Document g2be96Yvxw0DGJobRYoodBqG

N D vJ o r* t\ A L K r*\U,n ICALS DIVISION 11.\ C i: A N D U M May 15, 1974 To; Mr. P. B. Cornell Sub i e c t; MI OSH - TCM Exposure Studies The attached MCA correspondence indicates NIOSH intends to assess worker exposures, both past and present, to VCM via on site studies to be conducted by a contractor. Three plants (monomer) arc to be selected for on-site environ mental/industrial hygiene surveys. Plants having the longest history of VCM production are preferred and the probability of our location being selected is accordingly diminished. Cooperation in this undertaking is recommended should your facility be contacted. Please keep this office advised regarding any agency or con tractor contacts concerning this matter. JMQ/sm \ po y i J. M. Quinn Director Environmental Services E. E- J amc s J. M. DeVoe W. c. Koch's. R. J. Nelepovitz W. s. Ferguson AL; nchment AS* 00023634 $ vEXxVlD by MAY <J 1974 c? '^'irrn ASSOCIATION,*. i J. ivi. Quinix 18im CONNECTICUT AVEIN'CE, N. W, WASHINGTON, O.C. 20000 (202) _____ _ services C May 2, 1W / wrs ^ _GK To: _W_CK cmm" MANAGEMENT CONTACTS OF COMPANIES SUPPORTING THE Jy VINYL CHLORIDE RESEARCH PROGRAM .i: TECHNICAL TASK GROUP ON VINYL CHLORIDE RESEARCH Jy_ F I WORKS Subject: NIOSH Request for Proposal for Study o product Vinyl Chloride Exposures________________ L jHCKLC E I ?ET'."fo- Gentlemen: Enclosed herewith are the Statement of Work and Scope of Work sections of a request for proposal (No. CDC-99-OSH-128(4)) issued by NIOSH last March 28, and just now called to my at tention. This material is being distributed for your in formation, so that you may be prepared to handle contractor visits should they select one or more of your plants for study. Sincerely, KDJ:mb Kenneth D. Johns oif, Ph.D. Secretary - Technical Task Group on Vinyl Chloride Research AS 1 00023635 13 2b CONiULCTlCli ' AVON UR, N.W. V.'A Gil 1 N GTO U , U C. 2000i* {2' C 2) -13 __ SERVICES f. May 2, 19W _WFS _GK _Lr.fF_ _wck" "CMM To : MANAGEMENT CONTACTS OF COMPANIES SUPPORTING THE _SX_ VINYL CHLORIDE RESEARCH PROGRAM ~L,1___ TECHNICAL TASK GROUP ON VINYL CHLORIDE RESEARCH 17 \ j _ \ Subject: F | WORKS NIOSII Request for Proposal for Study of I PRCiDtK-r 1 Vinvl Chloride Exposures F [ _t_icklc El reY."to"" Gentlemen: Enclosed herewith are the Statement of Work and Scope of Work sections of a request for proposal (No. CDC-99-OSH-128(4)) issued by NIOSII last March 28, and just now called to my attention. This material is being distributed for your information, so that you may be prepared to handle contractor visits should they select on? or more of your plants for study. Sincerely, KDJ:mb Attachment cc : Mr. A. WT. Barnes D. P. Duffield, M.D. Dr. Tiziano Garlanda Kenneth D. Johnson, Ph.D. Secretary Technical Task Group on Vinyl Chloride Research AS I 00023636 't-i'i ?W i Cnnind 'by MCIi,, 1 '5/2/74 . < I III1 \v')i(K Backpround rind Purpose In format Ten recently has been made available to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NTOSH) that indicates a sericua pr.-bl<m potm: tial ly exists in workers involved with the pel yrv'rinat ten of vinyl chloride to polyvinyl chloride and polyvinyl chloride copolymers. Preliminary mortality information concerning one vinyl chloride polymerization plant has revealed there is a definite excess of deaths due to angiosarcoma of the liver in workers that have been involved with this processing. It has been reported by Imperial Chemical Industries of Great Britain that angiosarcomas of the liver develop in animals exposed to vinyl chloride. Since vinyl chloride is definitely present in the environs of the plant mentioned above, vinyl chloride has been postulated to be an etiologic agent in the above mentioned excess employee deaths. Since there is a large work force involved with vinyl chloride poly merization processing, NIOSH immediately initiated an extensive epidemiological investigation (including environmental surveys) into vinyl chloride polymerization operations and workers thereof. Vinyl chloride exposures, of course, also can occur in the produc tion of the monomer and may occur in the processing of the polyvinyl chloride and its copolymers and during the commercial and industrial use of these polymers. Because these polymers have widespread use and there is potential for quite a large number of persons to be exposed to vinyl chloride, in addition to those people working in polymerization operations, there is a need to document the extent of vinyl chloride exposures in operations other than polymerization processing. The purpose of this contract is to document t>ast and present worker exposures to vinyl chloride during (1) the monomer production and the (2) process.Inc of polyvinyl chloride and polyvinyl chloride copolymers. In addition to documenting worker exposures, to vinyl chloride, Information on work practics, environmental control pro cedures , industrial hygiene practices and worker exposures to other known .liver toxins also will be documented. These data will be vtilized to ascertain the extent of worker exposures to vinyl chloride and r -ssibly other liver toxins so that tile possible Health effects impact :n the industry can be determined and appropriate priorities for corrective measures, if needed, can be set. If vinyl chloride exposures are considered to be significant in these areas, then a very critical look at possible general exposures will be made. AS I 00023637 n: i Scope of Work 1, The Contractor shall furnish th,e necessary personnel, material, services , facili ti or, , and otherwise do all things necessary for or inci d's;r Le the j loiannrc of work set forth herein. Speci fically, tlie Contractor shall perform the following*. Task I, Vinvl Chloride Monomer Production / There are 15 plants in the United States that produce vinyle chloride monomer according to NTCSi! in format ion (Attachment A). From these 15 plants, and any other plants that the contractor Identifies, three plants shall be selected for on-site environraental/industrial hygienae surveys. Uichin SO davs of the initiation of the contract, the con tractor shall present to the project officer (s) the list of vinyl