Document ZekYGNXZxEReLb2jN1oqqQ6L

c c 000055 PCS: AN INDUSTRY PR03LE3I? 2 . O rigin o f C urrant'Concern - Ecological E ffe c ts 2 . T b x i d t j , f i r e and O ther H ealth Kacards 3 . General E le c tric Usage 4 D isp o sal P ra c tic e s 5 . Q uestions to be Answered 6. A Proposed Progran J . S. Nelson Corporate Ihgineering O ctober 30# 19o5 73 PC3: c AN INDUSTRY PROBLEM? r 1 . O rig in of Current Concern - E cological E ffects L a te in February, 1969, a West Ooast newspaper c a r r ie d a major fe a tu re about "a menacing new p o llu ta n t" found in the San Francisco Bay a re a . The a r t i c l e was based on m arine l i f e research carried out by Dr. Robert Risebrough o f. th e U n iv e rsity o f C a lifo rn ia . The a r t i c l e s ta te d t h a t re sid u e s o f p e s tic id e s (DDT end DDE) and p o ly c h lo rin a te d biphenyl (PCB) were th re a te n in g th e w elfare o f c e r ta in b ird s and posed lo n g -te rm th r e a t to humans. 1 The follow ing i a N a tu re 's synopsis o f Dr. R isebroughfs p ap er:^ Polychlorinated biphenyls are widely dispersed in the global ecosystem , and a re pow erful Inducers o f h e p a tic enzymes which degrade e stra d io l. Tbgether with other chlorinated biocides, such as DDT, th ey could account f o r a la rg e p a rt o f th e a b e rra tio n i n calcium metabolism which has been observed in many sp ecies o f b ir d s sin c e th e Second World War. These excerpts are rep resen tativ e o f press coverage:3 PC3!s a re produced under th e tra d e name A roclor by ifcnsanto Cherdcal Company, S t. L ouis. They were f i r s t i d e n tif ie d in European b ird s by Swedish s c i e n t i s t s . They a p p a re n tly a re rele ased in to th e atmosphere and waterways by vaporizing, from fac to ry smokestacks, by discharge in to riv e rs and o c e a n s .... A team o f U niversity o f C a lifo rn ia and Oom ell U n iv ersity s c i e n t i s t s has determ ined t h a t PCB's a re fiv e tim es more power f u l than DDT in horm one-destroying a c tiv ity . l i k e DDT, th ey a re found throughout the environment and th e ir q u a n titie s are increasing - ^rapidly.-^Svey have be^wfound^in^th.e j^ lk jof-nur6ing.-mQthe.rs Colorado and in marine l i f e o ff C alifornia, as w ell as in European b ird s...* Vihat e f f e c ts PCB's w i l l have on man i s not known, although i n vapor form these chemicals are highly to x ic ....th e fed eral govern ment has n o t e e t to le ra n c e l i m i t s . . . .Fonsanto Company spokesmen say only th a t t h e i r s c ie n tis ts end sales executives are studying the problem .... 2. I b x lc itv , F ire and Other H ealth Hazards Company l i t e r a t u r e has long contained cautionary n o te s on th e handling o f P y ran o l (th e C. R. r e g is te r e d tradem ark f o r c h lo rin a te d d ip h e n y ls). For exam ple:U Fron a Statem ent by th e Monsanto Cbnpany, S t. L ouis, > b ., 3"3"69 2. Polychlorinated Biphenyls in the Global Ecosystem", by Risebrough, Rieche, PaaJcall, Herman, and K irven, N ature. Vol. 220, Dec. 11, 1968. 3 . G a in e s v ille , F lo rid a , Sun, A p ril 25, 1969 A. I n s tr u c tio n s GEI-650SO l l l - 6 i 1M): Pyranol I n s u la tin g liq u id and TTe Drying. 