Document VjjNj96eVqJg7arL62E4agz84

714 SEP 15 1975 Feedback R N. WHEEl ER, JR- ' i PVC dust fells factory mice suggesting new work hazard f'- Guinea-pigs and rats kept in dusty areas ture- is largely automated, the bagging of PVC factories next to regular workers developed pneumoconiosis--the lung disease caused fay asbestos, silica, and section is usually the dustiest The fact that the animal* were exposed to the same atmosphere as worker' in the plant coal dust Additional tests show PVC is an unusual procedure which partly dust to be as biologically active as overcomes objections to drawing con chrysotile asbestos. clusions from animal experiments about This means that PVC powder--the the biological effects of chemicals on product of polymerisation of vinyl chloride monomer (VCM>--must be treated as a health hazard potentially The animal* were killed after two to seven months of exposure to PVC dust more widespread than VCM itself. VCM end their lungs examined microscopic was discovered last year to be carcino ally. > genic and the chemical industry has - Reporting their work (Medicine del made considerable efforts to control this Lavoro, SeptOct 1974) the three pro gas. Efforts may now be needed to con trol PVC powder as well. Following a report that a 31-year-old worker who had inhaled PVC powder at work for a year developed e new type of pneumoconiosis. Professors N. Froo- fessors say: "we are dealing with as authentic pneumoconiosis, or at least with a PVC pneumopathy which suggests very strongly not a few of the significant aspects of pneumoeoniosis". Although they admit that much more research gia, D. Casula, and R. Camba at Cag has to be done before firm conclusions liari (Italy) University began a long can be drawn, they say their results term investigation of the possible harm ful effects of PVC powder. They pat rets and guinea-pigs in cages with large win form a "highly consistent picture" sad are "dearly correlated with the length of exposure to PVC powder". dows in the bagging section of e PVC The second piece of recent research plant in Sardinia. Because PVC manufac 4^>iiich throws suspicion on PVC powder i Will dockers black PVC powder? Jtier&ia&ii London dockers are to reconsider a total ban on the handling of cargoes of PVC powder. The National Associa tion of Stevedores and Dodcworicers (NASD) originally refused to "blade" PVC cargoes following the refusal of some dockers at the Royal group of docks to unload bagged PVC But armed with the new evidence that is emerging about the hasards ef PVC powder the tarn wffl be raised ante. Last January one gang of dodcass refused to unload about 60 tonaos of bagged PVC hem two barges onto Romanian ship. According to ana of the dodeers involved, the cargo bed. been lying in the barges for a year where; people were smothered is it," mm os* dodnfr and many of the bags wen rotten. This was the first cargo of PVC The refusal was prompted by publicity, to pass through tbs Royal docks, hut eapedally on TV, surrounding tbs dis covery that vinyl dlnMi from whidi PVC is employer's assurances that any fntsre cargoes would be in heartre. not paper, i tita soMiUtar of cancer. Bat the dot pidoas that the PVC powder itsoff New the doctors who originally re- -might be e health --At ftosd to handle Jha cento era nfdsf vw- A Factory Inspector had to# cxrgo^the. Mstlo*dlallUs time tourT analysed and he assured the dodeers ^Theve toe admittedly prdhalMsy find- that there was no measurable vinyl _iags of the Bahaa and Cardiff research chloride monomer is toe PVC gad thM^ato back tip toriudrim that PVC dost \ "pyfhe iwsm-tas (Evidence that PVC powder could the fosfings about PVC cans* pnonmoroalodg had bean pub lished three months earlier.) Similar assurances came from Robert Murray, the TUC'S medial advisor. After eight days the cargo was as- loaded from the barges by other dockers. "The dust was just every which must be assn against a tong history of "unedentMkf* hast on dam gerous cargoes (asbestos for example) long before medical evidence of illeffects appeared, could well be a bettor guide to action than the Fac tory Inspector's teessurancm. LM. New Scientist 26 June 1975 had curious origins. Dr Fred Rose of the Biochemistry Department at University .'College Cardiff happens to live near a 'srp pvc plant PVC dost often forms a fine film on the road outside the plant and also finds its way on to the roofs of cars parked nearby end on to washing hung out to dry. Rose's department carries out work on the biochemistry of asbestosis. Putting the two together, he decided that he ought to have at least a brief look at PVC dust Rose and Dr Roy Richards used a test that had bean found to be a good indi cator of the biological activity of other materials such as asbestos. The dust is incubated with red blood cells from rab bits and the amount of haemoglobin re leased by the dust breaking the cell