Document YoGzzRqR98NzJaG8yG6N15LV

*, 4 .f a* ` INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE SURVEY REPORT ON VIiNYL CHLORIDE 'AND POLYVINYL CHLORIDE MANUFACTURING FACILITIES EY ' DIVISION OF HEALTH STANDARDS - OFFICE OF STANDARDS DEVELOPMENT MARCH 1974 AS! 00023463 * ^ - - +1 * " i 7\-- r?-ii-:.s^u '.MARY 1. FI vc vinyl chloride monomer (VCM ) and two polyvinyl chloride (PVC) manufacturing facilities in the New Orleans - Baton Rouge area have been Visited by the staff of the Office of Standards Development during a fact-findino survey. 2. The PVC manufacturers have a more serious problem of VCM exposure than the VCM producers because most of th {2 polymerization process equipment are In enclosed areas and ventilation is inadequate. 3. Leaks from the process equipment , vessel entry, VCM tank car loading, unloading, and process sampling, PVC reactor cleaning and compounding and packaging are the ma-jor potential sop rces of VCM exposure found during this survey. 4. Engineering technology for the cOmtrol of VCM exposure is available f* and has been implemented by the indu try. ------------------------ ------------------ . 5. The observed practices relative o equipment maintenance, monitoring medical examination and surveillance and training are considered to be Inadequate to control the employee's exposure to vinyl chloride. 6. The fact-finding survey was foun<jl to be very useful in the development of proposed rulemaking of health sta dards. * "9* * INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE URVEY REPORT ON VINYL CHLORIDE >IA' RjRAC TURIiJG AND rGLClERIZATIGN FACILITIES - Introduction A,fact-finding survey of several vinyl chloride (VCM) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) manufacturing fr.ciliti cs has been conducted by the Gtaff of the Office of Standards Dave lepm.ant during the v/cek of March 11, Five VCI Plants and two PV C Plants in the New Orleans .and Baton Rouge area vara visited uur ing this survey. A list of . all plants is presented in Table 1. Process The VCI is either produced by the, dire ct chlorination or ojrychlorination of .ethylene to ethylene cichloridc (ED C) and pyrolysis of EDC to VCI . ii or by the reaction between acetylene nd hydrogen chloride. The crude VCI is purified by distillation to yi did a product having purity cf 99.99/". The'PVC is produced by cither vet or dry polymerisation process. The wet' process is carried out by reacting VCI in aqueous solution containing dispersing or emulsifying agents and catalyst. The dry process produces' PVC by direct reaction between 'VCM and catalyst in a tvo-stage reactor. The unrcnctcd VCI is separated from the PVC and the raw PVC is ground to desirable site. Block diagrams of various processes are presented in Figure 1 through 4, ....... . Potential Area of VCI Expo sure and. Its Control .' : _ Based on observations of this survey t;he areas whore exposure to VCI is likely in a VCI plant during normal operations are: Sampling and analysis of VCI for quality control. 2. Loading of VCI for shipping. 3.' Entry v,f VCM containing vessels for maintenance and .\ ** ** * 4* Leak, of VCI in the process a^rea. " ^S1 00023465 Hie areas of VCM exposure in a TVC p lant can be summarized as the following: .. _ . . 1. Unloading of incoming VCM, , 2. - Reactor cleaning, ...'---3.' Entry of VCM containing vessels^for maintenance and % ` 'w-urr. /a _: repair work. -' -- 4. Entry of PVC storage silos 7'T r.-'.!'.. ,\ ,m:r- --5. '-Compounding of PVC into molding powder. 