Document XOXzXdpXD8g7dK7LzB9owX1QG

UNION CARBIDE CORPORATION CHEMICALS AND PLASTICS P. O. BOX 471, TFXASCITY. TEXAS 77-,90 February 13, 1979 ILL TEXAS CITY UNION CARBIDE EMPLOYEES letter is being sent to you in keeping with our policy to advise you of note:hy activities at this plant. It is not intended to alarm you nor do we believe re is a cause for immediate, undue concern. lecember 13, 1978 and January 8, 1979, representatives of the Occupational Safety Health Administration (OSHA) visited the Texas City Plant to investigate our ling of tank cars and 55-gallon drums. In addition, they took air samples and itioned some employees. To date, OSHA has not informed us of the results of their ections. visits were in response to a request from a former employee who was concerned about : he thought was an excessive number of brain tumors in the Chemical Shipping Area. *e is no evidence at this time that any brain tumors have been the result of onjob exposures. He have begun our own investigation and have made a preliminary lination of the available death certificates for former employees, including .rees. He have found 10 Instances where a brain tumor was listed as the Immediate e of death out of 455 known deaths since 1941. He have also learned of one current oyee who has a diagnosis of a primary brain tumor. To establish whether there is inusual Incidence of brain tumors, a great deal more in the way of analysis must be For example, we must (1) verify the diagnosis on the death certificates; her it was by autopsy or surgical biopsy; (2) determine whether the brain was the ary site or whether the cancer spread to it from some other part of the body; trace former employees; and (4) compare all the researched data with national, e and county Incidence figures. This will require a full-scale epidemiology study, h is an attempt to correlate causes of death and employee work histories to see if ain exposures give rise to any unusual incidence of death from cancer or any other e. Our preliminary analysis of the work histories of employees who reportedly from brain tumor shows no common job assignment or exposure. pidemiology study will be undertaken either by us, using an outside contractor rt in these matters, or possibly by the National Institute of Occupational Safety Health,the technical arm of OSHA. Representatives of this agency will be at our t today for some preliminary discussions. he interim, we will continue to operate in full compliance with all Federal and e regulations, as well as our own health and safety standards which are more agent than those imposed by government agencies. ntend to keep you advised as the epidemiology study plans develop, and of any ificant data resulting from the study as it progresses. , ? i ;' .1 , D. H. Glenn, M.D. Gulf Coast Medical Director