chloride monomer plan;':; and polymer processing plants that have been choocen for the cnvironmontal/induatrial hygiene surveys. This pre sentation rh 11 include the basis for the selection. The actual surveys shall, notcommence until this Information has been reviewed and approved by the project officer (s). Maximum review time shall be five working days. The criteria for selection shall include, but not be limited to: (1) information gained from preliminary site visits; (2) information gained from literature searches; (3) information gained from personal contacts; (4) the representativeness of the plants to industrywide operations; (5) the plants having the greatest potential for work ex posure to yinyl chloride; (6) the plants having the greatest gradient of worker exposures to vinyl chloride; (7) the availability of historical inplant, air measurements of vinyl chloride; and XB7 the_j)lants haying the^ longest history of viiiyl" chi oride monomer production. The surveys at the selected three plants shall consist of documenting oast and present worker exposures to vinyl chloride and past and present work practices, environmental control procedOres and industrial hygiene practices that involve the reduction of worker exposures to vinyl`chloride, At a minimum, the following specific information shall be'obtained and/or constructed: (1) a general description of the vinyl chloride monomer pro cessing operation: (2) 8-hour daily time-weighted average exposures (TV.'As) of vinyl chloride for each different job-type/job-operation in the monomer processing area, including a specific job description for each of the job- types; (3) general area (stationary) samples of vinyl chloride in areas of suspected high concentrations; (4) raw material and product lists and quantities therof that relate to the past and present vinyl chloride levels; (5) ventilation design and ventilation measurements, including documcntation of dates of ventilation changes and the extent of changes and how they relate to past and present vinyl chloride levels; (6) documentor'On of past and present environmental control procedures and work practices that haw been instituted to loverrvinyl chloride levels and how they relate to past and present vinyl chloride levels; (7) photo graphs, sketches, etc. o document existing conditions; and (8) documen tation of past and present industrial hygiene practiceo, including utili zation of protective cloth Lag (i,e. type, frequency of change, laundering practices, etc.), protective device.'; (i.c., respf rntor-tisngo, frequence type, etc.') hen ' ce;> i a; p: icticea, shower requirement:;, eating, smoking and drinking ;w.letter: In p: e.hirl lop nran, etc. AST 00023638 Pask II. Processing of Polyvinyl Chloride and Polyvinyl Chloride Copolymer; Environrrentnl/industrial hygiene surveys-shall be conducted in pro duction ernes ,.;!,ere polyvinyl chloride and polyvinyl chloride co polymers* are processed including, but not limited to, the following operations: (!) cor,pounding; (2) extrusion; (3) molding; (4) calendering (5) thermoforming; (6) binding; (7) foams; (8) fibers; and (9) plastisol processing. The surveys shall be conducted so that each processing operation is sampled at throe different plants (locations). The criteria for the selection of these three plants shall include, but r.ct be limited to: (1) information gained from preliminary site visits; (2) information gained frem literature searches; (3) information gained from personal contacts; (4) representativeness of the operations to in dustrywide processing; (5) operations having greatest potential for works1 exposures to vinyl chloride;(6) operations having the .greatest gradient of worker exposures to vinyl chloride; (7) availability of historical inplant air measurements of vinyl chloride; and (8) the operations having the longest history of polymer processing. The information that shall bo obtained and/or constructed shall be the same as the eight items listed above for the>vinyl chloride monomer production operations. In addition, to these eight items past and present T'.-.'A worker exposures to other, known liver toxins (if present; including, but. not limited to, mercury, 2,2 dichlo'rovinyl dimethyl phosphate, .ozone, diexane, beryllium, lead, di methyl nitrosamine, arsenic, (amyl, methyl, ethyl, butyl, prop! and vinyl) acetate, copper, trichloroethylene, carbontetrachloride, arsine and t tetrahydrofuran shall be measured and/or constructed. ask III. Sample Collection and Data Analyses ,' t-.:. All vinyl chloride sampling and analytical techniques shall be specified : in the contract proposal. If sampling is required for. other,, known liver.. toxins, the sampling and analytical procedures must be approved by the project officer(s) prior to use by the contractor. ,; f\ The contractor should be cognizant of the fact that vinyl chloride is considered a potential human liver carcinogen and all employeeshand agent; of the contractor should be provided with appropriate protective equipmar- These equipment needs will be discussed with the project,-officer(s) prior to the field surveys. pyyfyOof v' The sample collection shall be conducted in such a manner as to provide statistically valid data- that are representative of present worker ex pos': res (categorized by different job-types) to vinyl chloride and other liver toxins, if found. Past worker exposures (by job-type) shall be y' constructed based on the Information that is collected on the changes in processing, ventilation, environmental control, work practices and indusi rial hygiene practices that have occurred over the years and on historic^. Polyvinyl chlcridc-acetatc, polyvinyl chloride-propylene and polyvinyl chloride vinylidenc chloride AST 00023639 ivA,..*`+<t, , *S \ air sampling data (preferably personal sampling data) collected in the plant. If deemed reliable and accurate. All assumptions. t.h t .... are made in arrivinn at the constructed concentrations shall no pre- ^ sented, All of the'above information on processing changes, ventilation changes, etc. shall be presented as part of the report on the surveys. ' ,ys**f*yS . - *' h 'tv,t v!'1':' fjV,v' '..`y , .; AS I 0002364Ot