Document byV267MvmGNGRK8YZeYJYO6dD

TO: Dave Mellon - 1320 Scott Morgan - 1010 Mike Ponder - 1010 Don Sturniolo - 1010 Reggie DeVone - 1180 Dick Groninger - 1180 Rich Koch - 1180 Rick Lundgren - 1180 Jim Moffatt - 1180 John Fricke - 1320 Gene Mollica - 1510 Julie Daut - 1510 Bill Ellsworth - 1510 Vicki Holt - 1510 Dave Little - 1510 Joe McNamara - 1510 Jay Pullman - 1510 Bob Schaefer - 1510 Carolyn Schwaab - 1510 Larry Thomas - 1510 FROM: D. G. Devereux St. Louis - B3SC Jim Meeker - 1460 Dave Nelson - 1460 Les Schafer - 1550 Quinn Stepan - 1550 Dave Swallow - 1550 Bob Bevacqua - 1550 Doug Brady - 1550 Dave Graham - 1550 Dave James - 1550 John Ritorto - 1070 Pat Brownstein - 1070 Ray Cary - 1070 Barry Ridings - 1070 Rob Miller - 1070 Ron Morgan - 1070 Randy Bennett - 1210 John McPhillips - 1210 Eric Martin - M2D Jim Roder - M2D /$SZ S ii t r J.i-1./*' SUBJECT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER. MMSS (MONSANTO MESSAGE SWITCHING SYSTEM) FO(SReeOOIUnCsTRtGruOTcYItNioPGnEs SMoHnEESESATGE>S SENDER'S ACCO UNT NO. TWX; TELEX NO. OR CABLE ADDRESS 02-000-721.02 STO P H E R E W H E N U S IN G 12 P IT C H Book Mes sacre DATE 2/19/85 TO: Ail MIC Sales People CC: J. C. Hunter - B3SA (See Distribution Sheet) FRCM: D. G. Devereux - B3SC D. P. Doherty - B2SL S. G. Collins - BIND St. Louis C. P. Farley - B3NB W. L. Merman - B2SE M. W. Winkel - B3SA T. G. Iversen - B2SA J. R. Foehr - B3SL F. D. Edmonds - B2NK PAGE' of 1 10 ? 1 C H ------------------ ^ On Wednesday, February 20, the attached letter will be sent out to our current Tetrathal customers and to those past customers for whan we have records. The letter discloses same information which has only recently come to light. Specifically, that recent tests have found trace amounts of .dioxinsin our product. f H a j'j These low levels are not considerredd to pose any additional health risk when Tetrathal is handled properly. The amounts found are in the parts per billion range. The customer letter outlines same of the details. We are disclosing this information to everyone who has contact with Tetrathal not because of the risk or hazard involved but rather because of the publicity which has followed the dioxin issue. In addition, as you know, Mr. Mahoney feels very strongly j that we have a responsibility to fully disclose.any information we I have concerning the satety of our products. You should be aware that the particular dioxin isomer which has created all the controversy is the 2, 3, 7, 8 isomer. We have i found none of this isomer in Tetrathal. ! The message to our customers should be clear. That is, we have : found trace amounts of dioxin in Tetrathal. However, by following the handling precautions on the MSDS there is no additional i health risk to anyone who may cerne in contact with it. ' Further, we plan no changes in the way in which we market the product or the emphasis that we place behind it. Tetrathal continues to be | a viable conmercial product for Monsanto. ! Clearly, your customers may have further questions about this | issue. Accordingly, you should direct questions and/or concerns | to either myself or Charley Farley at 4-2918. it D. G. Devereux j **** G -4400 (R ev. 1/84) IF MORE THAN ONE PAGE STAPLE/CLIP HERE NOT AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE. t, MMSS (MONSANTO MESSAGE SWITCHING SYSTEM) FO(SReeOOIUnCsTRtGruOTcYItNioPGnEs MSoHnEESBSEaATcGk)ES SENDER'S ACCO UNT NO. TW X/TLEX NO, OR CABLE ADDRESS 02-000-721.02 Book Message STOP H E R E W H E N U S IN G 12 P IT C H T Y P IN G E L E M E N T DATE 2/19/85 PAGE 2 10 IT C H World Areas Product Managers CC: J. C. Hunter - B3SA P. J. Kopke - Australia D. P. Doherty - B2SL K. H. Tham - Singapore S. G. Collins - BIND S. L. Knapp - Tokyo C. P. Farley - B3NB H. R. Collet - Brussels W. L . Merman - B2SE J. E. Tucker - B3SB M. W. Winkel - B3SA J. E. Dunphy - Toronto T. G. Iversen - B2SA b. (i. Devereux J. R. Foehr - B3SL St. Louis - 33SC F. D . Edmonds - B2NK J. J. Ferguson - Brussels The attached telex and letter are being sent to our domestic field sales organization on February 19. The customer letter is going out the same day. This communication details new information we have recently uncovered about a small amount of dioxin in Tetrathal. Our experts agree that the amount and composition of the dioxin does not pose a health risk. We are, however, making our findings public due to the publicity that has followed the dioxin issue. Since each of you has a different set of circumstances in your i world area, I would suggest that you make the information avail- I able to your customers in your own way. As such we haveno inten- | tion of diseminatingthe information into your area from here. | t However, please make certain that a copy ofthe letter is sent to i each customer. In addition, I would like to ask that each of you copy me in on any additional information that goes out from your office. Also, ' \ | | please send me a list of people to whom the information has been . made available. In this way, I can coordinate our effort and we I t can all be