74 c PCS: An In d u s try Problem? --2 - Transform er Pyranol can be handled in the manner as m ineral o i l . Although continued exposure to liq u id Pyranol nay produce l o c a l sk in i r r i t a t i o n , c le a n lin e s s among worlaaen c o n s titu te s an ad eq u ate safeguard a g a in s t such e f f e c t s . . . . As w ith c o s t v o la tile m a te ria ls , exposure to concentrated Pyranol vapors in unventilated - rooms should be avoided. ** CAUTION--Hydrogen c h lo rid e gas i s fonned when Pyranol i s decomposed by an e le c tric a l a r c .... E a rly t h i s y e a r, an in q u iry was received by Mr. John J . P erry , Sp e c ia lis t-Ib v iro n n e n ta l Health Zhgineerlng, Schenectady from an I n d u s t r i a l h y g ie n is t a t Fbrd Motor Company, a s to th e t o x ic i ty and f i r e hazard o f tra n sfo rm e r a sk a re l. The follow ing i s e x tra c te d from th e Medina Transform er Department's re p ly to th e Ford question naire: 5 M aterial: P y ran o l A5CP524 Components: tric h lo ro b ip h e n y l 80% t r i chlorobenzene 1L*5% ~V - te tra c h lq ro b m z e h o 5.5% r~ . : : d i e p o x i d e scavenger 0.125^ T b x id ty : * ingestion highly toxic in h a la tio n -- moderate re sp ira to ry tr a c t -- moderate Skin S e n s itiz e r : No. _ . . . . . . ... . . u -*- E s t i n a t ^ "ft h r e ^ o l d "lirdrt ''Valiir'01 *Tto" X m g /a ib ic m eter. I s m a te ria l f la m a b le ? No. What p roducts might be formed in th e event o f f i r e o r abnormal tem perature? In an in cin era to r burner designed fo r the disposal o f chlorinated solvents, the products of combustion w i l l be HCL and 002- In co nsidering th e q uestion o f flam m ability, i t should be kept in mind th a t ask are ls are chosen fo r in su latio n ap p licatio n s p a rtly because they a re , "by d e f i n i t i o n " , r*on - flarm ab l e liq u id s which, when decoreposed by e l e c t r i c a r c , evolve only non-explosive gaseous n ix tu res. Recently discovered exceptions have b een re p o rte d , and Medium Transformer Department has a t l e a s t te m p o ra rily abandoned th e u se o f A50P524. based on A ro d o r 1212, i n fav o r o f the " c l a s s i c a l " A ro d o r 1254 (E P IS A13B3B). Some p eople have s e n s i t i v i t y to P yranol such t h a t t h e i r sk in e ru p ts i n a ra s h upon exposure. When discovered in th e fa c to ry , th e y a re tr a n s f e r r e d to 5. T ransm itted w ith l e t t e r from ?. J . McCann, Medium Transform er Department , to R. G. Anderson, Fbrd Motor Company, 2->--69. See l e t t e r s from C. C. F o u lsen , M gr.-D igrg., MDT to C lassanoe g Hayvood, P o z e fs ly , and Deck, under d ate s of- 5" 27--69 and 8-5--69- PCB: An In d u s try Problem? 3 o th e r l i n e s o f vcrk and t h e i r symptoms d isa p p e a r. The broad c la ss o f m a te ria ls we are d e a lin g w ith h e re , p o ly cy clic a ro m a tic s, c o n ta in s known o r suspected carcinogens. This aspect has been considered i n th e i n d u s t r i a l hygiene o r m edical review o f o p eratio n s in a t l e a s t one p la n t. 3* G eneral E le c tr ic Usage EKPIS s p e d .U c a tio n s l i s t seven d i f f e r e n t form ulations o f Pyranol. The b a s ic m a te ria l i s c h lo rin a te d diphenyl purchased from Monsanto under th e d e s ig n a tio n A roclor 1254 A roclor 1242, and A rcelor 1260. These a re blended w ith o th e r chlorinated arom atics, in h ib ito rs, and scavengers to produce other a sk arels w ith d i f f e r e n t c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s , a l l d esignated by th e GE re g is te re d tradem ark, P y ra n o l. P roduct r e s p o n s i b i li t y i s assigned to th e Medium Transformer Departm ent, Bone, G eorgia, presumably because KID s e l l s Pyr ano l to customers who f i l l t h e i r tra n s fo rm e rs o r o th e r equipment i n t h e i r own shops. The follow ing i s a l i s t o f departm ents assumed to be u sin g Pyranol i n th e d ie le c tr ic systems o f products manufactured in-house: In d u s tria l and Power C apacitor Department S p ecialty Transformer Department? Wire and Cable Department? Commercial D is trib u tio n Transformer Department lig h tin g Systems Department? Medium Transform er Department Power Transformer Department Canadian G eneral E le c tr ic Company 'S e rv ic e 1SK6p'$''` > y f.. r-.