Document mBONG9aEdb6Ee8j1dVz1NJazZ

MEMORANDUM date: March 12, 1974 SUBJECT: REPORTED INCIDENCE OF ANGIOSARCOMA AT DYNAMIT-NOBEL to: j. m. Quinn, Director Environmental Services ICD, DAB-2 cc: E. F. Booth (w/a) A. B. Gancy (w/a) The attached article from the current Chemical Marketing Reporter confirms suspicions about the very high incidence of angiosarcoma at Dynamit-Nobel reported in the earlier article which I transmitted to you by memorandum dated 3/6/74. it should have referred to acroosteolysis, not angiosarcoma, and the number of affected workers is also much less than indicated. BEK:pts Original Sign^ JCrt*, Ma nager Technology Development Chlorocarbons C-639 (p) ASI 00006357 1 SCA-1515 TO! -For your information O For your files Q For your camments O For your approval O Index? Yes No Please Return P -_____________ Additional Routing From LIBRARY INDUSTRIAL CHEMICALS DIVISION Date ASI 00006358 I x^VCfJ Worker lllnnss in Europs Has Beon Identified if Senate Decides Reports circulated in European labor ci rcles that fifty-three out id ICO workers in a German polyvinyl chloride plant had con tracted angiosarcoma, a rare liver cancer, Wf?F 5flitstrolly exaggerated tilt- llltieki fldl since been identified as aeroohtentysis, a less serious affliction that was spoiled in this *nontry in (he taw's and arrested by improved work practices. llelaits about the origin ol the reports have been difficult to acquire, but it has been learned that there has been a recent pattern of work-related illnesses at the plant operated by Dynamit Nobel in Troisdorf, Germany. Contacted by the European editor of CMR for details, Dynamit Nobel officials were unavailable for comment However, if is understood that llir company's board of directors was convened last week to discus* the story (CMR, 4/M/Tl.Pg. 51 and issue a format statement. As of the end of last week no statement had been received. According to health officials in the US, who attempted to trace the story through European sources, the informal ion first began lo circulate following publication of a research paper last November by the Skin Clinic of the University of Bonn on illnesses suffered by workers at the Dynamit Nobet plant. The study was reportedly commis sioned by Nobel officials themselves. Phosphorus Use Cutback Is Urged In Livestock and Poultry Feed by Butz In an effort to stretch supplies of phosphorus and meet the needs of ag riculture on a more efficient basis, Secretary of Agriculture Earl L. Butt has called on the livestock and poultry feeds industry to cut back phosphorus use levels to those recommended by the National Research Council. He made the recommendation on-the basis of discussions by a seventeen-man task force on phosphorus requirements of livestock and poultry that met earlier to de termine whether further reductions in phos phorus supplements can lately be made. The task force was set up by the National Research Council. The current phosphorus shortage amounts to an estimated 300,000 tons of dicalcium phosphate equivalent, or about 20 percent of the total US need of 1.6 million tons annually, according to the secretary. The shortage is anticipated to last from six months to eighteen months and perhaps longer. The secretary cited a dumber of causes tor the light phosphorus situation: - De mand for phosphorus has increased five- fold In the past twenty-five years, and pro duction of late has not been able to keep up. Some of the phosphoric acid normally used to produce feed phosphates has been diverted to fertiliser production recently. Imports of Curacao phosphafe rock have Continued on Page 13 Ciba-Geigy Shifts Stress To Overseas Investment And Eves Bark InfpflraHnn CELANESE EXECUTIVE: Blanchard L. Prit chard, who hat baon mado director ot man- uTieturlno arimlnUtratinn (/>, ci,.. Apparently the company became con cerned as worker illnesses tot the liver, spleen, and bancs) became increasingly fre quent and proceeded to introduce a series of safety measures and finally asked for the university study. In the meantime, the company enntinued to Improve its facilities. The Ministry of Health was informed and apparently began a still-active superintendance of the safety measures. The ministry is said to be satis tied with the progress being made. The company has apparently met with the plant's workers' council to discuss the Continued on Page 39 EPA to Allow Witnesses Scope in Hearing Record Environmental Protection Agency has amended its rules of procedure