Document k6gDjgpVgYneG78pgvgdydK6J

NEWSCUP/APCUT SOUTH WALES ARCUS NEWSCUP/APCUT EUROPEAN chemical NEWS Weekly ' Daily 56.197 2 2 OCT 1976 2 0 OCT 1976 , | Monsanto to quit European PCB market next year rnmm'm m W. X ' v i SJ|,... . 4'^-' Ali. X^fRr^iuctio^'&pfilfe- controversial chemical TCB 'will. end.-.at -the end-' o{;$fre month . 'Avhen Newport's Monsanto.'. ch-emie&ui . . ri|h*ted: phenyls ---'ijas'nvalnly beeiTused as iftn insulating liquid in., $Iec- I tflfiiL ^LiUfiacltaru. .;nA,-odluva. formers., : ,. ..r;* , It ha* j&ljpUanvsyal ltl^-to' RDT, ! Ih'.Ubat' nQtvveuyi'tpjciq .but Uvperslstan^a'nd buildup-ever Ipg'PWidds. e^eclalJy. Jn-.dsb. j\v NQ^rcdwadancies^ ) " Tlhe company ere Withdrawing the chemical eftep a ipng.phas- 1 Monsanto Europe has now followed its cations. In the US, where Monsanto is US parent in announcing its exit from the only producer, this effectively halved ' the market for polychlorinated bi- the size of the market. | phenyls (PCBs). The company sa.ys it The other two major European sup [ will alose down- its Newport, UK, plant pliers, Bayer and Rhone-Poulenc (Pro- l - and withdraw completely from the man gelec), are still selling the products in i ket by October 31, 1977, The plant is a wider number of applications. But i a small part, of its UK operations, under an EEC directive, their use will employing only six people. ; eventually be restricted to dosed electri . . The firm withdrawal date was given cal systems and applications where their : by John Mason, director Monsanto in flame-resistant properties are para 's dustrial chemicals Europe, who had mount, such as hydraulic equipment iq !' previously announced in January the. mining and heat transfer fluids in- sped- . - company's intention to phase out PCBs lied industries. The European market / as soon as alternatives were available. currently totals 5-7 000 ton/year. ; Consultations with its twenty or so Alternative products include Dow major European customers have con Coming's polydimethyl siloxane for vinced the company that substitutes do transformers and Dow Chemical's now exist in commercial quantities. mono-chlorodiphenyl oxide for capaci But customers are not so convinced. . tors. In the latter use, however, there About five years ago, Monsanto took is also a trend towards use of com the lead in the US and Europe by volunj modity-type products such as phtihalate- larily restricting sales of PCBs to manu esters. Monsanto's own research for a facturers of electrical capacitors and PCBs alternative has now been aban transformers, both dosed system appli doned. NEW^UP/pCUT^ | 4igHEMIMLACE , The pecfeioat'-will have-little ' effect on . the!. Newport plant Oqjy abeut aiJCiTnentiare'i^mployed in ' th.e.1 mam^actupe ' of the chemical'.and,the' flrny .ga-y there will ;be.' pb :redundancies, ' Fears about-ttie ohemiasl a^ose 1 in the ear/y-sevepiica when- it was found,;inifish,'-The 'chemical was - later- traced; to -.thousands at dead-sea-Wrds.V' .-''A-j mT` Monsanto then' Joapos^d. a voluntary, .pan .'and refused,.tq, sell if to anyi'otijtcKmer syhere' they thougfht '.the ' use'1 WLS 'inot controllable. -t .. . Alternative1' ' - 'The'.'fiTim announbi;In Jan- 'Uyry t-h-ap they -woul(JtflMse' out '.aiyff en'd^production :;h|e,iBobn a? ;en ^Itarwtive was fajitho'- ' Now ;they Relieve Vtflpro ere ! enoughf.^Wiey jwodvuiljj^ea 'the njarket.f pl. - 1 rjl y ' 1 Mvyisantq. hve ShbtT'dpwn 'j their other ..plant taSilffh .Wo t pucjfa peg .uyiAmerlc^iBuifthe mchemical is jsfillf- b^iigu tnajvu- lectured . by others ip -France, 'GeIrtmIasnby,eUItyavlyyd-tahned mSapnaulnfa.hcrt/u! r Iing - unit- at Newport's Mon santo , plant will. be sc!rappe|i,. Weekly: 4,427 i ^5Mm Monsanto will quit PCB production MB/foAnnrsnar,nrtoLjia_s said. i. t will withdraw completely from sales of PCBs in both the US tne polychlorinated bi- Europe (30 January uny! rHarkn `noiaterthan is fh " tf?e US' Monsanto 31 October 1977', following PCRv6 !C .Producer of the passing by the US tT-Bs, while in Europe it ongress of the toxic sub shares the market with stances bill last week. The Bayer, Rhone-Poulenc and hul stipulated that all PCB Production should cease some smaller producers of the material. within two years, and all have been under sales should end within 2Vi attack for a number of years years. PCBs are used as because of their persistence dielectric insulating fluids in m the food chain, and then- transformers capacitors. and applications have become more and more restricted to Monsanto has announced closed applications. The US a. t th--e beginning vojfi tijhiiiss yvepairr iml a/ rket is , a. bout 40 mmiilllliioonn iittSs lloonnpg--ftoerrmm iinntie,,n.t.i:o_n f. n y?ar' w.blle ^e European DSW 184060 STLCOPCB4051124