-**-*..*** I b t a l usage has not been a s c e rta in e d . The Transform er Departments have in r e c e n t y e a rs cut th e ir re la tiv e use o f Pyranol, lim itin g i t to cases where the nonjCTanmabi 1it.y p ro p e rty i s v e ry im p o rtan t, such as in d o o r a p p lic a tio n s . (They a r e u s in g '-a lip h a t i a. hydro carbons, e s p e c ia lly one know a s W1D-Ca. ) As a r e s u l t o f t h i s tre n d , th e Power Transformer Department a t P itts f ie ld uses Pyranol in only about 55 o f i t s u n its , and R e sid e n tia l D istrib u tio n Transformer Department, a t H ickory, uses none. lio search has been made f o r non o n e l e c t r i c a p p lic a tio n s o f P y ra n o l. Such may conceivably in c lu d e u se as a h y d ra u lic f l u id ( e .g . i n a i r c r a f t o r m a te r ia ls handling system s)j heat tra n s fe r ap p licatio n sj and as a p la s tic iz e r in th e production o f polymers used as adhesives, elastom ers, or surface co atin g s. The l a r g e s t u s e r i s th e I n d u s tr ia l and Power C apacitor Department, Hudson. P a l l s , N. Y ., which uses 10 m illio n pounds p e r y e a r -- pro b ab ly more than th e r e s t o f th e Company, combined. PCB: An Industry Probien? U L. Disposal P ractices Ihe I n d u s tr ia l and rower Capacitor Department purchases approxim ately 10 B i l l i on poinds p e r y e ar, o f which 9 m illio n pounds are accounted f o r in te rn s o f p ro d u cts shipped. Waste i s handled i n the follow ing manner: Re claim able m a te ria l re tu rn e d to rionaanto 200,000 ib ./y r . B adly contam inated m a te ria l hauled away by a New J e rs e y scavenger (recouxaended by Monsanto) 800,000 Contained in scrapped sm all in d u stria l u n i ts disposed i n town duirp, where d a lly b u ria l i s thought to be the practice D otal w aste and scrap, approx. 60,000 1^)60,000 lh ./y r . At v ario u s tim es in th e p a s t, o th er d isp o sa l methods have been used, .in clu d in g aale to a m anufacturer o f in secticid e; in th e recent p a st, a t le a s t one re p re s e n ta tiv e o f th e Monsanto Cozpany was recommending i t s u se , alone o r i n combination with m ineral o i ls , as a road spray to a lla y dust.7 At P i t t s f i e l d , th e r e has been some experim entation w ith a decom position chamber which f i r e s a t JCCO F ., but th e b u lk o f contam inated m a te ria l i s s o ld ; a t Hone, w aste i s b u ried on th e Cocpany s i t e . Although nearby neighbors have sh allo w w e lls , no o o rp la in ts have been r e g is te r e d .^ 5. Q uestions to be Answered I t i s apparent from th e abovs d iscu ssio n th a t our knowledge o f c h lo rin a te d diphenyl form-flations and p o ssib le d e le te rio u s e ffe c ts i s not as oorplete as i s d e s ira b le in to d a y 's clim ate o f concern f o r m aintaining and improving th e q u a lity o f l i f e in i t s environmental aspects, w ith regard to worker p ro tectio n , and In terms o f product sa fety . N evertheless, i t is not responsive to suggest th a t " o th e r m a te r ia ls be s u b s titu te d " u n t i l a l l doubts a re reso lv ed . I t must be.