governing public hearings on effluent standards for toxic pollutants to allow all statements offered by the public and unsworn documents to be entered into the hearing record without cross examination and to be considered by the agency in reaching its decisions. Et'A said that it became evident on the first day of the hearings last January 25 to consider proposed effluent standards for toxic pollutants that the rules of practice it had issued earlier could be construed in such a way as to exclude from the hearing record public comments that had been sub mitted pursuant to the notice of hearing. The agency said that nothing is gained by admitting only those affidavits or exhib its which arc subject lo cross-examination. While such' evidence is clearly admissible and should be given considerable weight in any final decision, it was staled, if is neces sary lo investigate a wide range of data in finding the "legislative facts" involved in the rule-making proceeding. "Thus, for example, it may be necessary to consider scientific reports, articles in scholarly journals, and reports prepared by EPA ot other Federal or slate agencies, in arriving at the required decision. It would be arbitrary for the agency lo refuse lo con sider such matter solely on the formalistic grounds that the author is not available for FED Can JtrJge On Oil After All After marching up (he hill again on the issue of rolling back prices of domestic crude oil. Congress last week finally decided - temporarily at least - to follow the President's wishes and allow Ihe Federal Em rgy Office to be the sole judge of the fairness of petro leum price!). In a week ot confusion (>r chemical mar keters trying lo get a hai.dle on the proba ble future course of mi !- oil ptices. (he Senate, which had orir.m.dly insisited on rolling back "new" done Vic crude prim to no higher than 17.09 per barrel, did a (tip. flop on the sisluation by voting lo sustain the President's veto ot the Emergency En ergy Bill because ol the rollback provision. On the same day the Senate was support ing the President on Ihe issue, the House unexpectedly wrote a similar rollback into a pending Federal Energy Administration bill, only lo change its mind 24 hours later and vote the provision out of (he bill before ending it to conference. An amendment rolling back price* of propane gas that was included in the bill Continued on Page 13 Top Executive Depicted As Dutch Boy at Dike "The fun has gone out of being a lop executive," declares Robert T. Kremple. chairman of Kremple & Meade. Los Angeles-based executive recruiting firm. "Over-regulation--and growing pres sure from social action groups are grad ually draining away Hie thrills ol power and accomplishment." Mr Krcmptc says. As an example, he notes that top ex ecutives of oil companies arc now spend ing BO percent of their time on the de fense - trying to explain the oil short age to the government and the public i Too bad, he says, they can't spend ASI 00006359 *'iSI . -rt ... ; end Aromatics . *,x- y. NX 11237. (212)497-4664 'IWJaJJ Vm uHj Fragrance OILS ODORS (QOILS executive offices: 410 E. nd ST. NEW YORK CITY. N.Y. 10021 SKOKIE, ILLINOIS C007C SAN FRANCISCO *4000 OFFICES IN ALL PRINCIPAL CITIES. AGENTS IN ALL PRINCIPAL COUNTRIES. ~1 Williamson CARAMEL COLORING * *** **, ICd.tr!!*, Kt.iluCky \ i i Your --i Fund Fights "* 4' >v o vD CO >0 o o oo ' *9 H t</)r 1 IlC At il 1 t t>t Lfc1' 1,1 l A JiJ rt 4 . <>' w> in U>* price of caraway seed, which was beine offered at 68c. per pound for both Dutch and Polish varieties. Indian cumin seed was being quoted at 75c. to 79c. per pound, going down from 79c. per pound the week before. Nutmegs, which have been going up steadily since the middle of January, regis* ," VCM Worker lllnocci Continued from paKe 4 tered their first drop in that time. The problem. Sources said that the minted num climb upwards took the price of East Indi ber of fifty three Sick workers was pmnably an whole products from 11.26 in the begin inflated and that the figure of twrnty mne ning of the year to $1.74 two weeks ago. At attributed to the number of incapacitated the beginning of last week, a 2c. drop brought that material to $1.72 per pound. workers is probably close to the actual number of workers showing any symptoms One supplier, who- had been offering East Indian reconditioned material at $1.27 during early January eventually saw his price rise to $1.74 a couple of weeks ago. Last week, the cost dropped slightly