Document gDxDe93eGk857JXGmXxxdRZqN

Hr. T. W. Carmody 2) HEW YORK OFFICE February 17, 1976 SHARE - Medical Vinyl Chloride Dear Tom: The report, "Genetic Risks of Vinyl Chloride," by Infante, Wagoner, McMichael, Waxweiler and Falk, has been reviewed. This report compares fetal deaths (defined as any product of conception not born alive) occurring in wives of workers exposed to VCM with wives of non-exposed controls. Rates are calculated for both groups, age corrected and also "corrected" to show rates occurring prior to husband's exposure to VCH and subsequent to VCN exposure. These rates would seem to show a significant difference, with the control group fetal death rate being 8.8 vs. the exposed group rate of 15.8. When corrected by excluding habitual aborters, the rates are 6.8 vs. 10.8. These data have been gathered from a relatively small number of persons. The "exposed" group numbers 95 end the control group I$8. The interviews were conducted in October, 1976, and therefore, if signifi cant, are indicative of conditions wherein much greater exposures were experienced. Certainly the average VCM exposure of a few years ago was perhaps in the hundreds of parts per million range, end these fetal death rates would not necessarily correlate with the present extremely low permissible exposure levels. Very truly yours, C. Q. Mull, M.D. EQH/ap ucc 005080