6. ' Shipping or packaging of V^C. 7. Leak of VCM in the process area. The VCM plant is operated around the clock and usually five or less employees are worked on each shift, One or two of these employees, have to stay outside for one or two h ours per shift to take samples. check gages and handle minor maintena nee or repair work. About ten VCi-i ScUi.'p-ieu are co-Lz-ceteu per c-Ui.lt b one employee. The VCM is . -collected in a sampling bomb with the time of collection being about one minute. The sampling port can be modified to reduce-the exposure of-VCM during such operatic t. .** Loading or unloading of VCM is another, area of possible VCM exposure. Most loading is done on day shift only and the employee is loading 'eight or less tank cars at one time. Each loading operation about ten minutes. However, if more than one tank car is bring, loaded at one time the employee may -spend as much as si:: hours c; the loading deck every day. One company official claimed that tl:, are-installing a system to reduce the emission of VCM during loading. Since the loading deck is located in Open space and ventilation is good and if the emission control system is installed'and the employee Is standing at the upwind director xvit:h .gloves and face shield, the exposure'to VCM is insignificant unless the wind is strong. The reactor cleaning is probably the area v;here' VCM exposure is highest among VCM and PVC plants. The manufacturing of :the PVC is still-a batch process and the reaction time is about eight hours. The agitator and the bottom y \rt of n wet eroccss eactor is cleaned after tx:o or three batchaa were made. The whole re actor of the dry process is ASI 00023466 ~2- .* _____ ___ _ P;___ _ +im> h cleaned ;u^: C...H. k.xch wa_. wade. Thu orngc cleaning time la 20 minutes and usually two employees ere p crforming the task. The dry process reactor is cleaned by using scr aper and chisel under local ' "r' exhaust ventill:Lion. It is a dusty ope ration and no personal protective equipment of any hind is being used. A filter head which separatee u nron ct <:a veil from the PVC is cleaned by compressed air. Tli operator also uses compressed air to blew dust o ff his body. The cleaning should be performed by vacuuming or by using s craper equipped with local exhaust ventilation. In addition, the operator should wear coveralls, face shield and gloves with or without suppl ied air respirator depending on the residual concentration of VCH in th reactor. After the reactants and products have been removed from a wet process reactor vessel, it is filled with water and rinsed one time before cleaning. The cleaning is under local exhaust ventilation. Chisel and scraper are also used for cleaning of this type of reactor. Since the reactor surface is wet, dust exposure is not a problem. However, the exposure to VCM may be likely because cold water rinse is not effective to remove the residual VCH absorbed on the walls of the reactor and steam purging is preferred. No test for VCM concentration in the reactor was made prior to entry. It is a good practice to require the use of supplied air respirator for anv reactor cleaning work. Most employers indicated that they have established procedures for vessel euLi> end in soma cc.'.panics petrait is required prior to initiation of such operations. It xs questionable whether these procedures are enforced, especially regarding VCH exposure A re quirement containing details regarding entry of VCM containing vessel for maintenance or repair work should be included in the proposed Standard. mere is no lnronvauxon avunauic lo i ,, UUv'---------- J_ * i-T. * of VCH from the surfaces of the PVC pa rl: icles during storage and handling. / However, It is preferable to establish a procedure for the entrv of FVC storage silos and requi re local exhaust ventilation eye terns be installe d in all PVC compounding and packaging and loading operations