Document kDB17DzDqEbOxojD3G1Ke90Kq

'' ' h *--v rt v.-;- r-jV `.'.V- / -,`j - s* *' ......\ - . c'uS.:-l~.i&- 4' -- t;.-;' .:-,X.^-^:.^r 'Vinyl chloride-, long believed'to-be k'V' fairly benign chemical," first burst into;';V lu.-orlriw.ide headlines in 197+ when it was -"-' : found ta trigger a rare-form of liver can-_*. ?"`'c^r cali^ang\osarcoma^.'7rY^vt=^=^^ .. The diiovery orthree-.'ang{osafc6ma~;'' \ .'deaths at a BFGoodrich chemical plant in Louisville, Ky.,- set off a widespread search that turned up several dozen . jtnore angiosarcoma cases among indus trial workers in . the U.S., Canada and Europe.-,- . This in turn spurred broader research. .that indicated vinyl chloride may be a" factor in cancers of . the lung, bladder, ' brain and.jiancreas.lThere is tentative. "evidence itrhay" als^-'causc-birth.defectsj.j^ "vinjT-chlOride- is-a'colcrless, sweetish^1'! smelling gas. at room temperatures but . may be cooled into a colorless liquid. . It is the basic feedstock for manufac- - luring polyvinyl chloride, a plastic-used in a bewildering array of products rang- ing from shower curtains to phonograph records to auto parts. : -. The great 1974 vinyl chloride scare came in the midst of a major expansion of Houston area plants that make or use the chemical.-;;- ---r-- `._ : --The-Houston area is one of the nation's' leading centers for the production and._ use of vinyl chloride. -- Discovery of the chemical's cancer-".- causing properties resulted in new feder--' al regulations to protect both plant work-'v ers and surrounding populations. Worker exposure was limited .by the . Occupational Safety and Health Adminis tration to 1 part per million, over an j eight-hour period. The pievious permissi- Ne exposure had been as high as 500. pp-i. - r-:.- -r In ;*,:** 1976, the Environmental Protecti..a Agency also set rigid limits on emissions trom vinyl chloride and polyvinyl chloride plants in a step to pro tect the public. - -. SL 096765