a n c e l im i ts . ...K onsanto Company spokesmen say only th a t t h e i r s c ie n tis ts end sales ocecutives are studying the problem .. . . 2 . T b x lcltv , F ire and O ther H ealth Hazards / Corcany lite r a tu r e has long contained cautionary notes on the handling o f P y ran o l (th e G. K. r e g is te r e d tradem ark f o r c h lo rin a te d d ip h e n y ls). For exomole: A .1 FVoa a Statem ent by th e rb n sa n to Corpany, S t. L ouis, l b . , 3"3~69 2 "Polychlorinated Biphenyls in the Global Ecosystem", by Risebrough, Rieche, P e a k a ll, Herman, and X irven, N ature. Vol. 220, Doc. I t , 1963. 3 . G a in e s v ille , F lo rid a , Sun, A p ril 25, 1969 A. I n s tr u c tio n s G52-650SO (11-6A 1M): Pyranol I n s u la tin g Liquid and Tre D ry in g . " T 2 ( 74 PCB: An Industry Frobln? 2 Transform er Pyranol can be handled in the manner as m ineral oil. Although continued eaposure to liq u id Pyranol nay produce l o c a l sk in i r r i t a t i o n , c le a n lin e ss among workmen c o n s titu te s an adequate safeguard a g a in s t such e f f e c t s . . . . As v i th c o s t v o la tile m a te ria ls , exposure to concentrated Pyranol vapors in unventilated rooms should be avoided. CAUTION--Hydrogen c h lo rid e gas i s formed when Pyranol i s decomposed by an e le c tric a l a r c .... E a rly t h i s y e a r, an in q u iry was receiv ed by Mr. John J . P erry , Speed a l l st-E zv lro zaen tal Health Engineering, Schenectady from an I n d u s t r i a l h y g ie n is t a t Fbrd l& to r Company, a s to th e t o x i c i t y and f i r e h azard o f tra n sfo rm e r a s k a re l. The fo llo w in g i s e x tra c te d from th e Medi um fra n sfo n n e r D epartm ent's re p ly to th e Ford qu estio n naire: 5 M a te ria ls .P y ra n o l A5CP521 Cbaponeats: trichlorobiphenyl 80^ t r i chlorobenzene XI. 5? t e t r a chlorobenzene 55% diepoxide scavenger 0.125^ Tbxlcitys * ingestion -- highly to x ic in h a la tio n -- moderate r e s p ir a to r y t r a c t -- modera to Skin S e n s itiz e r : No. _ ... ^ -.-sw.-*- x -s tiicated *t l r r e shold'""l ii ^ r t e 0i ? fccTX m g/cubi c'm eter.* I s m a te ria l flammable? No. What products n ig h t be formed in th e event o f f i r e o r abnormal tem perature? In an in cin era to r burner designed fo r the disposal o f chlorinated solvents, the products of combustion w i l l be HCL and CO2 * In considering th e qu estio n o f fla m ia b ility , i t should be kept in mind th a t ask arels are chosen fo r in su latio n ap p licatio n s p a rtly because they a re , "by d e f i n i t i o n " , n o n -fla s s a b le liq u id s which, when decomposed by e l e c t r i c a r c , evolve only non-explosive gaseous m ixtures. Recently discovered exceptions have been re p o rte d , and Medium Transformer Department has a t l e a s t te m p o ra rily abandoned th e U9e o f A50P521. based on A roclor 1212, i n fa v o r o f the " c la s s ic a l " A roclor 1251 (E * IS A13B3B). Some p eople have s e n s i t i v i t y to P yranol such t h a t t h e i r sk in e ru p ts i n a ra s h upon exposure. Y/hen discovered in th e f a c to ry , th e y a r e tr a n s f e r r e d to 5* T ransm itted w ith l e t t e r from F. J . McCann, Medium Transform er Department to R. G. Anderson, Fbrd lb t o r Company, 2->-69. o- See l e t t e r s from C. C. P o u lsen , M g r.-Ih g rg ., KDT to Classano a Hayvood, P o x efsly , and Deck, under dates of_5^27-69 and B-5-69* PCB: An In d u s try Problem? 3 o t h e r l i n e s o f w r k and t h e i r symptoms d isa p p e a r. The broad c la ss o f m a te ria ls we are d e alin g w ith h e re , p o ly cy c lic a ro m a tic s, c o n ta in s known o r suspected carcinogens- This asp ect has been considered i n th e i n d u s t r i a l hygiene o r m edical review o f o p e ra tio n s In a t l e a s t one p la n t. 3 G eneral E le c tr ic Usage EhPXS s p e d u c a t i o n s l i s t seven d i f f e r e n t form ulations o f Pyranol. The b a s ic m a te r ia l I s c h lo rin a te d diphenyl purchased from Monsanto under th e d e s ig n a tio n A rcelor 1 2 5 A rcelo r 122*2, and A roclor 1260. Oiese a