where PVC dust can be rc.lcas ed Although the manufacturing of VCM and PVC is under pressure in a c osed .system, exposure to VCH is unlikely during normal operation, lidwever, inadequate maintenance and wear of packings and seals of proce s equipment can results in leeks of VO!, Nearly all the VCM exposures are outdoors in the VCM plants while most PVC manufacturing operations except In the deep south and west coast where winter climate is mild, are enclo cd. The exposure*of VCH from equipment leaks can be significant in a I'Ve plant. We found that most -3- t^ ASI 00023467 .... of the plants ch'> rot have nnir.tei uce crews on all three shifts . . .and preventive maintenance progr in is inadequate or non-existent. \Tn should n*'k th.''. C"plo"vr to ir,- "nr. tnt a redntcnance program tc insure that the. leakage of VCII i unlikely during normal operations, An equipment cheek list should t prepared and the frequency of , inspection should be based on the probability of failure or mal- ^.`functioning of equipment, piping or*fittings. The equipment __ . 'maintenance and repair record sh duld be: included in. the OSHA -- record keeping requirements. The VCM samples collected in.the bombs are analyzed by gas chromatography in a quality control labo r|atory. If the bomb is stored in - an exhaust hood with good ventlla tion and the sample is withdrawn from the hood, no exposure of VC is expected during such operations, _ Monitoring,,. i upo"1. rt u-m cr/5.. \ Before the-outbreak of liver cane ers in the Goodrich BVC plant, the * VC1I was considered a fire hazard and less' precise sampling and ana- , lyticr.l methods were used for non itorine. This still.appears.to be the case from the observation" ga there! on this survey. VJe obLaired `-some monitoring data from several VCM plants. .Only one FVC.manu- . . facturer promised us to send us mouitoring data on BVC operations. ,,~!-Anothcr PVC plant uses a combustible Vipo'r tester for monitoring .VCM exposure and this type monitoring is neither.accurate, specific '..'.nor sensitive, to low concentrations of VCM, .*4- .V ... - t i` Gas chromatograph (CC) appeared to be a notr^on inst rument used for m.\. the analysis cf VCM. The VCM is ^ith.er collected as grab or tir.-ic- >1...weighted-average (TV?A) samples, in gas-tight`syringes, .plastic bags. ^-"or activated charcoal tubes. , .` - * - r.-.r '.Ao.-f-a o`; . \r, <C\ ^ `.By reviewing the nonitoring data submitted fey' two VCM plants {Tible II & III) though the data s limited, however, it does t. indicate that VCM loader, process sample man and maintenance personnel arc most likeiy exposed to higher levels of VCM than ' f'.pther employee, in these plants. The method of control of VCM exposure r chcse employees arc discussed in the previous sect.I.U " ' --.' T n,`j*' * * *+"* ; ,w*. - ' . , ***' ** fcj* -- -(i- d:: * VT.. HI--'-:* 1 * T "~*r ASi 00023468 "i '*rrrr. TfT-r'MnftnrfiTi `r i 4 There is wide difference between the campling method and analytical techniques for VCM. Standardised s'a: ,pling and analytical procedures should be- o.rLr-bliskcd fox' rhe r'.onltc in' of VCM. This r-ay be obtained through WICSH. host plants indiento a that they are acquiring fixed cent 5 nt Itcri:'.'' ^tn.tison end ; sophisticated portable r.cr. its ring for VCM in their facilities. A guid aline should be laid-out ..to get the maximum benefit for the use of such- instruments, -- r-"". VCM can be detected by the GC techniques in-the. order of 1 ppm. The detectable range of two cost promising portable direct reading.VCH detector, the Century Organic Vapor Analyzer (OVA) and the Wilks Kiran infrared spectrophotometer (MI 1AN) are in the order of 1 ppm. The accuracy of these instruments