* remembered th a t v ir tu a lly a p p lic a tio n s o f P yranol are the end product o f in te n siv e research d irec te d toward finding the b e st m aterial for the a p p lica tio n ; th a t s u b s titu tio n would involve tra d e -o ffs , n o t only w ith performance "factors and economic f a c to r s , b u t w ith product s a fe ty considerations themselves -- i . e . , ila m o a b ility and eoolosion p o s s ib ilitie s . W hile i t is d e sira b le to a tta in a b e tte r q u a n titativ e expression o f th e toxi e f f e c t o f PC3 and i t s v a rio u s a d d itiv e s , and a b e t t e r understanding o f th e f la m a b ility o f degradation products, th e most im portant question, long ran g e, ap p ears to b e , "does i n d u s t r i a l use o f PCB re p re s e n t a c re d ib le e c o lo g ic a l th r e a t? 7 . L e tte r from T. W. Oneson, Monsanto S a le s R e p re se n ta tiv e , to V. R. M u lh a ll, Canadian C enerai E le c tric Co,, L td ., Peterborough, U -12-68. 8. L e t te r , Dr. J . S. Anderson (REOC) to Mr. 7 . R. W alhall, CCS, 12-2Q-&8. 2 I 77 PCB: An In d u stry P roblen? 5 One circum stance which makes i t d i f f i c u l t to answer' the q u estio n o f e c o lo g ic a l e f f e c ts i s t h a t PC3 has n o t been found alone i n any o f th e re p o rte d o b se rv a tio n s o f n a tu re , b u t always, accompanied by la r g e r q u a n titie s o f DDT o r nrre, In. th e work p re v io u sly c ite d , Dr. PJLsebrough has shown, by d ir e c t i n t r a - o i s c u l a r i n j e c t i o n , t h a t PCB h as *the c a p a city to produce su b le th a lp h y sio lo g ic a l e f f e c t s i n b ir d s " -- b u t t h i s i s n o t th e same th in g a s saying t h a t i t does, i n f a c t , do eo o u tsid e o f th e la b o ra to ry . S c ie n tific e-cud nation o f th is question degenerated, a t th e W isconsin h e arin g s on DDT, in to a shouting c o n test between p a r tis a n s o f co n serv a tio n (who seea w illin g to ban any chem ical, re g a rd le ss o f i t s o th e rw is e b en eficen t r e s u lts , i f i t i s suspected o f h sm ); the makers of in se c tic id e s ( e .g ., S h e ll Company); and th e pro d u cer o f PCB (M onsanto). The same w itnesses have been quoted on b o th sid e s o f th e q u e stio n . The re a d e r may choose between th e fo llo w in g statem ents, each a ttrib u te d by the press to Dr. Bisebrough: (a ) (PCB i s ) a p p a re n tly playing a r o l e in th e d e clin e o f th e p e re g rin e fa lc o n and i t may have a b e tte d the disappearance fro n the Gulf Goast o f the b n x n p e lic a n . (San francisco Examiner, Feb. 25, 1969). (b) T ests with eggs...showed m athem atically by correlation with e g g s h e ll th ic k n e s s t h a t DDE and n o t PCB's were to blame. (Milwaukee S e n tin e l, May 13, 1969).?? I r o n ic a lly , th e second sta te m e n t was made when Dr. Pdsebrough was calle d to th e stan d by th e attorney defending the in se ctic id e in te re sts. Should i t be e s ta b lis h e d th a t PCB i s to blame fo r e c o lo g ic a l damage, i t rem ains to tr a c e th e tra n s p o rt mechanism and determine a t le a s t p la u sib le so u rces and s e ts o f c o n d itio n s f o r p ro p ag atio n in to th e environm ent. E stim atin g from GE ' S-J*ic3pbcitor u sa g e s' to ta 3 r`indut^c-jusag-.-migl^be_20_,to ^0 m illio n pounds, m ost o f w hich ends up in c lo se d systems from which d isp e rsio n 'i s 'a t ^ v e iy l v /' r t e v ` -This'5' c o n tr a s ts w ith much l a r g e r usage o f DDT -- 180 m illio n pounds in 1963, 103 m i l l n pounds in 1967 -- most o f which i s broadcast on the la nd I n the atmosphere. Monsanto has & research program to id e n tify th e conpounds -- re p o rte d to be PCB by th e Swedish and C a lifo rn ia s c i e n t i s t s . T his in v o lv e s p r e c is e a n a ly s is o f environm ental samples o f - * . w ater, a ir , s o il and w ild life , including metabolic stu d ie s. Also under way a re s tu d ie s to determ ine th e b io lo g ic a l e f f e c t s o f d e lib e r a te dosage o f PCB's on f i s h , b ir d s , and mammalian anim als. S pecial emphasis