Document g2MwEYNjd505NxVygDbZEwvyV
INVESTIGATION OF APPARENT INCREASED PREVALENCE OF BRAIN TUMORS IN A U.S. CHEMICAL PLANT
Victor Alexander,M.D. .M.S.P.H..Sanford S. Leff i ngwel 1 , M. D. , J. William LIoyd,Sc.0. .Richard J. Waxwei1er,Ph.0., and Richard L. Miller,M.A.
presentation to WORKSHOP ON BRAIN TUMORS IN THE CHEMICAL INDUSTRY NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OCTOBER 27, 1980
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Table 1.
WORK HISTORY DATA FOR 18 PRIMARY BRAIN CANCER CASES IN A TEXAS PETROCHEMICAL PLANT
Date of
Case
Hire
Date of Death
1 Ltlsi 12/16/40
2 l(r05/18/41 3 Ults 07/29/41
4C<Wll/30/41 5fW>s07/09/44 6j*Wt 09/18/44 7Maie^e_09/18/46
8(0ar?laiO9/26/46 9Creu*fer 09/ 21/48
10MtVtiU_03/02/49 llBurti; 01/25/50
12v^wii-10/19/ 50 13&H 10/23/50 14'thiMM09/19/51 15&i^ev04/27/53 16 !xrKr08/17/53 17 Rf* 08/21/53 18 H'^ 10/30/53
05/15/64 02/19/66 05/18/76 12/13/65 10/28/79 05/21/74 03/07/79 03/22/73
07/02/75 06/05/71 01/13/68 05/14/74 02/18/80 01/08/74 10/03/56 04/05/62 05/05/71 12/21/78
Length of
Age at
Employment
Death (y ears-months)
51 3-6 56 24-8 66- 31-8 55 20-4 59 35-0 55 0-1 55 32-3 63 26-6
49 2-1 61 22-3 66 16-7 59 17-1 57 28-10 52 22-3 33 0-1 30 8-7 44 17-3 49 24-8
*
Job Title
Department
Operator Operator Foreman Operator Boi lermaker Operator Laborer/Oiler Operator Pipefitter Operator Equip. Operator Operator Operator Machinist Machinist Weighmaster Operator Weighmaster,
Production Production Maintenance Production Structural Shop Production Maintenance Production
Maintenance Production Maintenance Energy Systems Production Machine Shop Maintenance Shipping Production Shipping
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Table II.
CURRENT PLANT WORKFORCE BY COUNTY OF RESIDENCE
County of Residence
Galveston Harr i s Brazoria Other Total
I)1P e of Employee
Houur 1 H
Sa1aried
1,389 44 41 7
1,481
609 110
15 4 738
Source: Data provided by company.
Total
1,998 154 56 11
2,219
Percent
90.0 6.9 2.5 0.5
100.0
> r . 3
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Table III.
DEATH CERTIFICATE AND MEDICAL RECORDS DATA FOR 18 PRIMARY BRAIN CANCER CASES IN A TEXAS PETROCHEMICAL PLANT
Race/
Case Sex
Residence Place of. Birth
1
WM Galveston Texas
?-<
2 UM Galveston Missouri
3 WM Harrls
Texas
' 4 UM Galveston Texas
5 UM Galveston Louisiana
6 UM Galveston Texas o-/
7 BM Galveston Texas
8 UM Galveston Texas
9 UM Harris
Texas
J-/
10 UM Galveston Texas
11 UM Galveston New Mexico
12 WM Galveston Norway
13 UM Galveston Texas
14 UM Galveston Texas
15 UM Harris
Texas
16 UM Galveston Louisiana
17 UM Galveston Texas
18 UM Galveston Texas ,
Cause of Death
Death Certificate
Medical Records
Carcinoma of Brain
Malignant Brain Tumor
Brain Tumor
a)
Brain Tumor-Meningioma
Glioblastoma
C3 i
Brain Tumor-Glial IVt M )
Glioblastoma
cs-y
Glioblastoma Astrocytoma
a>
Malignant Glioma
Glioblastoma Glioblastoma
tf>
L9 >
Glioblastoma
G1 ioblastoma
no )
Glioblastoma
U'i
Brain Tumor
f/Z)
Malignant Glioma
)
Brain Tumor
Glioblastoma (MR)* Meningioma (A) Glioblastoma (A) Meningioma (MR) Glioblastoma (SP)
No Records Available Glioblastoma (MR) Glioblastoma (SP) Astrocytoma-Grade I (SP) Glioblastoma (MR) Glioblastoma (A) 61ioblastoma (SP)
Astrocytoma-Grade IVt(MR) Glioblastoma (A) No Records Available Glioblastoma (A) Glioblastoma (SP) Glioblastoma (A)
*Source: MR-Medical Records; A-Autopsy SP-Surgical Pathology. tAstrocytoma Grade IV and G1 al IV are equivalent terms for Glioblastoma multiforme.