at such low concentration may he ' i502. The accuracy of GC is depends at on the preparation and cal~ ibration of the standard. The relic bility of a prepared standard at 1 ppm ray also pose a problem. A 2 ppm concentration may be the lowest limit at which we can have re asonable confidence on these instruments. The required method of monitoring is dependent on the-permissible limit on the proposed'standard. If a limi t is.set, the VCM exposure for each job classification should be mo nitorod on a TWA basis. Personal breathing s:--: 1~a should he collect cn a ttruling device having a coll: zion efficiency of at leas t 91 . Sufficient number of area camples should also be collected to pin point high exposure areas fei* the imp lemon La tic a of control mv.asur s. ' The- sensors of a continuous VCM monitoring system can be loca'tcd at high* exposure areas of VCM, The initial l^onitorinr; of the workpl cc should take abnormal operating conditions such as hot weather into consideration' and monitoring should 'be repeated on a periodic basis or a fter process modifications and' .repairs. . ~T ` x i . -v ^ :;v, lot- - * . If no,te:;po:;ure. limit .is. being propos ed, the. initial, monitoring -is-still required for the .implu.r.c-ntation of e nginec-.ring controls'. The use .of direct reading and continuous nonito ring instruments are more imperative eince no leaks can be tolerated unde r such circumstances. . The monitoring should be conducted on a daily basis at predetermined sampling points. -4 * *m ' W - . * * ------- 5- 'f i _. *. ,# , .**- TV wT"g.^- i *,** .`C. -** ,,u . ? -r -r. ; 4^'-' ` - ''IrU - 4.* f ***.. *V' * 1 7 . *1* p . * w AS I 00023469 Medical .-All plants have ,arcplaccr:''nt physf al examination programs. However, periodic physical c:;a:..irarion is-a; t a common practice. Two of the -Six plants have a physician and nu: se staff on duty, the others have ;'a physician ar.d nurse on the part time basis. Most supervisors and selected employees have trained in first aid. ..... ..Since, the outbreak of the Goodrich liver cancer, more companies "have started providing SHA-12 or other ttests to employees who arc handling ' VCK. However, few of the companie indicated that they are conducting medical surveillance of their empLqyces as a routine program. 'Because Cow.Chemical Company is th< leading producer of chlorinated "hydro carbons in this country, they have put more emphasis on liver function testing of their employee; . The medical surveillance ' program as presented to us by Dow (Table XV) can be used as a basis .for the medical 'requirement in our proposed vinyl chloride standard. Engineering Control "Ventilation'is still an effective inlathed to. control the VCM exposure, .The control roars in all the VCH ar d DVC plants are air conditioned, however, the air is withdrawn from. the process area and discharged _outdoors without any purification, , Doth the inlet and outlet air to the control room should be trea cd if a standard-with very low or. no permissible limit is propose Engineering control methods are avrailable for the control of VCM exposures', "during "sampling and load inn operations. However.