Document b51DD5moeyVjRVon7jp2MJne6

THE WALK STREET KHKNAL* Wfilm-sday, Hcc. 17, 1975 5 Vinyl-Chloride Emissions Would Be Cut 90% Linder Standard Proposed by EPA Bp * Wall Stmcet Joi bnal 8l/r Reporter WASHINGTON--Declaring that a health risk exists for 4.6 million people living near Workers' Exposure Reduced [ In October 1974. after months of (act-find- I (o be able'to meet the requirements, even ing and hearings marked by bitter contro though untried technology would have to be versy. the Labor Department ordered a cut developed to do it. vinyl-chloride plants, the government pro in worker exposure to vinyl chloride within Poms No Overriding Problem posed requiring a 90',`V cut in air emissions Hie plant to one part per million from the Goodyear Tire Be Rubber Co., another of the cancer-linked chemical. previously allowed 50 parts per million. In-' major maker, said the proposed standard is The standard proposed by the Environ dustry officials had warned that the rule 1 attainable "and poses no overriding problem mental Protection Agency would require was so harsh it could lead to a total close- ; for Goodyear, which already is well along that the 60 or so existing manufacturers of down of plants making PVC plastic vinyl- i ; the way la meeting it." A spokesman said in vinyl chlorid j and two sister compounds, chloride gas. : Akron that the company expects to make ethylene dichloride and polyvinyl chloride, install "best available" technology to limit emissions from their plants. Concentrations I of the chemicals in air around the plants currently average less than ore part per million, the EPA said. The new standard would reduce that level to about 0.1 part per million. So far, however, only Uniroyal Inc. has annourced plans to close a plant rather than meet the worker-exposure standards. It plans to close its PainesviUe, Ohio, PVC res ins plant by March 1. The new EPA standard won't be adopted formally until after a 45-day period (or pub lic comment and a public hearing. Mr. "rather substantial'" capital expenditures to meet the standard and that "regrettably, these additional costs ultimately will be re flected in product costs." Both companies declined to estimate the cost to them of meeting the EPA regulation. Tenneco Inc. said in Houston that it is i currently in compliance with some sections Vinyl-chloride gas Is used primarily in Train said he hopes to complete the process 1 of the proposed regulation ar.d would be able the plastics industry to make polyvinyl by late spring. Manufacturing plants would j to meet the rest within the EPA's time lim chloride, or PVC. a plastic that is widely then have 90 days to install the emission- its. used in consumer products and construction. control equipment or to apply (or an exten It has been under intense scrutiny, spurred sion. The agency could grant extensions of * j5?rt by ? B. F. Goodrich f'n unit report up to two years. in January 1274 that several -**( >is employes Industry spokesmen agreed on me. need had died from a rare liver cancer linked to to restrict plant emissions of vinyl-chloride exposures to the gas. gas but at the same time denied there was EPA Administrator Russell Train said any known risk from such leaks Into the that his agency doesn't know precisely what atmosphere. level is low enough to eliminate any cancer "In the Public Interest" risk but that he hopes the proposed standard "We don't believe that there is a *y cur will reduce most of the cancer cases traced rent. nor has there been any past, risk to the to the substance. From one to 20 cases of health of individuals residing in the proxim cancer each year are attributable to vicinity ity of vinyl-chloride gas and polyvinyl-chlor- exposure to vmyl chloride, he said. Cost to Manufacturers ide-resin plants, but the VCM-PVC produc ers agree that rigorous emission controls Mr. Train said that meeting the new [are in the public interest," said Ralph L. standard would cost manufacturers about : Harding Jr., president of the Society of the JifS million plus another $70 million each Plastics Industry Inc. year to maintain the required emission The rociety represents makers of SSTr of levels. the vinyl-chior:de-nioiionivr and polyvinyl That co-.U, he said, could force four chloride plastic made in the U.S. Mr. Hard small plants, or 0.5f7r of the industry, to ing said his group views the EPA's action as close. These facilities, according to the "primarily a precautionary step," But he EPA, are Occidental Petroleum Corp.'s poly- noted that the EPA's proposed standard vmyl-chlondc plant in Hicksvillc. N.Y.. and hasn't been studied in detail by industry rep three Jiinuct Coin, polyvinyl-chloride plants resentatives and that further comment will in Torrance. Calif.: Tucker. Ga . and Somer be made within the normal rule-making pro set. N.J. The plants employ a total of 30 cedures preceding imposition of Uie require workers. ment. Mr. Tram s.ild the agency considered re A spokesman for B. F. Goodrich Chemi quiring unit emission'* be eliminated en cal Co., a unit of B. F C'Wtncn Co., said in tirely but fi-iu eii that such a ^'.ringenl stan Akron, Ohio. "We reccgnue that there i? a dard woutd efh.ruvely clos- the entire in need iur control requirements and emission dustry. Hcc.uim. the lapse between exposure limitations.'' He saio the company expects to vmyl chh.nde and the ij j--..rur-re of can cer may be as much as W \ >:::>. Mr. Train soul the HI'A CMuldn'l ignore the growing public exp.iMirc to the pas 7 i.iyi-chlonde production is tip about 9tV from 15 In 20 years ago. 0007084 R$V