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Table IV.
BRAIN AND OTHER CNS CANCER MORTALITY, 1950-1969: AVERAGE ANNUAL AGE ADJUSTED RATES PER 100,000
Location
White Male
White Female
United States
* 4.4
2.9
Texas
4.3 2.9
Galveston County
4.5
2.9
Harris County
4.5
3.6
Brazoria County
3.1
3.9
Black Male
2.3 1.9 2.5 2.0 1.2*
Black F
1.5 1.5 2.1 1.9 1.5
Based on one case. The range of U.S. rates for white males for states with >10 deaths from 1950-1969 was 3.1-5.4. The range of Texas rates for white males for counties with >10 deaths from 1950-1969 was 2.3-10.8.
Source: U.S. Cancer Mortality by County, 1950-1969, National Cancer Institute, DHEW Pub. No. (NIH) 74-615, Bethesda, Maryland, 1974.
Table V.
EXPERIMENTAL BRAIN CARCINOGENS
2- Acetylaminofluorene / Acrylonitrile
1-Aryl-3,3-Dialkyltriazenes Azoethane* Azoxyethane* Azoxymethane Butylnitrosourea Cycasin 1,2-Diethylhydrazine Diethylnitrosamine*' p Diethyl Sulfate* Dimethyl benzanthracene* Dimethyl Sulfate*
*Tran$placental carcinogenesis.
4
Elaiomycin Ethyl Methanesulphonate Ethylnitrosobiuret* EthyVnitrosourea*' 1-Methyl-2-Benzyl-Hydrazine* Methyl Methanesulphonate Methy Initrosourea*
MethyInitrosourethane (intraplacental) Procarbazine*
Propane Sultone Propylene Imine Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids
Vinyl Chloride
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Table VI.
EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES: CLUES TO HUMAN BRAIN CANCER ETIOLOGY
Aluminum Workers Asbestos Insulation Workers Anti-Convulsant Use Farm/Rural Residents Geographic Clustering
Kentucky, Rhone Valley Halomethanes in Drinking Water Lead Smelter Workers
Machinists Oil Refinery Workers Pattern Makers Petrochemical Workers Rubber Workers Toxoplasmosis Vinyl Chloride Workers
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES
Public Health Service
Centers for Disease Control National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health Robert A. Taft Laboratories 4676 Columbia Parkway Cincinnati OH 45226 May 3, 1983
Susan Austin, Sc.D. Corporate Director of Epidemiology Union Carbide Corporation Old Ridgebury Road Danbury, CT 06817
Dear Dr. Austin:
S. G. AUSTIN, SC.D.
Enclosed is a copy of the final report of the NI0SH/0SHA case-control study of brain tumors among workers at the Union Carbide Texas City, Texas plant. Please review the paper and advise us if any trade secrets are revealed in the report. We would also welcome other comments which you might wish to make*
After receiving trade secret clearance, we will transmit a copy to the union (present funding shortages make it unlikely we will be able to travel to
Texas City, as we had hoped). Submission for publication or other public announcement will not occur before the union has been notified.
Copies of the report are being sent to: Mr. Foley Provenzano, Texas City Plant Manager Dr. David Glenn, Gulf Coast Medical Director Dr. Susan Austin, Corporate Epidemiologist Dr. William Kemmerer, Director, Galveston County Health Department
enclosure
Sanford S. Leffingwell, M.D., M.P.H Medical Officer Industrywide Studies Branch Division of Surveillance, Hazard
Evaluations and Field Studies
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UNION CARBIDE CORPORATION p. o. box 471. texas CITY. TEXAS 77590 May 18, 1983
MAY 23 1983
Sanford S. Leffingwell, M.D., M.P.H. National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health
Robert A. Taft Laboratories 4676 Columbia Parkway
Cincinnati, Ohio 45226
& G. AUSTIN, Sc.D.
Dear Dr. Leffingwell:
I have read your final report of the NIOSH/OSHA case control study of brain tumors among workers at the Union Carbide Texas City, Texas plant.
I found no trade secrets in the report and suggest you proceed witn your plan of transmitting a copy to the Union.
Thank you for giving us an opportunity to see the report.
Very truly yours,
FSP/kl
F. S'. Provenzani Plant Manager
cc: Dr. D. H. Glenn v *
Dr. S. G. Austin^ Mr. R. L. Yelton Mr. J. H. Barrett
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