re blended w ith o th e r chlorinated arom atics, in h ib ito rs, and scavengers to produce other askarela w ith d i f f e r e n t c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s , a l l designated by th e GE re g is te re d tradem ark, P y ra n o l. P roduct r e s p o n s i b i li t y i s assigned to th e Medium Transformer D epartm ent, Pome, G eorgia, presum ably because HID s e l l s Pyr ano l to customers who f i l l t h e i r tra n s fo rm e rs o r o th e r equipment I n t h e i r own shops. She follow ing i s a l i s t o f departm ents assumed to be u sin g Pyranol in th e d ie le c tr ic systems o f products manufactured ln-house: I n d u s tr ia l and Power C apacitor Department S p e c ia lty Transformer DepartmmtY W .re and Cable D eoartoent? C oscercial D istrib u tio n Transformer Department lig h tin g Systems Department? Medium '.transformer Department K>wer Transform er Department Canadian G eneral E le c tr ic Company `S erv ice Eh&p's" tv--.- - - c--- I b t a l usage has n o t been a s c e rta in e d . Die Transform er Departments have i n r e c e n t y e a rs cut t h e i r re la tiv e use o f Pyranol, lim itin g i t to cases where the nonj l a ^ a a b i l i t y property i s very im portant, such as indoor app licatio n s- (They are u s in g 'e li p h a t i e- hydro carbons, e s p e c ia lly one taown a s "ID-C*. ) As a r e s u l t o f th i: tre n d j th e Power TTansformer Department a t P itts f ie ld uses Pyranol in only about 5S o f i t s u n i ts , and R e sid e n tia l D istrib u tio n Transformer D epartm sit, a t H ickory, uses none. I*o search has been made f o r n o n -d ie le c tric a p p lic a tio n s o f P y ra n o l. Such may conceivably in c lu d e use as a h y d ra u lic f lu id ( e .g . i n a i r c r a f t o r m a te r ia ls -- handling system s); heat tra n s fe r applications; and as a p la s tic is e r in the production o f polymers used as adhesives, elastom ers, or surface co atin g s. Die la r g e s t u s e r la th e I n d u s tr ia l and Power C apacitor Department, Hudson K a lis , N. I . , which u ses 10 m illio n pounds p e r y e ar -- p robably more than th e r e s t o f th e C o a n y , combined. 2 ( 76 PC3: An Industry Probien? -L- L. D isp o sal. P r a c t i c e s The I n d u s tr ia l and row er C apacitor Departm ent purchases approxim ately 10 m illio n pounds p e r y e a r, o f vhich 9 m illio n pounds are accounted f o r in term s o f p ro d u c ts sh ip p ed . W aste i s handled i n th e fo llo w in g Banners Re claim able m a te ria l re tu rn e d to rbnsanto 200,000 X b./yr. B adly contam inated m a te ria l hauled away by & New J e r s e y s c a v e n g e r (recommended b y lb ns anto ) 800,000 Contained in scrapped sm all in d u s tria l u n i t s d is p o se d i n town dump, w here d a ily b u ria l i s thought to be the p ra c tic e T o tal w aste and scrap , approx. 60,000 Tjt>60,000 l b . / y r . At v a rio u s tim e s in th e p a s t, o th e r d is p o s a l methods have been u sed, in c lu d in g s a le to s m anufacturer o f in s e c tic id e ; in th e re c en t p a s t, a t le a s t one re p re s e n t a t i v e o f th e J b n s a n to Company was recommending i t s u s e , a lo n e o r i n com bination w ith m ineral o i l s , as a road spray to a lla y d u s t.7 At P i t t s f i e l d , t h e r e has been some e x p e rim e n ta tio n w ith a d e c o m p o sitio n chamber which f ir e s a t yX) F ., but th e b u lk o f contam inated m a te ria l i s s o ld ; a t Dome, w a ste i s b u r ie d on th e Company s i t e . A lth o u g h n earb y n e ig h b o rs h av e shallow w e lls, no com plaints have been re g is te r e d .^ 5. Q u estio n s to be Answered I t i s a p p aren t from th e above d is c u s s io n th a t our knowledge o f c h lo rin a te d d iphenyl fo rm u latio n s and p o s sib le d e le te rio u s e ffe c ts is not as c o rp lete as i s d e s ir a b le in to d a y 's clim ate o f concern f o r m ain tain in g and im proving th e q u a lity o f l i f e in i t s environm ental a sp e c ts, w ith regard to worker p ro te c tio n , and in term s o f p ro d u ct sa fe ty . N ev erth eless, i t is not responsive to suggest th a t "o t h e r m a t e r i a l s be s u b s t i t u t e d " u n t i l a l l d o u b ts a r e r e s o lv e d . I t m ust be.