Document RZmxr4MxMXj3oeonB7doVa08

The Chemical World ~his weeic feedstock prices at "abnormally low levels," leading producers to in crease exports of these products to more lucrative foreign markets. The SPI position lines up with that taken by fertilizer makers in Long-existing concern over possible | chloride maker, urged use of a 50- their successful bid to huve fertiliz health hazi.rd- to workers in firms I p.p.m. exposure level in the liters- \ er industry wage and price controls makinj; p^lwinyl chloride end I ture in 1961 and adopted it as a | lifted to ensure adequute supplies vinyl uhlor.i . intensified dram at i- I company standard some 15 years [ for the U.S. market (C&EN, Nov. caily last week with a disclosure ! ago. Regular physical examinations ! 5. 1973. page 2L The fertilizer in that indicates there may well be a i for Dow workers support the safety j dustry victory, however, may be in serious occupational disease prob of this level, says Dr. Etcyl H. I trouble. The Cost of Living Council lem--one involving cancer. Blair, health and environmental re- i is considering placing some new B. r. Goodrich Co. voluntarily search director. But last, summer ; form of price control on the indus revealod to federal and state offi Dow warned all of its U.S. vinyl j try in response to what it believes cials tnat since 1971 three blue-col workers of a "potential problem." i to be excessive price hikes on cer lar workers at its PVC resins plant based upon results of an Italian re- \ tain fertilizer products. at Louisville. Kv.. have died from a search study that found tumors in In arguing its case to CLC, SPI very rare lorm of liver cancer, two rats administered 30.000 p.p.m. of claims that polyethylene sells for in 19*3 and one m 1971. The can vinyl chloride. up to 45 cents a pound abroad, cer--angiosarcoma--is so rare that To its credit. BFGs voluntary compared with a domestic price of federal authorities estimate that alert is the first such notice ever about 18 cents a pound, and poly death* throughout the U.S. from made to NIOSH by a firm for a se styrene that lists for about 16 cents this cnuse :otal only 21 per year. rious health problem. But the ensu a pound in the U.S. sells in foreign Alerted to the deaths, federal ex ing probe seems likely to shake op markets for up to 60 cents a pound. perts and safety inspectors rushed erators of the 36 existing PVC resin The petition also says that petro within 48 hours to the plant. Dr. plants in the U.S. as well as anoth chemical feedstocks such as ethyl Marc as M. Key. director of the Na er 14 vinyl chloride plants. ene and benzene sell on foreign tional Institute for Occupational markets for as much as four times Safety ard Health, says that his their domestic price. Thus. SPI agency will step up its effort to de termine the extent of the disease in the U.S. and in foreign countries Lift price curbs on plastics, SPI urges claims. "It is not difficult to see how economic conditions have dic tated significant sales of plastics with similar manufacturing pro resins and petrochemical feedstocks cesses. Citing high overseas prices luring abroad." However, two large petro NIOSH plans to develop, on a plastic resin supplies from the U.S. chemical and resin makers, Dow' crash basis, criteria for stringent market, the Society of the Plastics i Chemical and Union Carbide, prework practices for use in the polyvi Industry has petitioned the Cost of j viously contacted by C&EN, deny nyl chloride process. An agency Living Council to exempt petro i that their exports of these products spokesmen tells C&EN the criteria chemical feedstocks, plastic resins, I increased significantly in 1973, might be ready in several weeks. and fabricated plastic products j To add ammunition to its argu- The deaths were among BFG from Phase IV price controls. j ment, SPI surveyed plastics proces- employees who worked in some The move is a result, according j sors in the U.S. to assess the effect *phase of the PVC polymerization to SPI president Ralph L. Harding, j of resin shortages on production operation, but not in drying, fin Jr., of "raw material shortages j and employment. According to the ishing, cr other areas. They had caused by the world energy crisis j poll. 73 of rhe 159 respondents have worked for BFG for 15 to 28 years. and artificial domestic shortages I cut back their operations by an av- Dr. Maurice N. Johnson. BFG's attributable to Phase IV price regu | erase of 237c. and 52 have laid off director of environmental health, lations." Mr. Harding says domes ( an average of 25 employees each. stresses that the causes of death are tic price limits have held resin and subect to verification and that the com pan} is probing to see whether the} are occupationally linked. Neither company officials nor Harding: to and artificial shortages : Water quality laws I need fleshing out federal experts are certain now whet the suspect carcinogen may "Believe it or not. industry wants be. if the deaths are due to job ex Public Law' 92-5UU to work." Dr. posure. And apparently there is no Monte C. Throdahl. Monsanto's violation of the federal standard for vice president for technology, told exposure to vinyl chloride vapors of government and industry represen 500 p.p m of vinyl chloride on a tatives at a conference on industry time-weighted-average basis. BFG and clean water, sponsored by Mid says maximum exposures in its west Research Institute lust week in plants have ranged from 50 to 100 Kansas City. Mo. As it stands, he p.p.m.. with poihly higher expo added, the 1972 Water Quality Act sures bt t not for long periods. appears in be a .skeleton, not an en Dow Chemical, a major vinyl forceable system. e CZEf' Jan. 25. tS74 RSV 0006704