Document dQQo23GK0eJe55ba7QK9B5Gdb

Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health EDITOR Myron A. Mehlman P.O. box 1829 Rockville, Maryland 20850 ASSOCIATE. EDITORS R ET C r ! V fZ D SFIP 01 15/6 j. W. H. Morris I . Cumnci Nilioml Ctmtt (or Tonliokigii*! Krst<ircli Jcffmon, Arkansas 77079 (SOI) 536-620(1 Ext. 516 Gary Elamm Naiionjl Cancer Inslilwtc building 31, Room 11 AOS [k-thcuU, Maryland 20914 (301)496-5946 L*on Golhc-rg * Inslilirle of Experimental.. Palbnlngy A Toxicology Albany Medical College Albany, New York 12208 (SIS)4 15-5500 Rohcrt A C.oyer Health Scirnics Onlcr . LJniversits ol Western Onlario London, Oot.it in NGA31C.7 (579)079-7782 RobnlG MiCimn.ll Division of P.ilholngv - l`>. I) Scarle A Company P.O. Ilox 5110 Chicago, lllnnrr. fide' 80 (31?) 982-700(1 David P. Rail National Institute of t nviionincnt.il Health Sciences P.O. Ilox 17233 Research Triangle Park, N.C. 27711 (919) 549-3201 Gerald N. Wcig.ni Department of Nutrition and rood Science Massachusetts Institute oflechnology Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 (617)553-6723 EDITORIAL HOARD HfthfM HloouMltird. U.S.A. ftiyjn A. U.K. < l ui; ft. Oldk H.'OJ if 1 . C flip (.amphi II, U.S A fit ri>et( \. l lmsiNiwt-, U.S.A. ' A'un >v U,S,/V-~ * ' CMoir"J. f owmJi'. U.S,A. W. I . ( r^mplon, U.K. VilllilW tl'AfOdOUn, U.S.A. f itdci k i 1. <tcSf Mts, U.S.A. Robnt M. Uif nrt, U.S.A. Hji ( . I il.f U.S A. jrd.M 1 . f mUti, U.S.A. 1411> f uhtifiii, U.S.A. fAma fJ. f opIv, U.S.A. I dv. rd Gu, U.S.A H.M old C . C*tic i, ( oada Uriviil wil. U.S.A. Yolkin ll.frtj, fnpJM Glen F . k tplMipf r. U.S.A. Ruth kliwkvtt <>, U.S.A. Knhri Kr>|ini4, |jp<n thoudjfl kcDioiinrni, U.S.A. Hcrnuh ). U.S.A, Call K. Mxkcici, U.S.A. f. N. Mjprt( U.K. |cttph M;l ^upli'm, U.S.A. BiinJid MtN4>riJ, U.S.A. G Mnhri, I M.G. Wihi*m S. Monluv, U.S A. Sheldon 0. SjvM'hy, U S A. No<lnf kelson, U.S.A. ('Aid M. inr, U.S.A. C. I'rfWn, f mil A. f'liUU, U.S.A. Jtwy k. riciuv.ski, f'oUnd R. 1'ifvnminn, f ,R.G. CUrs Rjoifl. Swcdrn G. kudalt, I fmtt Umbffto SjftioHi, U.S.A, Raymond l. Shipit>. U.S.A. tlrikm Sheppifd, U.S.A. rtotippr Shutiik. U.S,A. kiyoyfo 1 jniU, IjPjm iPioum R. IrpMv. U.S.A. 11o>d fl. 7rppM. U.S,A, fltnfdtlio Itmum, luly Richard 1). lobih, U.S.A. GPfdon M. lomkini, U.S.A. Henryk Urh*nowc/, f'oljnd G. vjn ! h, 1 lit Nrlliolln.di RiChird l. Vtfth, U S-A. |ovph Wj|oncf, U.S,A. Sidney Wonhot/if, U.S.A. |jrnr L, Whttirnlifr|;f, U.S.A. f rtdtrkk W. Wolff. U.S.A. August 30, 1976 John W. Hanley, Pi:esldent Monsanto Corporation 800 North Lindbergh Boulevard Saint Louis, Missouri 63166 , r, y<\ r h0 .(< h( ! J tT' / Dear Sir: , 1 am sure that you have seen the enclosed letter from the Director, N10SH, with respect to PCB exposure and the possible induction of cancer in man. The enciosed article in the Washington Post, Saturday, August 21, 1976, describes the presence of PCBs in mothers* milk of a small number of lactating women tested. While we recognize that the routes of exposure and the magnitude of exposure may be different, the juxtaposition of these two reports, in time, calls for a careful review and reevaluation of all the toxicological data available with respect to exposure to this chemical. As the editor of the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, I would appreciate receiving from the Monsanto Chemical Company all your data with respect to the toxicology of PCBs,`both in man and animal, so that we may develop an appropriate review for the scientific community on this very important subject area. Any assistance and input from your company would be greatly appreciated. , In writing this letter, I am in no way implying that Monsanto has at any time behaved other than in an ethical manner. We are well aware 0SW PUBLISHER: HEMISPHERE PUBLISHING CORPORATION ,, Global Building 1025 Vermont Avenue, N.W. Washinguin, D.C. 20005 1 019836 STLCOPCB4007769 John W. Manley, President 2. of your efforts these past years to control the release of this chemical to the environment, 1 am writing solely in the interests of bringing all possible data together for reanalysis in terms of protecting public health. , Sincerely yours, line:! os u res a/s Myron A. Mehlman, Ph.D. Editor .. . DSW 019837 STLCOPCB4007770 /f<?!: _ nsoi \S i ?