Document jJ58Vd6NYR4yJV9bMZqYEG52

INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM Subject nan 1 August 1978______ OSHA Suspect Carcinogen Inventory To From C. E. Blades D. R. Hartter Administration (LAcalien. Organization, or Daoartmont) Nitration Products {Uocation. Organization, or Department) cc: A. J. Diglio H. L. Harwell A. T. Katsaros/P. E. Zecchini/2.8 Toxicity - DNT J. C. Novak R. L. Piester/T. V. Plllltterl/2.8 OSHA W. T. Rector R. H. Schenck W. M. Smith J. T. Wharton T. E. Whyte The OSHA suspect carcinogen Inventory referred to in the attached C & EN article was published on 10 duly. Review of this "preliminary list" which contains 269 Category I chemicals, 218 Category II chemicals, and 396 Category III chemicals, reveals that IDA is on the Category II list and DNT is not included on any list. Given that these chemicals have been grouped using the original OSHA Category definitions, I question our basis for ever assuming that TDA would fall into Category I. DRH/cjf Attachment D. R. Hartter (320) AP00047845 Chemical, up 15%. Smaller gains ocmrred for \V. R. Grace, up 6%; Union Carbide, up 4% (regaining the plus rolumn a quarter earlier than it in Dow tests clear methylene chioride dicated in recent forecasts); and Methylene chloride is neither muta American Cyanamid, up 1%. genic nor a human carcinogen, ac On the other side of the profits cording to analysis of a two-year ani ipectmm, some of the drops ran mal study by Dow Chemical and a much deeper percentagewise than did human occupational exposure study the largest gains. Unfavorable earn at Eastman Kodak. These findings ings com pansons with second-quarter could encourage continued growth in 1977. some influenced by one-time the use of methylene chloride in factors, are reported by Ethyl Curp., aerosol propellants, flexible urethane down 2%; OHn, down 6%; Monsanto foam-blowing agents, paint strippers, and Texasgulf, down 7%; Diamond metal cleaners, rapidly drying paints Shamrock, down 25%: Allied Chemi and adhesives, brush cleaners, and cal, down 43%: and fertilizer-plagued food and spice extractants. First Mississippi, down 51%. Chemical product lines showed the same wide variability in performance as did these profits figures in the second quarter. The most diversified In the Dow study, nearly 2000 rats and hamsters were exposed to atmo spheres containing 0, 500, 1500, and 3500 ppm methylene chloride, six hours per day, five days per week. At chemical companies reflect this patchwork performance in their summaries. For example. Celanese the end of six months, animal cell samples were analyzed for chromo somal damage. At the end of the ani president, John D. Macomber, points mals' lives, bodies were autopsied and to improved performance in inter slides of tissues examined. national fibers, U.S. eeliulosic fibers, No greater number of tumors was worldwide plastics, and worldwide found in experimental than in control mer specialties. However, earn- groups of hamsters. The rats, which S slipped in U.S. polyester and nave a tendency to develop sponta n fioers and in worldwide chem neous mammary tumors, were found icals. At Union Carbide, strong firstt-o have an excess number of benign half 1973 sales gains came in specialty tumors in the experimental groups products, gases and related products, and batteries and borne and auto motive products. Metals and carbon but not of malignant tumors. Com pany scientists ascribe the excess number of benign tumors to meta sales we nt up at about the same 11% rate as did the company's overall sales. But chemicals and plastics sales just held even with first-half 1977. Industrywide, major product lines showing better earnings than a year bolic stress. Exposed rats suffered liver effects, but company spokes persons say that these were not severe enough to shorten animals' lives, and severity did not progress between the 18th and 24th months. No evidence of ago in the second quarter were fibers, chromosomal aberrations was found excepting textile types, many plastics, in cell samples taken after six pesticides, and many specialty lines. months. "The earnings results in large-volume basic chemicals were very mixed, with notable weak spots such as chlorine and caustic soda, an important group mentioned by several large producers. At the bottom was fertilizer, which disappointed ail producers. After this generally improved but stilt hard-won profits standoff in the second quarter, chemical companies have no illusions about the rest of 1978. Executives are uniformly cau tious. Observes Monsanto chairman John W. Hanley, "In general, the operational results for the first six months of 1978 were acceptable. We anticipate that we may be operating In a somewhat more difficult eco nomic environment over the balance of the year with uncertainties in cluding unresolved matters of the federal government's approach to tax policy, inflation, and energy policy. Despite these factors, 1978 continues to shape up as another satisfactory year for Monsanto." A study of a large number of male employees exposed to up to L3o ppra methylene chloride for up to 30 years at Eastman Kodak in Rochester. N.Y., shows lower mortality rate among exposed persons than for the population of the state. Death rate from cancer and heart disease among these persona also was lower than thac of the state population. Kodak is re luctant to discuss details of the study, pending publication in a peer-reviewed journal. A similar study of employees ex posed to methylene chloride at Cel anese Fibers Co.'s Rock Hill, S.C.. plant is still jn progress. Dow indus trial hygienists who are assisting Celanese in carrying out the study say that preliminary' results show no ad verse health effects. These encouraging findings to date may help methylene chloride to re cover ground lost in 1977. Industry' sources attribute a 12% drop in pro duction from 1976 levels to increased solvent reclamation efforts by users, a tripling of imports, and a failoff in exports. Strong growth of the U-Seconomy may produce an increase of 17% to 553 million lo for 1978. Q Chemical carcinogens list released by 03HA As promised several weeks ago, the Occupational Safety & Health Ad ministration has released a prelimi nary list of chemicals classified ac cording to the system the agency proposed last year for regulating cancer-causing substances in the workplace. Lengthy public hearings on the proposal are now being con ducted ana it was at these hearings & 'k {V It it.* -f $ ife L` In a sense there are no suprlses on the list because it is based on sub stances listed in the 1976 edition of the National Institute for Occupa tional Safety & Health's inventory of suspected careinogens. The list was prepared for OSHA by Clement As sociates, a Washington, D.C., con sulting firm hired to conduct a pre liminary review and categorization of substances in the NIOSH inventory that are found in U.S. work places. The Clement list place* 269 chem icals in OSHA's Category 1. which is' comprised of substance* that are i C*r. T confirmed carcinogens based "7>n human data or on tests in two mam malian speries u fin-*.spF-cit- if tho=ie results have been renlicat^l. I..iteU in Category I are chemicals such as acetamide, benzene, cartx>ti tetrachloride, chloroform, tannic acid. July 24, 19rC*EN T 1 AP00047846 f,nA trichloroethylene: minerals such as asbestos, beryllium, chromium, iron ore. and nickel: and drugs such as daunomycin, estradiol, and proges terone. The Category I list also contains a number of substances, such os various nitrusamine compounds, that are of special concern to the chemical in dustry. Although the substances themselves are not commercial products, they may appear in trace . amounts as contaminants in com mercial products. Under OSHA's proposed policy, there will be do ex clusion for contaminants present in trace quantities, as there is in most OSHA regulations. Thus, if the car cinogen policy proposal becomes final in its present form, commercial products that contain only traces of Category I substances might have to be regulated and handled as con firmed carcinogens. The list also places 21$ chemicals In OSHA's Category II. comprising substances whose carcinogenicity has been reported but for whlcn thTeyi' Pence isonlv suggestive, or t-tTnositive irTonlv onelsaectes ana has riot vet j 'been replicatedTIncluded in Category 11 are substances such as ter-butyl peroxide, ethanol, methyl hvdratine. npphtfaaLyie, petroleum, - toluene^ C2.4-diaminQ-And xylenol. I-- Category III has 396 substances with nr>~ or at most, meager, evidence --qf carcinogenic risk. e.,f. In releasing the list. OSHA em phasizes that it is not intended to be a "hit list," OSHA says it is providing the list at this time because of nu merous requests to do so and because it may serve as a basis for drawing up criteria on how the agency could de cide priorities for regulating the chemicals on the list. Scientists form group to inform consumers A new group, the American Council on Science & Health, calling itself "a new type of consumer advocate," has been formed to "combat the chemical phobia now rampant across the country." Composed largely of uni versity scientists including a number from Harvard University, the group insists that it intends to remain fi nancially free from the food and chemical industries. At a press conference in Washing ton, D.C., Lastweek.Dr. Elizabeth M. Whelan, a research worker at the Harvard School of Public Health, said - that the group has been set up be cause "facts about chemicals are often distorted, the whole story not told, and decisions are made more on the basis of emotion and politics than science." Whelan, author of "Panic in the Pantry," a book about food additives, and a frequent critic of what she considers to be scare stories about chemicals and health, declared. "The consumer advocates have dominated, and federal regulatory agencies have succumbed to their pressure and banned or restricted use of a number of chemicals. Only rarely are the voices of more rational scientists heard in discussions relating to chemicals and health." Whelan is executive director of the council and a member of its board of directors. Also named as directors of the council are Dr. Frederick J. Stare, professor of nutrition at Harvard? Joseph F. Murphy, executive vice president of Continental Corp. (for merly Continental Can); Dr. Thomas H. Jukes, professor of medical physics at the University of California, Berkeley; and Nobel Laureate Nor man E. Borlaug, now a researcher at the International Maize & Wheat Improvement Center in Mexico City. The council's motives, however, do not go unchallenged. Dr. Sidney Wolfe, director of the Health Re search Croup, a Ralph Nader affili ate, claims that many of Whelan's previous statements about chemicals and cancer have suspiciously sup ported industry positions. The ciiuncn, Wolte says, "is probably man- interested in the health of the food additive industry... than it is in the health of the public." Wolfe and HRC have been instrumental in pressing for tighter federal regulation of food additives, artificial food colors, and prescription drugs. a Hoechst narrows focus of research efforts Hoechst A.G. will be eoneentratinsr its research efforts on just a few areas In the near future. Dr. Klaus Weisserrael. director of research of the West German chemical company,; told a press conference in New York City last week. The areas receiving the greatest R&D push over the next few years are pharmaceuticals, plant protection and animal nutrition, reprography technology, and fine chemicals. The biggest R&D spending will go to pharmaceuticals. Weissermel pre dicts that this area, which makes up about 16% of Hoechst's sales, wiU re ceive about 39% of the company's $454 million research budget. According to Weissermel. these areas of concentration may shift be cause of changing strengths within Hoechst. However, the total research budget will not change very much. Weissermel predicts that it will rise only 4 to 5% over the next year--just enough to keep pace with inflation. Hoechst's research budget, set at a percentage of sales, is higher than that of most U.S. chemical com panies. The Figure in 1977 was about 4.1%, compared to an average of about 2.6% for U.S. companies. However, Hoechst's R&D as a per cent of sales figure probably will slip if the company insists on keeping the budget at its present level in terms of constant dollars, which will happen if it is raised only in keeping with, the inflation rate. Although sales dropped from 1976 to 1977, mainly because of lagging fiber saU. this situation likely will not continue. If sales increase mote than inflation, the R&D per centage will begin to tag. In areas of research other than the four which were emphasized. Weis sermel says that Hoechst is doing more work in fire retardant materials. Last year the company introduced an inherently flame resistant polyes ter--1Trevira 271 (C&EN, Oct. 31, 1977, page 4). Weissermel told the press conference that Hoechst is ahw working on flam* retardant polyole fins using chlorobromide for fire resistancy, and polyamides using phos- phors. Another new development by Hoechst is so auto exhaust catalyst that uses iwinnwimwi Tftels of the precious metals used in U.S.produced catalysts. The catalyst that Hoechst is working on can be U3*d with leaded or unleaded gas. C&CN has learned that in the U.S., Ford Motor Co. (3 interested in the new catalyst, which probably wil I cost less to produce than existing catalysts. CSEN Jdy 2*. 1978 1 3 X 4 i l AP00047847