Document gaN9do5RXEg6DmrZN22MDz919

jr* nx .i<' ' , - y- .ri; &. ,4 V4 SJvv`>~4 A.f',f^' ' -Jtfe- fRECEIVED * ' .: ' i'.. FEB 11 1974 ' a -V* ' * i., - PUBLIC RELATIONS (- 0 SPECIAL SECTION -- LOUISVILLE SITUATION i.: PM EDITION 1 jr'-*-'*V- ' S. 1 -.V S Vr ^ -* u; v* EXECUTIVE NEWS DIGEST ; * '' /v'V-' Y,H A '?'t $' This special section contains all press Jp r v.. - I-* - - f* *^:''vv -xy' ' ' ; v r; ' \ j j' clippings and media releases received i ft'.* A, >*... *&ii 4` { ' ' during the past 24-hours on the Louisville!' vf *. % * . 'i.A ? situation. ' * ...... If: *:Z V $. \ \ <. :`- . S`"; . -j '.'t ' *; v - : , :- - . >. ~ v -v - ? V -y ' ' ;r;- ;-5 * *:... M-jJ r_Tf S' - -J;,, -* -.tf -&V'-i-Ar jf. -^4* v. :v Wv? , '-A WgZ' * --L & -L' 4 i rf/*- -V V ^ '; i < %mi&M M'-.r4->? - * J External Communications^^ . and Public Affairs ,r.- i > . 'J y ii;V-s-S?fe.e sx-^.^.ia-'5sj: -Sf Tr-t' : . v*\ mW^M. ;*t. -.si- jqc --i*!-*- PfelSVJ-Hy ^ S,;fe3^fK'-"^. J*4lfVf -V#. vi -,. a .;- ; ... ' *'. - ty Vfc?;v ^.V -. yy ... . \ ` . ' fr,--v.v-? ;.. "*'cr ''r,i . . - ... - .... ..... ' < Jk Tfh' ` ' . ijlf T'i r v:4f` y ^ 1 ^ t . 5.,^'s ;< .r-.iSl-A'it"s.1. <..'* -,-4; * v ->' **-; Je-o? ' 3-,. .:.' .=. : ,, -' y. . ' '- ' .. .... - :. ' .^' ' * r ... .... , . .. - ' 'J -- 5V -V. > 'V 1 * .-'i > ' * > . . , .. -; *.i v-7?-T. j' . - - ' .V - ' BFG02360 T THE JOURNAL OF COMMERCE - MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1974 PLASTICS CORNER BFG ADOPTS ADDITIONAL PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES AT LOUISVILLE FACILITY Additional precautionary measures to guard the health of employees in the vinyl chloride and PVC operations at its Louisville, Ky., plant have been reported by B.F.Goodrich Co. in Akron, Ohio. Simultaneously, the Manufacturing Chemical Association (MCA) in Washington has announced that it has stopped circulation of the 1972 chemical safety data sheet SD-56, as a result of Goodrich's report that the Louisville plant had experienced four fatal cases of angiosarcoma (a form of cancer) of the liver. MCA said that one of its groups, representing companies making vinyl chloride monomer and PVC resins,has been conducting exposure tests with animals, as a result of the report by Dr. P. L. Viola in Italy that long-term massive exposures of rats to vinyl chloride vapors had produced malignant tumors of a kind not found in men. v, "In its 1972 revision of the data sheet, MCA called attention to the report, but added that carcinogenicity (cancer-causing) to humans had not been observed. The Goodrich experience now questions the validity of the latter statement. A revision edition of the vinyl chloride data sheet is planned after this question has been resolved." Goodrich said that measures being taken at Louisville include those of its own initiative, plus some recommendations by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). They involve broad categories, such as preliminary work practices, general (more) 20206002 BFG02361 2--THE JOURNAL OF COMMERCE - 2/11/74 housekeeping procedures, protective clothing, showers for PVC employees after work turns, monitoring of plant and personnel, and respiratory protection for designated employees. Review of the NIOSH recommendations indicates that a majority... are already in effect or being implemented. Several require evaluating and ordering additional equipment. Some of the suggested procedures necessitate further review and clarification with NIOSH," Goodrich said. A letter from Dr. Marcus M. Key, director of NIOSH and assistant surgeon general of the United States commended the "B.F.Goodrich Co. for their excellent cooperation with the survey team in providing access to company employees, union representatives and company records of medical and employment history significance. The agreement of officials of the Louisville facility to provide continued cooperation...demonstrates the significance of past and present conditions of employment which may have either precipitated or initiated the introduction of tumors in certain of its employees." BFG02362 T 20206003 JHE PLAIN DEALER,'SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10. 1974 ; 2 chemicals suspected as cause of rare fomi of fatal cancer B*y* John Nussbaum'f -- ' Vinyl chloride and polyviml chloride, synthetic chemicals used in a variety-of manufacturing processes,. are suspected culprits in; three fatal cases of a rare- form of cancer:. , -Jx--::* one plant drew attention is. Washington last -week, ad-, I that only-about 21 cases a cording to a URW spokes- - year are reported in the man. Another meeting is! United States, according to scheduled Friday in Wash-5 .the chemical union. The un- ington.. The.U. S. Labor De ion has asked its 90,000 partment may be asked to members ' In, the United ; set emergency standards; States and Canada to fur-: for the chemicals during the nish data they may have investigation). >. The chemicals-are'the) " .subject of intense investlga- about the use and effects of the chemicals,. The`government recently) Issued standards for 14 tions by the B. F.