/'*/7C DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE "'f'UnLlC HEALTH SERVICE CENTER FOH DISEASE CONTROL August' 20, 1976 NATIONAL. INST IT UT C F OH OCCUPATIONAL SAI CTY AND HE ALTH scoo ft shers> lane ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND ?08S? Dear Colleague: . In a June 24, 1976 letter, Mobil Oil Corporation advised the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NJOSH) of a possible association between occupational exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (pCDs) and cancer in humans. Mobil Oil reported preliminary results of an epidemiologic analysis based on medical records of employees e.xposed to PCBs at. their Paulsboro, New Jersey plant. This study was conducted by Professor Anita K. Bahn (School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania) and is being reported by Dr. Bahn in a letter to the editor of the New England Journal of Medicine, August 19, 1976. The study included two cohorts of Mobil employees who were reported to have had varying exposure to Aroclor 1254 (a mixture of PCBs) . The. cohort of research and development employees was exposed to PCBs be tween 1949 and 1957 and the cohort of refinery plant employees between 1953 and 1958. The extent of exposure of these workers to other chcm-. icals is not known. The cancer incidence among these workers for the period 1957 through 1975 was determined using Mobil medical records. Because medical records for 37 employees were incomplete, these workers were, excluded from this analysis. , . Among the 92 workers in these two cohorts for whom adequate medical records were available, eight cancers (in seven workers) were observed between 1957 and 1975. Of these eight cancers, three were malignant melanoma and two were cancer of the pancreas- This is significantly more skin cancer (melanoma) and pancreatic cancer than would be ex pected in a population of this size (based on the Third National ` Cancer Survey). The remaining cancers were found at three other sites in two employees; sarcoma of the right thigh and multiple myeloma in one employee, and recto-sigmoid cancer in the other. . Ij i DSW 019838 STLCOPCB4007771 Pge 2 - Dear Colleague O ' NIOSii Is unaware of any other published animal or human data which sug gest a correlation between exposure to PCBs and skin (melanoma) or pancreatic cancer. However, hepatomas (mice, Aroclor 1254) and hepato cellular carcinomas (mice, Kanechlor 500; rats, Aroclor 1260) have been reported in rCB feeding studies of laboratory animals. Background information on PCBs has been summarized in the NIOSH Current Intelligence Bulletin on Polychlorinated Biphenyls issued to the occupa tional health community on November 3, 1975, and subsequently published in the Journal of Occupational Medicine, Volume 18, pages 109-113, February 1976. Since the NIOSH Bulletin was first issued, a number of large firms have introduced products (e.g., butylated monochlorodiphony1 oxide and dimethyl siloxane polymer) claimed to be fire resistant dielectrics which can serve as alternatives to PCBs. In addition, one of the large domestic transformer manufacturers, announced that it will cease using PCBs as fire, resistant transformer fluids at the end of this year. NIOSH would like to stress that alternatives for PCBs should be thoroughly studied to assess the consequences they may pose to human health. k To.aid in evaluating PCBs as a potential occupational health problem, NIOSH would welcome receiving reports of studies regarding the possible association between exposure to PCBs and human cancer. Vour cooperation in this matter is appreciated. Sincerely yours, 'John F. Finklea, M.D. Director DSW 019839 r STLCOPCB4007772