walls (haemolysis) is measured. So far only two samples have boon tested and so the results are difficult to interpret However cm* of the PVC dust sample* wan found to he as active fn the haemolytic test at duysotils asbestos. When ton PVC particles ware washed, this activity surprisingly disappeared. Rose and his colleagues tentatively con cluded that the biological activity is due to n soluble mrface itsoriated agent Even more-surprising is that the other PVC dust sample showed practically no activity at all One possibility is that the two samples were from different processes which pro duced different size particles, with dif ferent biological activities. Large dust particles do not reach the lung, which suggests they may be less dangerous than small ones. The particles in the Italian factory were very small shoot i micrometre in diameter. The significance of these two pieces of research, if their results are confirmed by further experimentation, could he immense. PVC powders ere handled by a much larger number of workers than VCM. Workers In practically every plant making goods from PVC powder are potentially at risk. Further, the discharge of PVC dust tram factories Is hy no PVC plants aright also be at riric. -. - v , , Lawvenes McGfcttp French court bock* toreador Two envfaentoentol groups were refused an to stop EKctridtt da from budding M breeder at Btigw- The court reled that had baan no infringement of of i fhndnontal right. Largnedi kwSgh band, argued "guaBty of Me* is a pefaMe right Totting technology "The Polios Department yesterday trans mitted the fallowing message on ite press teletype machine: `This is test message for LX press only. If you do not receive this massage, you nood a repair'." ---New York Times, 6 May ucc 010792 UNION INTERNAL CORRESPONDENCE CARBIDE CHEMICALS AND PLASTICS SOUTH CHARLESTON PLANT P. 0. BOX 8004. SOUTH CHARLESTON, W. VA. 25303 to (Nm) Oiviilon Location Mr. S. W. Mortimer Copy to Dr. T. T. Szabo Mr. J. B. Hollingsworth Mr. G. T, Scott Mr. A. E. Montagna dm* July 26, 1976 Originating Dept. Answering lett*f date Subject New Scientist June 26, 1975 Feedback PVC Dust Fells Factory Mice Per our recent discussion on health effects of PVC, the attached article appeared in the New Scientist. This does a good job of mixing data anrf conclusions for maximum effect. The article should be considered as two separate items as marked. Item 1, Professors Frongia, Casula and Camba at Cagliari (Italy) University report that rats exposed to PVC dust ( <5 microns) for two to seven months developed pneumoconiosis. This effect had already been noted by Jerzy Popow, Tnflnnn^e of Folvvinvl Chloride Dust on the Rat Respiratory System (Roczniki Akademii Medcycznej Supplement 24, 1969) and B. Azende, et.al. Pneumoconiosis Developing After In^alat-inn of Polyvinyl Chloride (Orv. Hetil. 112:85-6 January 10, 1971). Since pneumoconiosis appears to be caused by many kinds of dust, there appears to be no alternative but to use respiratory protection in dusty locations. MCA is trying to get' more information on Dr. Frongia's work, however. The big problem with the inhalation of asbestos fiber is that it leads to lung cancer (mesothelioma). The fact that it causes pneumoconiosis is separate and unrelated to the lung cancer problem. Item 2. The second portion of the article relates the haemolysis testing of PVC powder and chrysotile asbestos. The ultimate meaning of this experiment is hard to fathom. Haemolysis is release of haemoglobin from the breakdown of red blood cells as a result of some foreign material presumably introduced into the blood stream, i. e. it could be a measur of the tendency for a particular material to cause anemia or similar blood UCC 010793 Memorandum to S, W. Mortimer July 26, 1976 Page Two disorders. In the first experiment PVC dust as received, showed haemo lytic activity equivalent roughly to a like amount of chrysotile asbestos, though the asbestos displayed faster action. In a second series of experi ments the PVC dust was water washed prior to test. One wash reduced haemolytic activity by 60% and additional washes further reduced the activity. The conclusion of the testing was that certain forms of PVC dust exhibit a high haemolytic potential because of the presence of a readily soluble surface associated agent (surf&cant of suspending aid). The present study indicat a that the introduction of a washing procedure after the processing of the dust tested would reduce or abolish the haemolytic activity of this material. Union Carbide Corporation solvent and non-solvent resins could certainly be said to be well washed and deficient in haemolytic activity. The unanswered question with regard to the significance of the study is how is PVC dust introduced into the blood stream in normal situations. I hope this explanation is clear though I am not sure it is helpful. RNWJr. /pm Attachment UCO 010794