Document ZnxXd9jBmjDaRRbmjm7o3LV5O

THE NEW YORK TIMES, TUESDAY, APRIL IS, 1914 ' CHEMICAL LINKED , 1 TO* CANCER , i jj i>_^ 7 IN * MICE | Liver Disease ts Produced in Vinyl Chloride Study ij- By JANE E. BRODY 11 An industry-sponsored study ,s| of vinyl chloride has indicated f that when mice are exposed to the amount of the chemical , that workers are currently per* t mitted to inhale, the * develop a rare fatal cancer of ' the liver that has been found in 12 vinyl chloride workers. Vinyl chloride, an explosive gas, is used to make polyvinyl chloride, the basis for much of ; modern plastics. Some 6,5001 ' workers are involved in the vinyl chloride-polyvinyl chloride industry. In addition, vinyl chloride has been used as s propellant in some aerosol consumer products. Including hair sprays and pesticides. . the industry's laboratory finding; presented-yesterday to a private briefing for Govern ment and industry officials; raises questions about the safety of the current' Federal emergency occupational stan dard of 50 parts of- vinyl chlorida per ona million ports of air. .- At this level of exposure for seven hours a day. over seven > months, several mice' la the I study, sponsored by the Man* jfacmriag Chemists Association, I are reported to have developed angiosarcoma, or cancerof the liver. . In a previous study. Fret Cesar* Maltoni of the Cancer Institute - in Bologna,- Italy, found the cancer in-rate: at levels of 450 parte per mUtiou and higher. - . ; Professor Maltoni's studied to , date have shown no advene, effects at 50 parts per million,. and it was partly for this, {reason that the UJL. Depart-; (meat of Labor's Occupational i Safety and Health Adminlatra-, .tion chose 50 parts per million, ifnr rmersencv standard-!, (. Developed Spontaneously i hMlthsJtafndda?rJdsi'NSdeitvte`,locphmieet nt*at th agency, said yesterday that-th emergency standard would re mam until "we have looker closely et the data and seer how good it is." Ha noted the S/ *.-Amice sometimes develop anaic Mr. O'Neill said that th JSJfS; e*ret?t to publish it ^R*iutw next wee! a proposed permanent standan tor vinyl chloride that woulc more- dostiy reflect the fuda lt# sdu>tiflc advisera .the National Institute for Oe cupational Safety id Health ,,h*y "d scientists have (said that thare can be no safe V1 established for exposure to -a- cancer-causing agent andi .that workers should* n bel .* y detectable levels of vinyl chloride. ; 1 RECEIVED APR 22 1974 R. N. WHEP e(> JR. The hair sprays in question, i manufactured by Clairol and- Bonat, Inc, are Ming recalled I from store shelves. The En-, vironmental Protection Agency [ is expected to release today the brand names of pesticides containing vinyl chloride. The agency said yesterday that all 23 manufacturers had agreed to substitute a different propellant, and all are being asked, to vol untarily recall existing products containing vinyl chloride. The environmental agency is studying what to do about the more thin 300 million pounds of vinyl chloride that escape into the environment each year in the process ot plastics manu facturing. Vinyl chloride had been used as an industrial chemical for more than 30 years in this country with relatively Uttle concern about its possible toxic effects. _ In January, the B. P. Good rich Company announced that four workers in. its polyvinyl chlorids plant in Louisville, Ky, had developed liver cancer. There an seven cases known at the Louisville plant and five elsewhere. The announcement led to an industrywide search for the possible effects of the ChemicaL Mass medical evami- nations were given at ona plant In Niagara Falla. Th latest study, supported by the chemists association and conducted fay Bio-test Labora tories, Inc, m Northbrook. ML, was begun- last summer, before the Goodrich announcement, in response to early reports of Professor Maltortrs findings. Car Wish Chemical Derails PHILADELPHIA, April 15 F) -- A railroad freight car ..railed and,leaked some of Its cargo of vinyl chrioride onto a main road here lata last night There were no injuria**. Thomas' Hopping, a spokes man for Penn Central, sail: "It Is noxious. It is ftlmmabie and dangerous; But the situation right jiow is that we have everything under control. Than Is no hazard at this point in time as far aa tha-laak Is con cerned." , The 36,000-gaJlao-tank car was one of three that, de railed from a 52-car Penn Cen tral freight The tanker slid down- tn embankment onto West River Drive, blocking the four-lane road. The officials clow it to traffic today. Vaporizer Recalled WASHINGTON, April IS (AP) --The Food and Drug Adminis tration announced today the recall of an aerosol drug con taining vinyl chloride. Th* agency said that the Adam* Drug Company Inc. of Paw tucket R-L, was recalling. its spray vaporizer. ucc 006878 Ff T * *- v A/6 Lokee/?*md ora chemicals were heard mize use of benzene extraction m at an American Cancer Society fractionating capacity. seminar .n St. Augustine. Fla., FEO modify petroleum alloca where the current cancer scare over tion regulations to assure feedstock vinyl chloride was aired. There, Dr. needs for new benzene capacity. Irving -J. Selikoff. Mount Sinai The Environmental Protection School of Medicine, New York Agency reconsider its plans for re City, estimated that perhaps 5% of moving lead from gasoline, since the polyvinyl chloride work force additional benzene will be needed _wilI^eC_aa-iIl^raDleiiver cancer! for octane building. AithougTtrusesTTmaTe""'is"'Base3 largely on medical studies at a Goodyear Tire & Rubber PVC plant, much more is expected to be Strike continues at Dawson: speak with one voice learned when the New York Acade my of Sciences holds a by-invita Dow Midland complex Mr. Whittemore and Mr. Bren nan provided the committee with the -pecifics of the industry'* posi tion-only meeting May 10-11 with papers given by virtually all the top .scientists studying vinyl chloride. Dow Chemical's Midland, Mich., production facilities set a new rec ord last Wednesday by operating at tion. sOCMA's Whittemore fo more than 90% of capacity the first cused on ASP and -ector-hy--ecmr