Document aBVQO8Mx5KEXdX715VoQX76Vb

PoC Paul Benignus-GO c October 23, 1939 Hr. B. Wilbur Htlihtr tfcVntitritcg Industrial Hygiene Meetinghouse llntrii Corporation Bast Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Bur Wilbur i Purw you far your letter of October 21 inquiring about tho aafa uaa of trlehlorodiphenyl and a mixture of 40)1 triehloro- end 60)1 hexsehlorodiphenyl. triahl orodlphcny1 tlan of hexaohlarodlpheayl and as The diphonyl Tho oanblnala known eonblnetlon la our 9m physical and shawl to^ proportioa of tho Aroclors nantloned oro shewn on tho toblo on peges 4 and 5 of tho onoloood Aroeler bulletin. BMloood alao la a reprint lndlogSAng tho results of ohrenls toxicity studios with Aroelorsi84r and 1234. The following caMsats anomrlng your questions serially are bused on infcreation contained in those bulletins. Z belloYe prolonged and repeated skin eontaet with any of the Aroelors should be avoided for two reasons, in the rirst !laee, the leee ahlerineted produeta are liquids and are exeel* ant solvents for ails and fata in the akin aa well as other isrgsnls aaterials. Secondly, it is possible that prolonged or repeated skin oontast oould lead to ehloreeae. Z know or only two sasefe where suah experience has developed during the long history of produstlon and use of tho Aroelors, In one ease, an Aresler was being used aa s heat transfer aodlua in a aysten that an tread vapors to eeeepe when the oaterlal was heated to 600?, Several werknen daveloped "blaokhaada" whlah were found by an industrial phyelolan but whioh in hie words were ee in* significant that tho eon were not aware of then nor would e general practitioner notloe then. This indicates to no, however. DSW 020227 STLCOPCB4008156 Hr. H. Wilbur Spelsher--Pagt 2~0otober 23, 1959 that) sufficient exposure, vdiether by inhalation of vapor* or skin contact, can recult in ohloraone which I think we oruat assume could be an indication of more serious systemic injury if the exposure was allowed to continue. A second case of mild ohloraone about which we have any knowledge resulted from workmen dipping their hands In the liquid Aroelor ss if it were mineral oil or vegetable oil. In addition, their clothing sooner or later became Impregnated with the material and thus exposure was magnified. You asked at what temperature local exhaust ventilation should be provided* Although the distillation range for Aroelor 1242 1* 325-360OC. and 385-420OC. for Aroelor 1260, I feel that good praetloc dictates that local exhaust ventilation be provided when any of the Aroolors are heated above 150?. in open tanka or in any systems where the material is not in a completely enclosed system (vapor-proof tanks, kettles, pumps, piping, etc.). This may be ultra conservative because as the distil lation ranges and vapor pressure curves (page 12 of the Aroelor bulletin) Indicate, the loss of vapors at 130?. should not be significant except in any work area where general ventilation or air changes do not exist. Your next question related again to possible skin and systemic effects and I believe It is answered above. In connection with the 40 trichlorobenzene-6o Aroelor 1260 cosibinatlon, I believe the thoughts expressed above also apply. Z understand that the trlohlorobenzene which la used is a mixture of the 1,2,3~> 1,2,4-, and 1,3,5-isomers which will begin to distill at 205C. Again, Z believe this indicates a low vapor pressure for the solvent at room temperatures. The only reference we have to trlohlorobenzene toxicity is con tained in the Public Health Service Publication No. 414 entitled "The Halogenated Hydrocarbons Toxicity and Potential Dangers" by Dr. W. F, von Oettlngen, U.fl. government Printing Office, 1955 (pages 297-296). Dr. von Oettlngen refers to seme work done In 1937 whloh indicated that the trlohlorobenzene waa less toxic than mono or dlchlorobenzene. Zn ay opinion, a reasonable MAC for this material would be 100 parts per million. The enclosed publication on the toxicity of Aroelor 1242 and 1254 suggests an MAC for 1242 of 2 milligrams per oublo meter whloh is twice that reeoamiended by the ACQZH for a chlorinated di phenyl of unstated chlorine content. In the ease of 1254, the publication suggests that the MAC of 1 milligram per cubic meter "recommended tentatively for safe Industrial practice by the American Conference of 0overmental Industrial Hygienists' is reasonable. On the ether hand, reference te Henry Smyth's Cummings HcmsrisT Lecture of 1956 In which he dlseuseed the basis for the then existing "hygienic standards" indicates that DSW 020228 STLCOPCB4008157 nr. B. Wilbur ^uhr -h(i 3--October *3# 1959 Moery agrssa that MAC* of 1 ng/ou.n. far Aroolor 1949 ant 0*5 ag/ou.n. for Aroolor 1254 aro noro roalistlo. In tho abmm* of any ohronlo tadJlty data on Aroolor I960, oo suggost on MAO of 0.5 ag/tu.a,, %ha aano aa in tho oaao of 1254, 1 havo boon 1a ono plant wfcoro thoso natorialo worn uaod for eapaoltoro and tranafomoro, Tho oaro and handling and tho proviaiona of exhaust vontllatlon woro not In aooordanoo with tho thoughts oxproaaod abort. Tho only roportad dlffloulty waa iom and nr* irritation whan lnprognation oabinata idvoro tho ltona wars nootod to HO-IM^C. roloaoad vapors of trlohlarobonaono and ttoa Aroolor into tba workroom whon tho cabinet dooro voro opened* Xn ay mind, ouoh oabinata ahould bo vontilatad to roMtvo tho vonnro rather than allow than to bo roloaaod into tho Z have baon told that your oonpany haa had ocno 20-25 years' oxperiaeee with tho produets diaouoaod abaro. It vao auggootod that Nr, Ammo B. Ford, aanaaor of tranafomar wanufaaturlng your Aaron Flint would bo a aouroo of infoma- experienee with XDortoon PPO, Similarly, Nr. B, B. Murbury of your Bloomington, Indiana Flint haa boon aaaoolatod with tho uao of Aroolor 1242. Forhapo you have al ready diaouoaod potontlal exposures with thooo gentlemn. If aa, I would bo iatoroatod in looming of tholr praotioal ox* porianoo with thooo produoto. Z look forward to oaring you in Pittsburgh next week, Blnooroly, Haor F. Wheeler Assistant D&reetor DSW 020229 STLCOPCB4008158