Document XR5ONVO5YRpeggLeJm4gz1xZx

JOHN J. HANRAHAN , 1*March 28 197 TO: A. Baker R. Henderson*^ G. Henrich R. Pendergast i Re: "The Machinist" More on the vinyl chloride problem. J.J. Henrahan OLI 1284 4 I- For Polyvlny! Chloride I AH ASKS EMERGENCY HEALTH RULE J ...f 1 V 7\ 1AM Pmi- dent Floyd Smith hat ap hmltk pealed to the U.S. Depart ment of Labor for an emergency health standard to protect Ameri cans working with polyvinyl chloride. The appeal ia the result of the deaths of five workers at a B.F. Goodrich Chemical plant in Louisville, Ky. The Five, none of whom were 1AM members, died of angiosarcoma, a rare cancer of the liver. All of the victims worked with polyvinyl chloride, a plastic used in many indus trial and commercial procetirs Smith appealed to John Slen der, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Health, in Washington. D C. By telegram, the 1AM President pointed put; "Fisc deaths have already been documented. As many more deaths at the same plant arc Mil under investigation. Counties more may still be undetected other plants in other cities. Es pern have warned that this oc Cupational health problem coul teach epidemic proportions. A (Sec HEALTH RULE, page 7 HEALTH RULE.. from pig* I emergency standard is needed immediately. Slender was expected to act on the requests sometime this week. Tire Labor Department already has held public heat ir es on the hazards in the loui.wlle plant. The list of deaths linked to working with polyvinyl chloride may grow. While the list now si.mils at five, Haskell Marsh ill, directing rep for I AM District il, Louisville, repoits that seven more deaths in recent scars may al.o have been cau .d by the chemical. Mar* hall reports that the 1AM shop conrtnillee has a list of sc^cn GooJriJt workeis who have djed of various forms of cancer One, 1AM member James (ceil, died in l%X of cirrho is o| the li-.cr. Another JAM member. Barney Duke, died of Icukunia. qpe other worked died of leukemia, two of lung cancer and two of biain cancer. At last month's hearings in Washington. Dr. Thomas Manor- to, an occupational cancer re searcher from the University of Pittsburgh, warned that liver can cer might not be the only hazard of working with polyvinyl chlo ride. He added other industrial diseases including skin cancer, bone cancer, lung cancer and cirrhosis of the liver. Marshall adds that 60 mem bers of IAM Local 681 at Good rich are still on strike at the Louisville plant. The strike began Dec. II, 1973. The issues ate wages and contract language, as well as job safety. Unions Sue Labor D pt. The AFL-C10, its Indus trial Union Department and the Illinois State AFL-CIO are suing the U.S. Labor Depart ment to stop further weaken ing of the Federal Occupation al Safety and Health law. The AFL-CIO suit asks the courts to stop the l-*bor Department from transferring the enforce ment of the job safety law back to Mate agencies. 4 f OU 1285