-a reasonable time should bu allowed or the implementation for such measures. This.is also true for th e installation of local exhaust .Ventilation systems. It may be mor e practical to allow time for the implementacion of engineering c ontrol measures or an interim standard could be set to give emplo yecs some.protection while the employer is provided with time for implementation of such controls, Usually, a time period of six month s may be sufficient to install VCH emission control cvctorn and one year for ventilation systems. -6US#* AS I 00023470 -h-S-- Personal Protective Equipment 'All plants visit; v- c sal 1' c o r. t;; ir.: a reathing apparatus (SC1A) or Gas bask for cr'rqonr.y use and they ndicatcd that every employee is trained to use such equif'ent. Two Pi aa.ta use canisters rrade for acid gases or arcronia other than orgaalft vapor to equip their gas masks which is not considered to be sui able and one plant uses a quarter facepiece emergency escape rasp: rator as a standard accessory, for. .every employee and visitor in the p ^ocess area containing hydrocarlens. This practice nay give an emp] oyee a false sense of security and he may be exposed to high' concentre irons of VCil and still believe he is adequately protected. Supplied air respirators, either in conitinuous flow or pressure demand made should be used for reactor cleanir. or maintenance'and repair work -inside of a vessel containing VCM. One plant used supplied air .dfor cleaning of reactors, however, no pressure "reducer nor contaminant 'filtering device were found in the adjaiccnt air'supply." The present OSilA standard on breathing air quality is based on the recommendation of the Comprecsc-d Cr 3 Acre which has higher .tolerance for the ccu.c on con tv v : r.a _. C j-7? d air such as oil, carbon monoxide ,etc. A lew toler air contaminants and`VCM in _the brea tb.ing air cr. d more urate and frequent monitoring methods should be prupcsed to insure tiv t -the quality of the breathing nir IS s cccptablc * The use of gas masks equip]ped with activated charcoal adsorbent for the 'VOT will depend o bather standard with or without a per mis si hie limit. T,~C c-d on .a test conductiod -by-Gary Nelson of the Laweroncc -- "-vIavcrr.orc .laboratory, he indicated that- the-activated charcoal in a ----- 'organic vapor canister or catridge.-.is not a good VCM absorbent. From his results, the time to reach 1% breakthrough of VCM at a concentration of 1,000 pprc, 50% relative humidity, 22` C and a breathing rate of 53.3 I/pm is 3.8 minutes against 7 7 minutes for carbon tetrachloride. The present problem with organic vapor adsorbent is. there is no indication of the life of such substance. The manufacturer's common practice'is to -Got a- chelf life of about three-years from the date of manufacture with-the assumption that the seal of the"canister- or- entridga is remained intact. Once the seal is broken, the useful life will be one year. -7- t AS I 00023471 Use of gas masks give an operator more freedom of movement than with a supplied uit respirator or ,,C"A. Tin s is particularly true for the process sample man end tar.': car loader. If gas masks are permitted tO tf Lu i..., (.i _ ,i>,w ^ _ C i, j or 10 ppu is proposed, the requircr.er.tr. for periodic re.reval of ci nlsters on different levels of VCI exposures should be specified in the proposed standard. Safety glasses, goggles, hard .hat and gloves are commonly used in all plants visited. Since liquid VCU is an irritant to skin and mucous . membranes, the use of eye protective dcvices and gloves should be made mandatory for employees who nay co ntact liquid VCM. The VCM vapor or gas is not considered to be ab sorbed through the skin at the present tine, the use of ordinary prote ctive clothing is useless and the need for an air supplied impervious suit is questionable in operations involving VO! exposure. The PVC reaeto r cleaning can be a dusty task and a' cloth coverall or whole body cove ring is a good personal hygiene practice. If VCM is not found to be ab sorbed through the skin then the requirement for shower facilities at be necessary. ... Housekeepin Except for one plant, the general impre cion on housekeeping is that it is inadequate. Tim's problem is more evident in the PVC plant since particulate material is involved. More effort is needed on immediate clean up spill rz rvn>d tee: the work'environment in a cleaner, more orderly fashion. Maintenance is another problem area. Pi eventive maintenance seems nonexistent and most of the plants have maintenance staff on day shift only.