reciprocity provisions the chemical indu-trv wants included in the Benzene shortage pinned on government time ever, a Dow spokesman boasts. What makes the boast in teresting is that the Midland com trade hill. M('As Brennan focused plex is being struck by its hourly on the need for use oi industry ad Benzene supplies are 10 to 15% workers and is being operated by vice in the negotiation- and for below anticipated demand and they some 2700 salaried employees curbing "excessive" tarill cutting are likely to stay that way. Big con working 12-hour shifts. authoritv in the House bill. sumers such as styrene makers are The strike began March 18 after being forced to cut back produc contract negotiations between tion. And much of the blame for United Steel Workers Local 12075 Cancer bill passes, infighting goes on this situation lies with the Federal and the company broke down. The Energy Office. contract had expired March 11, but These are the major findings of a was extended while negotiations new report by the Petrochemical went on. However, a majority of the A bill authorizing federal cancer re Energy Group (PEG), an organiza 5300 union members rejected Dow's search efforts to continue for three tion of 21 major chemical produc offer of $1.62 per hour in additional more years at a co-t totaling nearly ers. According to the organization, wages and benefits (74 cents in ac ,82.6 hillion -ailed through the Sen companies in the chemical industry tual wages) spread over a three- ate la-t week without a "nay" vote, are still experiencing significant year period. According to Dow, the de-pite the threat of a veto by shortages of particular feedstocks of current average hourly rate at Mid President Nixon. as much as 50% in some cases. land is $5.32 for union workers. Although supporting more cancer Total I'.S. benzene production in At the outset there was mass re-earch. the Administration op- 1973, PEG estimates, was 1.45 bil picketing at the Midland works and po-e- the bill s provi-ion setting up lion gallons, and imports amounted also picketing at company head a live-member Presidential panel to to 23 million gallons. With demand quarters. There were reports of over-ee all federal hiomedical re* estimated at 1.74 billion gallons minor scuffles between striking and -earch. Neither enhanced fongres- i based on available derivative ca nonstriking employees, but the sit -lonal control nor hetter adminis pacity), a potential 2K> million gal uation is now said to be quiet. tration of health program.- would lon shortage resulted. A PEG Dow went to court March 19 to resi.lt. Frank Carlucci, Health. Kd- spokesman sees this shortfall per get an injunction against the strik uc.it ion. and Welfare undersecreta sisting into 1974. ers; instead, the union local signed ry. has said in urging a veto. PEG claims that, despite priori a letter of understanding (in lieu of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D.- ties given petrochemicals in the injunction) limiting it to 75 pickets Mas-.i and others won approval for mandatory petroleum allocation at each plant gate and at head the panel, particularly bv question program, crude oil allocations to re quarters. However, Dow says, there ing the wi-dom of cutbacks at the finers may have reduced benzene was difficulty getting trucks in and National Institutes of Health, while production by forcing refiners with out of the plant, and some harass cancer and heart di-ea-e research large benzene extraction facilities ment of nonstriking workers. So have received added tund-. (such as Gulf Oil) to -ell "excess" Dow went back to court on March Among Sen. Kennedv'- argil- j crucie to smaller refiners that don't 23 and obtained a preliminary in ment- for the bill i- what he call- I have henzene capacity. junction that enjoined mass picket the need to counter a "chemical ' FKO refinery yield programs also ing. and called on both parties to ns!.night." Some Pi.imhi new i may he discouraging benzene out resume negotiations in good faith. ihemual- are produced vearly in , put by -hifting refinery output At press time, negotiations were quantities of 1 ton or more. About j toward middle distillates or gaso still under way, but there were no "ioo .ire tested in the I'.S. each j line. predictions as to the outcome. war, he add-. "Obviouslv at this j PEG recommendations for easing A side effect of the strike is that level we cannot catch up with test supplies include that: Dow, for the first time in its histo ing the olrler chemical- or even I FF.O make allowances for ben ry. will hold its annual stockholders make a dent in the \earlv inunda- I zene needs before allocating crude meeting outside of Midland. The tion >'l i he new lieioiuludes oii among refiner-, and -tart a re- meeting will be held instead in >inular Mcwpoint- on testing i iner\ monitoring program to maxi- Miami on May 8. ucc 006879 April 1. 1974 C4EN S April 29, 1074 77"- 77^ (j}Msvy%*tOef Page 169 , />'" RECEIVED MAY 06 1974 JR GROUP REPORTS AIRBORNE VINYL CHLORIDE THREAT IN INDUSTRIAL AREAS There is a "fearful possibility" that residents of industrial areas including Houston, southern Louisiana and western Kentucky are being exposed to hazardous lev els of vinyl chloride, and Environmental Protection Agency should require all state air pollution control agencies to monitor chemical plant emissions to determine the extent of the hazard, Center for Science in the Public Interest urged April 25 in a report to EPA. Three areas singled out appear to have most serious problem, group said, but Tainesville, Ohio, and Long Beach, Calif,, also should receive special attention. Vinyl chloride is being emitted from smokestacks at larger plants and EPA documents indicate concentrations of 0.37 parts per million have been found in some areas of Texas, center reported. Group estimated that about 9,000 grams of vinyl chloride are emitted for every batch of the chemical produced in a 10,000-gallon reactor. Concentrations 100 me ters downwind from plants will approach 200 ppm and "certain towns and cities may be seriously affected by vinyl chloride pollution." ucc 006880