Document a1pXzQM34ya7L7Z3eoN8NJDR9

HILL and KNOWLTON, Inc. GalU^no^^jQCribuut OAKLAND* CAUF. D. 225.038 SUN, 51,534 AU6 221974. iars'in Ban >? <'*> 'V ^On.yinylChloride WASHINGTON (AP) - Mil- fio shut down because of an J? lions of persons would face ' inability to meet government '] unemployment if vinyl chor-Vt-regulations, it would cost the tide is banned because it caus-t; nation's economy 1.7 to 2M.2 i es cancer, a Senate panel was million jobs and $165 billion to | told yesterday. " $90 billion annually in lost j - Appearing before the envi-. production. :/?'> raiment subcommittee, Ralph Vinyl chloride is used in i L Harding Jr.; president of making polyvinyl chloride, aj the Society of the Plastics widely used plastic resin, ? Indust,rials!, noted tKat 13 which is fabricated in a varie- ? Vinyl1' LlllUUUf workers have ^ ty of products including floor- } died at fourplants.' But there ? ing, pipes, curtains, phono- are other plfnts where no, graph records, telephone' such fatalltie* have occurred, equipment, bottles, packaging he said. ' `r; ` /vex .< and sporting goods. "There seems to be no dis- Dr. Joseph Wagoner, of the pute at this time that vinyl center for Disease Control, J Chloride ... is a carcinogen pointed out that from 1950 to : in both man or animals," he 1973, a total 109 deaths were . - said. "However, it must be observed among vinyl chlor emphasized that the.informa- ide workers. lion developed thus far does <. not yet constitute a body of "The number of deaths ; hard data on the totality of the from liver cancer in this pop , vinyl chloride hazard.!' ulation was almost 12 times : ' Harding said the best evi-' the number expected," he' dence indicates the workers said. , , ' were exposed to high levels of He said one worker who the chemical for long periods died from liver cancer caused . . of time. by the chemical was exposed He said the 13 workers died to it for only four years. Eigh from liver cancer and had teen years later be was dead, ; worked in vinyl chloride he said. plants more than 20 years old "where the levels of exposure . were substantially higher than those which prevail in the industry today." `This single case is consist ent with the tenants of carcinogisis--that *vhen the carcino genic process, even in the Absence of coninued exposure, He said that if the vinyl is irreversible," Dr. Wagoner chloride industry were forced said. 23217175 BFG24463