- Since the leak of VCI from the process cqui-pment; pipelines and fittings may be the significant source of unnecessary exposure in the industry, a more stringent naintenancc program is imperative. -8- * k* . *-V ,, - p . I- * AS] 00023472 Most oC the plants visited have either v'rittcn or 'informal' procedures regarding operations where VCM exposure is likely such as pro cess Sampling, tank car leading, reactor cleaning and ' csscl entry. We may issue mandate work practice procedures on those oper.' tions. A written procedure and checklist should he prepared for these operations and reactor cleaning ml vessel entry should be performed by per|v'.lit only and signed by the cr..p.! or his representative to insure that a"11 prccuationary measures regarding minimizing employee's exposure to VCM d urir.g such operations are enforced. Quite a few chemicals arc used in the m anufacturing of VCM or PVC, some o them, can be very toxic such as hydrogen chloride, chlorine or mercury salt and the toxic properties of some raw na trials are not available at this time, It should be a safe practice to require the employer- to evaluate the toxicity of every raw material he uses and estab lish v;ritten procedures for the cafe handling of such substances. . Train - Most employers indicate that they have training courses for VCM operators and regular safety meetings to`educate their employees. Some companies use the word-by-mouth training techniques and such training are conducted by -foreman. ' ~The success of such type of training i: dependent on the quality of the instructor. In general, a ucritten' tra: --*T-r^ r1 nrv";stT,iX 4 yswh>ouuuldu i--nclude itsms s^ uuj.cwh-- 1*--11 *. L- L _ s .'"'U other toml c raw ra.-cviaivU* s* <i vC*mt ut....i tw,'..- v. t. i -,v ` work practices, use. end cure of personal protective equipment., first aid, emergency prccriu res, fire fighting, and safe band ling of the VCM. It is ^Im perative thatf-n ' !* an untr;.:`'!e'<cu employee orhd culdr M 1 il not he pc mi ttedA 14 U a i' f? ^'i i *4 h tt*o work 1i1n. the '.VCM or PVC process area end refresher cc urses'.on these subjects should be giver, cn a periodic basis. A monitoring systdm should also be established to' insure that an employee is benefiting rrcr.i such training. Waste Pi; penal . * Both of the r\'C plants claimed th.at the ur.reac.i:ed VCM is recycled back to the-process. Vue off specification VCM. is reprocessed, to.rn.net the requirement One PVC producer discharges the scraps-from reactor cleaning into a pend and another collects the waste into boxes for sale to a scrap dealer. One plant loads the PVC in box cars under pneumati c force. It is a closed system, any powder released from loading is sent bac k to the storage silos. S5-ncc the toxic effect of TVC is'not hoc wn to date,-it may seen unreasonable .to require the manufacturers to dispose of the PVC waste in impermeable begs cincc uhe bags probably made from PVC or to require the incineration of PVC or VCM ns a means of disposal because th e decomposition product is toxic, \Jc may require procedures to be establis ned for the destruction of these substances by a safe chemical method or just leave this paragraph open until ve get more Information. -9- ""U % . I -ir---jr w* ........ v,, ASI 00023473 . t Conclus ion Hie exposure to VC!! is,less cf a problem to the VCM producers than to th' PVC producer hcenvoo all the process ecu J gm.cn t of the fonct arc located outdoors with fever employees and contro is less expensive to implement. Most of the PVC -sruf ? e "v r.o facilities ore enclosed and r-re employees r.re involved Cue pic,,ucticn. Engined ing Control is r.orc expensive because of -the high volume of air to he \fentilr.tud. Kcvcvcr, control technology is readily available and the cost of compliance nay not be prohibitive. Lack of'naintcnance programs, monitoring activities, inadquate employee training, medical examination and survei!llance, and poor housekeeping are r *+ /" LV ^V'Ul* K V. r Lie /iri < V Ct e xu i i C send during this survey. We may put emphasis on these areas on our proposed standard cr. the VCM. All manufacturers were very cooperative during this survey. ' They answered all questions ve asked ar.d gave us the in formation we needed. From this survey, ve mere given the chance to . communicate with the production people, to find out which areas present potential exposures to VCM, what the producer has accomplished to control the exposures at each-area, and at which areas. further control.cf the probJ.cn and what enforcement is required. We sincerely believe that this type survey s' iculd be included in our regular rule making procedures so far as health standards development is concerned. * A / . rw , * * ` -v ** III I - T* . *NV -10-i V' ' - AST 00023474  \r LIST OF FIGl RES * }rr';r=2, = -- 3. vF. 4*- Manufacturing of VCM by Direct qhlorinatiOn and Oxychlorination of Ethylene Manufacturing of VCM by Direct Chlorination of Acetylene Manufacturing of PVC by Suspensijon or Emulsion Polymerization Manufacturing of PVC by Bulk Poly merization .. LIST OF TAPE ES I. II, HI, IV, Manufacturing Facilities of Viny 1 Chloride and Polyvinyl' 'Chloride Initial Monitoring Data From Plant A VCM Monitoring Data From Plant B Medical Surveillance Program at Dow Chemical US,A. - '/ . -11(An V AS I 00023475 . f k. FIC-UHE 1KANUFAC TURING OF VCM BY DIRECT CHLORINATION AND CXYC KL ORINATI ON .\ 02h4 Cl2 \r 4 CKLORINATCR ETHYLi`NE DI CHLORIDE Fin J Vjr. ATI ON EDO CRACKING 'FURNACE \ EDO C2H4 0XYCHL ORjl k REACTOR /; Direct Chlorination: C2?4^ Cl2 --r**. CH2Cl-CH2ci t. r' f Oxychlorination:. C2H4 + ;2HCl + %02 ------ - CH2C1-C!I2C1 + H20 Cracking of EDC: ch2ci-ch2ci-------> CH2=^CHCI + HC1 - 12 - l\ PURIFICATICN t v . VCM STORAGE 1 ,\ * ' f I! `betas' 2.' kwACTDHISCi OF VCM BY DIHEOT CHLORIKTION OF ACBIMSZ i [ ACSTCLEIS* vKtC1 1 - 1 ' * !' *' f ' "VI!. > r: i H3DR0CHLGRINATION -c> :* J VCM 1 ' j PURIFICATION HC1. 1 ----------------------- ------ -----------------------V-wA STORAGE >m 1 o rcooc ! CKH * HC1 CH2-CHC1* - 13 - !. % >'-l FIGURE 3. MANUFACTURING OF PVC BY SUSPENSION -OR aiULSION POLYMERIZATION f+>: ", -I* r 1' 1 MMk VCM } STORAGUE WATER Catalyst SURFACTANT VCM . RECOVERY t ft POLYMERIZATION REACTOR J BLEsST" I TANK' DRIER > Vi o oooss ** -3 CO - 14 - AS I 0 0 0 2 3 4 7 9 A.S I 0 0 0 2 3 4 8 0 ,' ; ' TABLE 1 i i MANUFACTURING FACILITIES OF VINYL CHLORIDE ;- and POLYVINYL CHLORIDE Plane : Ethyl Corp. [i > i * 1> *:t . Shell Chemical Co.- . Location t } Baton Rorue, LA { %' r. vi - '- {!i' ^' 1 j/ , '` ;' . Norco, LA ; Process *. 1 ;.! "> VCK- Dire:t and oxychlorination of ethylene .! PVC- Suspension and cmulvion polymerization .1 : VCM- Direct and oxychlorination of ethylene Dow Chemical Co. U.S.A* ih -! Plaquemine, LA ' VCM- Direct chlorination of Allied Chemical Co. i .. - i. ' i ! 4-.I v i Baton Rogue, LA. t :' .: ~ !' ethylene VCMr Direct and oxychlorination of ethylene Goodyear_Chemical Co. Kcnochem Corp. (Borden and Uniroyal) ' (i . \; Plaquenlr.e, LA . * r *i< * .* mv\ . . < ! Geisnor, LA I . , : -* ; #i * ` .