Document j4ZK6YBx8kVDRjJRgBdwwmoO

INDUSTRIAL CHEMICALS DIVISION MEMORANDUM May 15, 1974 To: Mr. P. B. Cornell Subject: NIOSH - VCM Exposure Studies P 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) are 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 J. M. Quinn Director Environmental Services cc: Messrs. E. E. James J. M. DeVoe W. C. Koch R. J. Nelepovitz W. S. Fergusoft^i Attachment ASI 0000J 8 966 U S J&vRKEWEDBY ,U*Y MAY 9 1974 MANUFACTURING CHEMISTS ASSOCIATE QU1MN 1825 CONNECTICUT AVENUE, N.W. WASHINGTON, D. C. 20009 (202) ^^W^ONM^XAL SERVICE F. 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 Attachment cc : Mr. A. W. Barnes D. P. Duffield, M.D. Dr. Tiziano Garlanda Kenneth D. Johnson, Ph.D. Secretary Technical Task Group on Vinyl Chloride Research ASj 000l8967 Copied fry MCA. -5/2/74 STATIST"! OF U'nnK A. Background and Purpose Information recently has been made available to the National Institute: for Occupntion.il Safety and Health (UTOSH) that indicates a serious :.i-:lth pr.-blr.-: potentially exists in workers involved with the polymerlent ton 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 etlologic 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 nast and present worker exposures to vinyl chloride during (1) the monomer production and the (2) processing 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 utilized to ascertain the extent of worker exposures to vinyl chloride and possibly other liver toxins so that the possible health effects impact in 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 lock at possible general exposures will be made. Enclosure 1 AS I 000018968 D. Scope of Work 1. The Contractor shall furnish the necessary personnel, material, Bcrviccs, facill tic:-,, nnd otherwise <lo all things necessary for or incident to the j i-rtorr.ancc of work set forth herein. Speci fically, the Contractor shall perform the following: Task I. Vinyl Chloride Monomer Production There are 15 plants in the L'nited States that product vinyle chloride monomer according to NIPSi! information (Attachment A). From these 15 plants, and any other plants that the .contractor identifies, three plants shall be selected for on-site environraental/industrial hygienoe surveys. Within SO day;, of the initiation of the contract, the con tractor shall present to the project officer (s) the list of vinyl chloride monomer plan in and polymer processing plants that have been choosen for the environr,ont3l/industrial hygiene surveys. This pre sentation 'a 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 bo 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 JBT the_j)lants haying the longest history of vinyl chloride nTonomer production. ' The surveys at the selected three plants shall consist of documenting past and present worker exposures to vinyl chloride and past and present work practices, environmental control procedures 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) S-hour daily time-weighted average exposures (TV'As) of vinyl chloride for one.h 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 documentation of dates of ventilation changes and the extent of changes and how they relate to past and present vinyl chloride levels; (6) documentation of past and present environmental control procedures and work practices that have been instituted to lowerrvinyl chloride levels and how they relate to past and present vinyl chloride levels; (7) photo graphs, sketches, etc. ;e document existing, condition:;; and (tf) documen tation of past and present industrial hygiene practices, including utili zation of protective elethlng (i.e. type, frequency of change, laundering practices, etc.), protective devices (l.c,, rospirator-usngo, frequency type, etc.) hen '! er;>ip: ictlc.o.i, shower requirement:;, eating, smoking and drinking practice; la production ar^an, etc. ASi 000018969 Task II. Processing of Polyvinyl Chloride and Polyvinyl Chloride Copolymers Environmantal/industrial hygiene surveys shall be conducted in pro duction areas where mlyvinyl chloride and polyvinyl chloride co polymers* are processed including, but not limited to, the followinq operations: (1) compounding; (2) extrusion; (3) molding; (4) calenderir: (5) thornoforming; (fi) binding; (7) foams; (8) fibers; and (9) plastisol Y>rocessing. The surveys shall be conducted so that each processing operation is sampled at three different plants (locations). The criteria for the selection of these three plants shall include, but net be limited to: (1) information gained from preliminary site visits; (2) information gained frera literature searches; (3) information gained from personal contacts; (4) representativeness of the operations to in dustrywide processing; (5) operations having greatest potential for works exposures to vinyl chloride; (6) operations havino the .greatest gradient of worker exposures to vinyl chloride; (7) availability of historical inplant air measurements of vinyl chloride; and (8) the operations havinc 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;.'4 worker exposures to other known liver toxins (if present! including, but not limited to, mercury, 2,2 dichlorovinyl dimethyl phosphate, ozone, diexane, beryllium, lead, dimethylnitrosamine, arsenic, (amyl, methyl, ethyl, butyl, prool and vinyl) acetate, copper, trichloroethylene, carbontetrachloride, arsine and tetrahydrofuran shall be measured and/or constructed. Task III. Sample Collection and Data Analyses 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 ofncer(s) prior to use by the contractor. The contractor should be cognizant of the fact that vinyl chloride is considered a potential human liver carcinogen and all employees and agent of the contractor should be provided with appropriate protective equipner These equipment needs will be discussed with the project officer(s) prior to the field surveys. < , The sample collection shall be conducted in such a manner as to provide statistically valid data that are representative of present worker ex posures (categorized by different job-types) to vinyl chloride and other liver toxins, if found. Post worker exposures (by job-type) shall be constructed hosed on the information that is collected on the changes ir processing, ventilation, environmental control, work practices and indust rial hygiene practices that have occurred over the years and on historic,'. * Polyvinyl chloride-acetate, polyvinyl chloride-propylene and polyvinyl chloride vinylidene chloride ASI 000018970 air sampling date evornbly 'j.^vsunul samplina data) collected in the plant, if deemed reliable and accurate. All assumptions th t are made in arriving at the constructed concentrations shall bL. pre sented, All of the above information on processing changes, ventilation .changes, etc. shall be presented as part of the report on the surveys. ASI 000018971