i s being paid to endocrinological e ffe c ts , m ineral metabolism and reproduction physiology.l As ve become more p o llu tio n c o n scio u s, we wish to know what volume o f unused Aokarel i s being b u ried , eewered o r in c in e ra te d on th e North American c o n tin en t, p a rtic u la rly , and what hazar ds does i t p re s e n t. What degree o f r e s p o n s ib ility should Monsanto shoulder in th is a ffa ir? W ill i t be necessary to d ilig e n tly c o lle c t unusable A skarel, including A skarel-saturated f u lle r 's e a r t h , and develop tech n iq u es to d e s tro y i t ? Should we re tu r n i t to o u r f a c to r ie s f o r chem ical decom position? We c i s t answer these questions soon. 7 PCB: An In d u stry Problem? 6- The above q u o tatio n s in d ic a te I-Sonsaato's concern with th e eco lo g ical a f f e c t s and s t a te some o f th e q u estio n s to be answered. 2b ns into i s th e o n ly U. S. s u p p lie r, but a d d itio n a l inform ation nay be sought from European and Japanese su ppliers. Prodelec, in France, is the p rincipal continental source o f PCB, and ma in ta in s a la r g e to x ic o lo g ic a l la b o ra to ry . About th re e months ag o , Mr. K. . S a o v ille , P ro d u ct S afety R epresentative o f .th e In d u s tr ia l and Fewer C a p a c ito r Departm ent, w rote to i-Ir. P ie rre Jay , M anager-D ielectric F lu id s Development fo r P ro d elec, c a llin g a tte n tio n to th e Risebrough research end a sk in g f o r com erits and f u rth e r in fo rm ation . So re p ly lias been receiv ed as yet. 6 A Proposed Program Hie Company's sta n c e on th e PCB s itu a tio n must ta k e In to c o n sid e ra tio n n o t only th e need fo r tec h n ic al assessment of hazards, but the need to guard a g a in st v e ll-co tiv ated but possibly needless or precipitate le g isla tiv e action, e .g ., t o ta c k a PCB r i d e r onto an anti-DDT b i l l . As a f i r s t s te p , i t i s suggested t h a t an o u tsid e c o n su lta n t, w ith more freedom to o p e ra te tiian o u r own p eo p le, be engaged to s o r t through th e c o n f lic tin g ev id en ce, touch base w ith th e people doing the research a t Monsanto, and g iv e us h i s view s as to whether th e Company needs to ckj anything f u rth e r a t t h i s tim e . This c o n s u lta n t would combine, id e a lly , th e d is c ip lin e s o f a n a ly tic a l c h em istry , ecology and to x ic o lo g y . He would be asked to spend n o t more than two weeks on th is i n i t i a l survey, and rep o rt inform ally to in te reste d departments and C orporate fu n ctio n al components. Depending upon h is fin d in g s , a p o ssib le second ste p would be to engage t e problem,^ through a n ^ __ a p p r o p r ia te in d u s tr y te c h n ic a l body ( e . g . , th e d ie le c tric '' o n z d tte 'e o f 'NEM') ."'* The above recom en d a tio n i s th e outcome of d iscu ssio n s between Drs. Anderson and Murpby o f REQD. (environm ental p o llu tio n ) ; Hr. E. N. Deck (S a fe ty and P la n t P ro te c tio n ); and Messrs. Marquis and Nelson (Product S a fety ). I t has been review * a t le n g th w ith Dr. F o z e fs ly , D r. George, Hr. S cov le and o th e rs a t Hudson F a l l s , and b r i e f l y w ith Mr. Alimanslyr Dr. O sthoff a t P i t t s f i e l d , a l l o f vhom hve expressed gen eral agreement. Mr. Deck has suggested t h a t we co n sid er Dr. Horace V . G erard, & to x ic o lo g is t a t F h irleig h Dickinson U n iv ersity fo r the assignment as our lia is o n s c ie n tis t. D r. G erard i s a hydrocarbon eoepert who does much work f b r th e Mobil Company and h a s c a rrie d crut assignm ents f o r GE i n th e p a s t. J . S. Nelson O ctober 30, 19&9