* remembered th a t v i r t u a l l y a l l a p p lic a tio n s of P y ran o l are th e end product o f in te n s iv e re sea rc h d ire c te d tow ard fin d in g the b e st m a te ria l for the a p p lic a tio n ; t h a t s u b s titu tio n would in v o lv e tr a d e - o f f s , n o t o n ly w ith perform ance fa c to rs and economic f a c to r s , b u t w ith product s a fe ty cons id o ratio n s them selves -- i . e . , flam m ab ility and explosion p o s s ib ilitie s . W hile i t is d e sira b le to a tta in a b e tte r q u a n tita tiv e expression o f th e to x e f f e c t o f PC3 and i t s v a rio u s a d d itiv e s , and a b e tte r understanding o f th e flam m ab ility o f d eg rad atio n p ro d u c ts, th e most im portant q u estio n , long ra n g e , a p p e a rs t o b e , "does i n d u s t r i a l u s e o f PCB r e p r e s e n t a c r e d ib le e c o l o g i c a l t h r e a t 7 . L e t t e r from T. W. O n eso n , Monsanto S a le s R e p r e s e n ta ti v e , to V. R. V U lh a ll, Canadian G eneral E le c tric C b., L td ., P eterb o ro u g h , 11-12-63. 8 . L e t t e r , D r. J . S . A nderson (RECO) to H r. V. R. H i l h a l l , CGE, 12-20--6 8 . 2 1 77 oPCB: An In d u stry P iu h lea? 5 One circum stance which makes i t d i f f i c u l t to a n tie r th e q u estio n o f e o o lo g ic a l e f f e c ts i s t h a t PC3 has n o t been found alone i n any o f th e r e p o rte d o b se rv a tio n s o f n a tu re , b u t always accorpanied by la r g e r q u a n titie s o f DDT o r nn? In. th e work p re v io u s ly c ite d , Dr. RLsebrough has shown, by d ir e c t i n t r a - a i s c u l a r i n j e c t i o n , t h a t PCB has "th e c ap a city to produce s u h le th a l`p h y sio lo g ic a l e f f e c t s i n b i r d s " -- b u t t h i s i s n o t th e sane th in g a s saying t h a t i t does, i n f a c t , do o o u ts id e o f th e la b o ra to ry . S c ie n tif ic exam ination o f t h is question d e g en erated a t th e W isconsin h e arin g s on DDT, in to a shouting co n te st betweeo p a r tis a n s o f co n serv a tio n (who seea w illin g to ban any chem ical, re g a rd le ss o f i t s o th e rw is e beneficent re s u lts , i f i t i s suspected o f h am ); the Bakers of in se c tic id e s ( e .g ., S h e ll Cozpany); and th e p ro d u cer o f PCB (M onsanto). The ease w itn esses have been quoted on b o th sid e s o f th e q u e stio n . The re a d e r say choose between th e fo llo w in g statem en ts, each a ttrib u te d by the p ress to Dr. Bi.Through: (a ) (PC3 i s ) a p p a re n tly playing a r o l e in th e d e clin e o f th e p e re g rin e fa lc o n and i t Bay have a b e tte d the disappearance from th e Gulf Cbast o f the b r o c p e lic a n . (San Francisco Examiner, ib b . 25, 1969). (b) T ests w ith eggs...show ed mathematical 1y by c o rrelatio n w ith e g g sh e ll t h ic t a e s s t h a t DDE and n o t PCB's were to blame. (Milwaukee S e n tin e l, May 13, 1969).?] I r o n ic a lly , th e second sta te m e n t was Bade when Dr. Hi sobrough was c alle d to th e sta n d by th e attorney defending the in secticid e in te re sts. 2 io u ld i t be e s ta b lis h e d t h a t FC3 i s to blame fo r e o o lo g ie a l damage, i t remains to tra c e the tra n sp o rt m echanic and determine a t le a s t p lau sib le sources and s e ts o f c o n d itio n s f o r p ro p ag a tio n in to th e environm ent. E stim atin g f r o a GE a'c2pUcft o r *to ta l-d n d u s try.uisa&.o .nigfyt^be 20 ,,to ^p m illio n pounds , most o f w hich ends up i n c lo se d sy stc n s f r o a which d isp e rsio n la * t a v e ry `lo w 'irtbY ''-T his c o n tr a s ts w ith nuch l a r g e r usage o f DDT -- ISO m illion, pounds i n 1963, 103 mi I'M or pounds in 1967 -- c o s t o f which i s broadcast on th e landy,In th e atm osphere. Monsanto has a resea rch program to id e n tify th e confounds re p o rte d to be PC3 b7 th e Swedish and C a lifo rn ia s c i e n t i s t s . T his in v o lv e s p r e c is e a n a ly s is o f environm ental samples o f -* ` w ater, a i r , s o il and w ild life , including etabolic stu d ie s. Also under way a re .stu d ie s to determ ine th e b io lo g ic a l e f f e c t s o f d e lib e ra te dosage o f PCB's on f i s h , b ird s , and Barmaid an anim als. S pecial emphasis i s being paid to endocrinological e ffe c ts , m ineral metabolism and reproduction physiology. 