` Goodrich , Investigation pf the chem chemicals discovered - to-. Co., the' United Rubber ; ` Workers and the - Interna-:. tional Chemical' Workers ' Unions) National Instituto'of . icals) and possible' regula-' cause1 cancer,. but vinyl! 16 r y government' action, chloride and polivinyl chlo will be coordinated at a - rides were not included. ' i meeting- Tuesday in the Occupational Safety.:--^and.; Health '. (NIOSH) and 'the! Sheraton. Hopkins. Interna tional Airport ,-- .; Dr. Selikoff figured prom-) inently in research leading 1 : Occupational- Safety and* Health Administration.- 5 . - > 1 If The investigations began to the identification of the 14. .The conference will In chemicals. He also was in-' clude New Dr. Irving Selikoff, a, York' occupational i strumental in the identifica- j tibn in recent years of as-: when Goodrich on Jan. 22; health expert; Peter Bom- j. besdosis, a lung disease, as . reported it was examining! marito) president of' the an occupational disease of -a'li employes involved in URW and chairman of-the asbestos workers, * producing \ and'handiing ,the ' chemicals:;,:todetermine?, whether three deaths.from," `hemangiosarcoma;- (cancerj of the blood vessels) of the \ health and- welfare division J of the AFL-CIO industrial 'union, and representatives of the unions, government 'health ' agencies -and'the .Louis Beliczky. the cliem-5 leal workers union's direct o r of industrial hygiene, said chemical-related can-' liver were job-'related.y -i . 3 public ; health, schools of. cer "usually has^a latency The deaths occurred in* December 1973, March 1973} .and September -1971 in-j Goodrich's plant in Louis-$ ville, Ky. The' URW says - Harvard University and'the' of.up to 20 years.'LSince the; University of North Carol!-f use of vinyl Is relatively re-j n a . The two universities-j cent, he said it is possible; conduct the URW's occupa-J the case's of- liver .cancer tional health program. . discovered "so. far may be the first of several more. another 1968 cancer death-,; The' unions and Goodrich may stem;from the same) cause. , . ' . . ., " The reason the'cases* in'j had met with Dr. Selikoffs ' If the chemicals are found. staff at New York's Mount. to be the cause, safeguards, Sinai Hospital Jan. 30 and in-- could be established to pro- tect potential victims. 20206004 BFG02363 r 'A' 14 THE LOUISVILLE TIMES, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1974 f- - Emergency session to study standards for vinyl chloride By DENNIS POLITE cer thought to be caused by exposure to Louisville Times 5M<f Writer vinyl chloride vapors. The standards board of the state Occu pational Safety and Health Administra tion (OSHA) will meet in emergency ses sion Feb. 19 to revise its standard for vinyl chloride and to place the chemical on a list of cancer-causing agents. The meeting, which will be open to the public, is the first emergency meeting ever called by the 13-member board. Dr. J. Bradford Bloch, medical con sultant to the state Department of Labor, said the board would probably accept h:s recommendation that the standard for vinyl chloride vapors be moved from 500 parts per million parts of air to 50 parts per million parts of air. Block said the meeting has been called by James Yocom, commissioner of labor The company announced last month that it was conducting an investigation into the use and effects of the chemical after two men who worked at the Louis ville plant died last year of angiosarcoma, the liver cancer. Another man died of the same cause in 1971; and the cause of death of a worker who died in 1968 has also been tentative ly attributed to angiosarcoma. The investigation has been joined by state and federal medical and safety offi cials and also has sparked an industry review of the situation. Block said the company's standard is presently at 50 parts per million, about a tenth of the state standard of 500 parts per million. after a request from Gov. Wendell Ford, If adopted, the standard would be the based on the results of an investigation lowest concentration, allowed in the na of the situation by a medical consultant tion, Block said. group to the state Department of Labor. He said the addition of vinyl chloride Dr. Block said in a telephone interview to the list of carcinogens would mean today that the change in standards comes that all companies using the chemical as a direct result of a situation at the B. would have to register with the state. F. Goodrich Co. chemical plant in Louis A new regulation slated to go into ef ville. fect soon requires companies using 14 Four men who worked at the plant other identified cancer-causing agents to have apparently died of a rare liver can register such use with the state labor de partment, and also detail procedures sur rounding the use of the chemical and the safeguards taken to protect workers from exposure. Block said of 55 men now working at the B, F. Goodrich plant here whose blood tests showed some signs of liver abnormalities, half of them will be tested further because there are still signs of . abnormalities from unknown causes. Ifc-- -v . ------- 20206005 BFG02364 T