sure that no one has been overlooked. | Il Our message has been stated in the accompanying literature, how- i ! ever. I believe that it is worth restating here. That is, we have found trace amounts of some dioxin isomers in Tetrathal. I These are not the isomers which have been getting all the publicity! and in fact, we believe that their existance is not cause for con- | ; cern as long as the information contained in our standard MSDS is | | followed. In addition, we will continue to market Tetrathal in , | the manner we have in the past. j j j | < : j : ; j Ex-US sales represent two-thirds of all Tetrathal volume. Therefore, it is important that you disseminate this information responsibily. If I can help in any way, please call or telex me without delay. | | . In addition, I will be most interested in how this information is ' received by your customers. Please forward any relevant comments ! __as soon as pnaslhlp._________________________________________________ [ G -4400 (Rev. 1/84) IF MORE THAN ONE PAGE STAPLE/CLIP HERE - f NOT AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE. i G -4400 (Rev. 1 34) IF MORE THAN ONE PAGE STAPLE/CLIP HERE NOT AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE. r i MMSS (MONSANTO MESSAGE SWITCHING SYSTEM) FOlSReeOOfU.CnTsRrGruOTcYIt:NOPGnEs MSoHEnES3ES,ATicGk E` S SENDER'S A C C O U N T NO. TWX, TELEX NO OR CABLE ADDRESS DATE jp A G E 02-000-721.02 Book Message______________________ 2/19/85_____ L ^ i_ __ _____ STO P H E R E W H E N U S I N G 12 P IT C H Name Title ! Company ! Street ji City \ I I! i Dear Name2: I !I | Monsanto Company has recently completed analytical tests on Tetra- [ j thal tetrachlorophthalic anhydride. As a valued customer, we would like to share with you this information and our assessment of it. I Our analytical testing of Tetrathal detected extremely low but I j ! measurable levels of certain polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin i | (PCDD) isomers among unwanted impurities in several product sam- ' pies taken from the Tetrathal unit at our Delaware River Plant. I Occupational physicians, industrial hygienists and toxicologists j from Monsanto's Department of Medicine and Environmental Health I j ' i have reviewed these test data. They have concluded that when j Tetrathal is handled properly the presence of these low level ] I | impurities is not a risk to Monsanto employees, our customers and ' the general public, nor is it a hazard to the environment. How- I ever, in view of the notoriety and controversy surrounding the | | general dioxin issue, we think it appropriate that we inform our | i| employees and customers of our analytical findings. JI I The analysis showed that Tetrathal flakes contained penta-, hexa-, ! hepta- and octa-chlorodibenzodioxins in the 5-530 parts per [ billion (ppb) range. It is important to emphasize that no 2, 3, j 7, 8 - tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) was detected in any of the samples. i ri Monsanto tested Tetrathal because it is made by a process judged ! by our technical personnel to have the possibility of generating , PCDDs. The Tetrathal samples were analyzed at Monsanto's EPA j ' accredited laboratory in Dayton, Ohio. According to our medical department, Tetrathal is known to cause ,, allergic skin and respiratory tract reactions in people who are particularly sensitive to it. However, Monsanto has observed no cases of chloracne in the Delaware River work force. This skin i condition is considered to be the hallmark, or first clinical ! symptom, of toxic exposure to the PCDDs and other chlorinated | aromatics. J j J 1 | I G -4400 (R ev. 1.34] IF MORE THAN ONE PAGE STAPLE/CLIP HERE - f NOT AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE. I MMSS (MONSANTO MESSAGE SWITCHING SYSTEM) FOfSReeOOiUnCsTRtGruOTcYtINioPGnEs SMoHnEESSESiATcGk*ES SENDER'S A C CO UN T NO. TW X-TELEX NO OR C A3LE ADDRESS 02-000-721.02 Book Message_______________ STO P H E R E W H E N U S IN G 12 P IT C H T Y P I N G E L E M E N T DATE 2/19/85 PAGE 5 of airborne exposure limits of 0.5 mg/m (0.^4 parts per million), 8 hour time-weighed average, and 1.0 mg/m (0.08 parts per million) 15 minute time-weighed average. These limits are achieved by good manufacturing practices, including dust control and ventilation. Also, we require workers to wear full-faced respirators and other protective equipment during dusty operations such as flaking the product and during bagging. We are convinced that, with the proper handling of this product (see attached Material Safety data Sheet), no health threat exists with the continued production or use of Tetrathal. We believe Tetrathal remains a viable and useful commercial product for Monsanto and our customers. Monsanto is ready to discuss this information with you. Please contact us if you have question. Sincerely i I i /nl Attachment Charles P. Farley Manager, Product Acceptability Specialty Chemicals G -4 4 0 0 (R e v . 1.`841 IF MORE THAN ONE PAGE STAPLE/CLIP HERE NOT AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE.