Document jmkeGrep278jGzR18MwjDonLN

THE NEW YORK TIMES, MONDAY, MARCH 4, 1974 Many Workers Still Face Health Peril Despite Law By JANE E. BRODY ! The recent discovery of fatal leach day from occupational liver cancer among vinyl i diseases, chloride workers has focused; The Government Accounting renewed attention of govern*'Office acknowledges that there ment, labor, industry and!has not been nearly enough medicine on the thousands of;money and staff allocated to known, suspected and as yet j make a dent in the vast prob- lunsuspected health hazards llem of occupational health. In that face 60 million workingjaddition, fundamental scien- jAmericans. Itific knowledge is lacking upon Despite the passage three'which to base remedial actions, lyears ago of the Occupational and without more funds the Safety and Health Act, granting necessary research is not forth every American the right to coming. work without job-induced Historically, occupational threats to life and health, the health has been a low-priority overwhelming majority of'item for both government and workers are not yet protected medicine, by the law's provisions. Fori Yet, each year one of every; lack of this protection, hun-! -------------- deeds of workers are dying'Continued on Page 21, Column 1 Continued From Page 1. Col, 6 and experts In occupational! leading occupational hazard-- gienistS to canvass nearly five health say that most of these: asbestos--is known to greatlyjmillion workplaces, 10 workers suffers a iob-related standards are inadequate and increase the risk of lung can-! During its first eight months, illness or injury. The Public unenforced. | cer only in workers who smoke | O.S.H.A. inspectors visited 17,- Health Service estimates that For vinyl chloride, for ex cigarettes. i743 workplaces. At this rate, prolonged on-the-job exposure ample, the existing Federall "The long-term effects of theit would take them more than to toxic chemicals, dusts, noise, standard is 10 times higherj vast majority of chemical and,200 years to visit each one heatf cold, radiation and other than what most industrial users physical agents used in indus-ionce. If the staff were ex- industrial conditions each year themselves adopted years ago,: try have not been proved, and!pended to the original projec- results in the death of at least and is infinitely higher than the practicailv no research is be-jtion of - 2.000, it would still 100,000 workers and the de zero exposure level that labor: ing conducted to find out what,take about 50 years to com- velopment of disabling occupa and university scientists rec-i these effects are," Dr. Jeanne iplete the rounds of workplaces. tional diseases in 390.000 more. ommend. M. Stillman and Dr. Susan M.l In thousands of plants Researchers in occupational New standards developed! Daurn state in their new book, | throughout the country,, work- health believe that countless under the Federal law are being "Work Is Dangerous to Yourers do not even know what thousands of others succumb to promulgated by the Department: Health." chemicals they work with insidious job-related diseases of Labor's Occupational Safetyi But Dr. Irving J. Selikoff, di-1 since, to protect trade secrets, not yet discovered by science. and Health Administration rector of environmental sd-ithe substances are given only Industry sources estimate (O.S.H.A.) at a rate of only one ences at Mount Sinai School!code numbers. And unless a: .that only between 5 and 15 a year. At the same time, in of Medicine, said, "For scien-j Federal standard exists, the per'cent of workers are covered dustry is introducing some 400 lists to worry about what weicompany is not required to| by comprehensive company new chemicals each year,; don't yet know when nothing monitor worker exposure to medical departments, which nearly all of which are untested is being done about what we noxious agents or to perform hive the potential for detect for possible long-term effects already know is a cop-out." He periodic medical examinations ing .Work-related health threats. on the workers who handle noted "that even if there were;of those exposed, Enforceable Federal stand them. enough data to develop pro- 'The act has done a great ings': to protect worker health There is virtually no testing; tective standards for all known Ideal to improve the worker's currently exist for only 450 of combinations of substances' and potential dangers, the La-1 perceptions about the sltua- of the estimated 15,000 chemi that by themselves may be bor Department would be hardition, but it hasn't vet done! cal' and physical agents to harmless but become deadly put to enforce them with only| much to improve the situa-| which workers are exposed. when combined, although a 600 Federal inspectors and hy- tion," said Anthony Mazzocchi, legislative director of the Oil.'of the Department of Health.[workers succumb to their ef- a less-than-glamorous special Chemical and Atomic Workers Education and Welfare, the in-ifects. ty. Only a handful of univer International. Union. Istitute has thus far been Last year, the ordinarily sities have departments of Franklin Wallick of the treated like an unwanted Step- sedate and sober director of occupational health and fewer United Automobile Workers, i child, the institute, Dr. Marcus Key, than a dozen physicians enter who wrote a book called, "Thei According to a recent anal- exploded with exasperation: the field each year, the ma American Worker: An Endan-lysis by the Government Ac* "N,I.O.S.H. is not expanding, jority becoming company doc gered Species," said that for the; counting Office, a meager it is shrinking. It is getting tors. most part workers are still; budget of about $24-million the proverbial meat ax.'. . . The institute also faces the "the human guinea dustnal processes." pigs for in-iand I and a staff limited prof.essiona.l in size level (600) Our have; isn't present laboratory space even adequate for any scientific determine problem of how to when a substance is In interviews last week, la-!severely hampered the insti- kind of research. It is sub- safe. As Dr. E. Cuvier Ham bor, industry,'government and; lute's potential accomplish- standard-. ... We have been mond of the American Cancer university sources agreed that|inents. frozen on hirings for most of Society said: although the occupational As a result, in its first two ou..r.....e..x..i.s..t.e..n. .c..e..,...-.a..n. .d w..e. are "Negative results in testing health aw was a giant and!ind. a half years, the institute losing key staff right and left a substance for cancer-produa- ' essential step m the ngnt di-jhas been able to develop the'because we don't have the ing properties are meaningless, rection, the realities of current)criteria for only 16 new stand-! grade points to promote them. and a clever-enough researcher Administration funding have;,rts for hazardous materials. . I don't think N.LO.S.H. can make almost anything in deprived it of much-needed | although the institute's list of! is a viable organization at this duce cancer in animals, but- muscle- ' [high priority agents exceeds his findings may have no jUnder the act, the National; 400, In an interview last week. relevancy to human exposure." Institute for Occupational To handle-"emergencies" like Safety and Health (N.I.O.S.H)jVfnv| chloride, the institute w* jet up to survey indus* ihas been forced to divert funds Dr. Key said the situation had n--o-t yet impr--o-v--e--d-. "-If --any,thing, it's worse," he remarked, Rather than "safe" exposure Hammond and Dr. recommend levels. Dr. Kev believe trtal health problems, conduct; and pers0nnel from other es-j ' The institute's efforts are that industry should adopt needed research and develop >gential but less immediatef not. aided by the fact that oc- protective work practices that new standards for. known and tasks, such as developing: cupationa! health has been eliminate worker exposure to potential occupational hazards.. stajldardj that might head off [virtually ignored by the medical_a_ll_a__g--ents--whether or not they __ButJn_the widebureaucracy other vinyl chlorides before profession, which regards it as have been proved harmful. EC- 2121