1 As ve become Bore p o llu tio n c o n scio u s, we wish to know what volume o f unused A skarel i s being b u ried , severed o r in c in e ra te d on th e North American c o n tin e n t, p a rtic u la rly , and what hazards does i t p re s e n t. What degree o f r e s p o n s ib ility should Monsanto boulder in th is a ffa ir? W ill i t be necessary to d ilig e n tly c o lle c t um sable Askarel, including A skarel*saturated f u lle r ^ e a r t h , and develop tech n iq u es to d e stro y i t ? Should we r e tu r n i t to o u r f a c to r ie s f o r chem ical decom position? Wo c i s t answer these questions soon. 7 2 ( 78 PCB: An Industry Problem? 6 The above q u o tatio n s in d ic a te M onsanto^ concern Kith th e e co lo g ic al e f f e c ts and s t a te some o f th e questio n s to be answered, lb nsanto i s th e o n ly U S. s u p p lie r , but addi t i o n a l info rm atio n may be sought from Bnopean and Japanese suppliers. Prodelec, in France, ia the p rincipal continental source o f PCB, and m ain tain s a la rg e to x ic o lo g ic a l la b o ra to ry . About th re e months ag o , Mr. K. E. S c o v ille , P ro d u ct S a fety K epresm tative o f .th e I n d u s tr ia l and Power C apacitor Department, wrote to Kr. P ierre Jay, M anager-Dielectric f lu id s Development fo r P ro d elec, c a llin g a tte n tio n to th e Risebrough research and a sk in g f o r com ents and f u r th e r in fo rm a tio n . No re p ly has been re c e iv e d as yet. 6* A Proposed Program The Company's sta n c e on th e PCB s itu a tio n must ta k e In to c o n sid e ra tio n n o t on ly th e need fo r te c h n ic a l assessment o f hasards, but the need to guard a g a in st veil-m otivated but possibly needless or precipitate leg islativ e action, e .g ., t o ta c k a FC3 r i d e r onto an anti-DDT b i l l . As a f i r s t s t e p , I t i s suggested t h a t an o u tsid e c o n su lta n t, w ith c o re - freedom to o p e ra te th an o u r own p e o p le , be engaged to s o r t through th e c o n flic tin g e v id e n ce , touch base w ith th e people doing th e resea rch a t Monsanto, and g iv e u s h i s vierKs as to w hether th e Company needs to do anything fu r th e r a t t h i s t i n e . This c o n su lta n t would combine, id e a lly , th e d isc ip lin e s o f a n a ly tic a l ch em istry , ecology and toodcology. He would be asked to spend n o t more than two weeks on th i3 i n i t i a l purvey, and re p o rt inform ally to In terested departments and C brporste fu n ctio n al components. Depending upon h is fin d in g s , a p o ssib le second ste p would be to engage - y th ..^e^o.tn ic ^ l^ in dus t r y ve.,.in ye^.tfg at i on,,p f the^ problem,_ through_a n ^ a p p ro p ria te in d u stry to c ir iic a l tody (eg> the d i e l e c t r i c committee o f The above re commendatio n i s th e outcome o f d isc u ssio n s between D rs. Andersor end M uiply o f EECD. ( e n v ir e oe a n ta l p o llu tio n ) ; Mr. E. N. Deck (S a fe ty and P la n t P ro te c tio n ); and M essrs. Marquis and Nelson (Product S afety ). I t has been review; a t le n g th w ith Dr. P o z e fs ly , D r. George, Mr. S c o v ille and o th e rs a t Hudson F a l l s , and b r ie f ly w ith Hr. Alimansky and Dr. O sthoff a t P itts f ie ld , a l l of vhon have expressed general agrm ent. Mr. Deck has sug g ested t h a t ve oe n s id e r Dr. Horace V. G erard, a to x ic o lo g is t a t F a irle ig h Dickirison Univer s i t y fo r the assignment as our lia is o n s c ie n tis t. D r. G erard i s a hydrocarbon e x p e rt who does much work i b r th e Mobil Cnrpany and h a s c a rrie d o u t assignm ents f o r GE i n th e p a s t. J . S. Kelson October 30# 19^9 2 ( 7?