*. i r * PVC- Bulk polymerization VCM- Direct chlorination of acetylene ** ; 1* ` * ... :/ i lt - ill j ' :,.i.............. ' .* * i i * ** "*' * . m- ***,../ .;.. i ; i /- 16 - . ` * ' .. i. i . . > , . :' l' ' . : ' . :> . * ;Cj"J * ; * 4* . 1 * 4 * .' 1. 'V , - s " * .... - .* __ _ _ ^ , . .. TABLE II *9 -- ' ... . * * ` y-1 , , 1 ' 2 - '' ----' * INITIAL VCM Y-Cill TORIMG Sampling Periods. , DATA FROM. PLA `IT A November 1 573 " .' .' ; * * *r * r_- ' e. ; Job Cl css rPi cation - *- VCM Operator - T Sampling T i me hr. * VCM Concentrat t V* .-. ................... ' PPm' 7.5 1.3 .V VCM Operator EDC Operator `_ ' ' 7.5 7.5 /: 1.7 0.8 EDC Operator 25 m in. } OXY Operator VCM Loader - ' * 7.5 3,0 O.o 8.7 CM Loader 25 mi n. 16.0 .* 'VCM Loader - / . 3.5 13.4 veil Leader Lab Technician 7 _ 45 mi n* ^ 10 ir.i n.. - " . * -* V ' 43.0 7,3.2 - Aiw .1 * * * ----.......... ...... ";t . * .* . V. . t. .* - ,- ^ 4, ^ * s * * T* f v *! ` j *" , r .1 `, 1 ,, \ * '* ! ** .* ._ * * * ... m% 7^ f* r- ,4 , ^ , V* ** ,* u , - yr - --. *,. .4 ,! * * 4,1 , , F.. . - " -* *. 'r " - .. . 4 V^ m- * * * m , .* .* ' .-y. .. ` ."^*4 ' 1 . *- i : is * t ** AS I 00023481 S::.p! 'w*1 --.TABLE III \ i *i < ::r: rr.c.M plamt n- period: September 1972 , March & April 1973 tiClOii* p^iiiT \ t i ) Job classification Samples ranee hiejn lc: Shift supervisor VCM boardman EDC boardman Sample man VCM loader VCM loader Shift supervisor Ju4(1 i VI W, r-1 U W V,# 4 Q.C. specialist Lab technician Lab technician Material controller Instrument technician Pipefitter Millwright Electron ............----- Laborer 3.7 3.6 5.5 -13.0 158.0 13.5 13.0 13.5 32.1 158.1 .225.0 0.3 13.0 .13.0 13.0 13.0 13.0 0.' 0.03 0.07 0.1 0.05' 0.05 0.C3 0.03 .0.05' 0.06 0.1 ; 0.05 0.03 0.03 0.03 0.03 0.03 Lumber of samples taken Tl-V 10 18 10 12 30 30 20 . 28 26 30 10 30 10 10 .. 10 12 *** o. 0.6 2.4 0.7 4.2 2.9 0.4 2^ 3.0 . . * 10.3 15.0 0.1 1.9' 4.5 4.4 . ..3.5 ' * -i S . ,-w S 4.5 - 18 AS I 0002348 .?L. TABLE IV. MEDICAL SI RVEILLAUCE PROCR/J-l DOW CMEivll -\L U.S.A. March 12, 1974 LOUISIANA DIVISION ' PCAOUEMINT. LOUISIANA 707C.J 604 CS7-4321 MEDICAL SUEVZTU.AbGE All'contractor cr.d Leu employees work ing in areas where `chemicals may, have tonic effect on liver have been- included in plant medical surveillance program for several years. Ori ginally tests obtained to- determine liver tonicity were S.G.O.T., Thymol Turbidity, Cephalin Flocculation, and Bilirubin, be be pan obtaining SM A-12 in 1969. Approximately 300 to 350 employees ere tested yearly, Several thousand persons have been tested over the years, be have never found any indication of liver toxicity dne to chemical exposure, dll ants included in this testing program. are Glycol 1, Chlorinated So Ivcr.ts, Vinyl, Chlorinated Methanes, Marine. Tank Car Cleaning, baste Dispo sal workers, and selected RAD personnel. .In 1SV1 va began a more comprehensive testing program on all employees engaged in operations. Medical history is taken as veil as smoking -history, any indication of veight loss or gain during past year Is recorded. - hemoglobin and urinalysis i.s dene. Urinalysis ir.cludc-s blood, glucose, ketone, ?.!!., specif^ gravity, bilirubin and urobi linogen. Additional procedures or. those employees forking in Vinyl Chloride area have been proposed, including EPA of chest, x-ray of hands, microscopic urine lysis, S.G.I'.T;, CBC, platelet count, forced c>;pi: tory volume and Ecv-.. Physical examinations, have been recommended and vc are now in the process of securing these procedures. ' In event of single exposures breath'sample for analysis is secured, physical exacinatim by pliysicir.n, S>4 and other tests as indicated are.secured. H---- Betty Doughty. ;;.N, Medical Supervisor ad . v ' AS ! 00023483 .