to $1.72 per pound. Alleppey turmeric took a step down again last week and was being quoted at about 41c. per pound. Despite these decreases, the overall price levels in the market were once again higher. Contributing most significantly to this situation was the price of pepper. Al though Muntok white went down a cent to about $1.13 per pound, most other peppers took steep climbs up. Except for a week or two since January when pepper did not go up, this commodity has also been increasing steadily during that time. Last week, prices rose anywhere from 4c. to 8c. per pound. Sarawak black, for instance, was being quoted at 83c. per pound, an increase of 8c. from the previous week. Brazilian black pepper took the next, highest step up, 6c., and was being offered at 80c. per pound. Lampong and Malabar black peppers went up to 80c. from their previous respective prices of 75c. and 76c. Tellicherry pepper was being quoted by one supplier at 83c. per pound, an increase of 5c. from its previous price. Mace, which has been holding steady at high levels over the past few weeks held its at all. There are said to have been no new cases uncovered since the fall of 1973 and that many of those victims suffering finger bone deterioration (acroosteolysist had begun to show signs of bone regeneration. It is said that no angiosarcoma was yncovered at the facility. CMR has been unable to confirm this Story, nor to examine the University of Bonn study. However, if these events are in fact the souce of the circulated cancer re ports. then the Dynamit Nobel situation does not represent the significant new de velopment that the stories implied. Regard less of the facts of the Nobel situation, how ever, there seems to be a growing body of evidence in Europe and more recently in the US. that VCM presents a potentially se rious health threat, and may be carcinogen ic. In response to that evidence, much of it presented at hearings conducted by the Oc cupational Safety & Health Administration of the Department of Labor in mid-Febru ary, OSHA is expected to issue new work practice standards soon for all VCM and PVC facilities. These standards are being designed by the National Institute of Occupational Safe ty & Health (NIOSH) of HEW. It was not clear last week what the new standards would be. mark still but East Indian broken#2 mate rial went up 10c. and was being offered at $3.30 per pound. OSHA OPTIONS There is the possibility that OSHA will promulgate a temporary emergency stan Cinnamon and oregano costs also contin dard which is the only mechanism by which ued to rise, according to prices received the agency can put mandatory regulations last week. This time Ceylon cinnamon in into effect immediately. However, the ex creased. going to about $1.15 per pound, pectation is that the agency will issue addi while Greek oregano advanced to $1.40 per tional voluntary standards, perhaps along pound and Mexican oregano went to 95c. the lines of work practice standards issued per pound. at the end of January on fourteen other al PEPPER- The Malaysian government leged carcinogenic industrial chemicals, is looking into the feasibility of growing pending completion of the regular rule- pepper on a large scale in Peninsula Ma making procedure, twhich could take sever laysia and the state of Sabah as well as ex al months). panding production in Sarawak. Many people have called for the estab Research is being conducted by the Ma lishment of a standard of no exposure, in ef laysian Agricultural Research and Devel fect a "closed system", at all plants deal opment Institute which is currently study ing with VCM. including Anthony Mazzochi ing fertilizer requirements and their econo an official of the Oil. Chemical & Atomic mic application. Workers International Union, and Dr. Irv Of the 18,000 acres of pepper land in the ing Selikoff. Director of Environmental Sci country, 16,000 are found in Sarawak and ences of the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in the rest in Peninsula Malaysia. Sabah, a New York. state that grows a negligible amount of the Dr. Selikoff warned against "wild" reac commodity at the present time has import tions, last week, such as "removing plastic ed 50,000 pepper cuttings from Sarawak to ashtrays from the table." But he told CMR set up nurseries throughout its regions. that, while scientific evidence is still sket chy, there is enough information available ESSENTIAL CILS to conclude that "urgent control measures are already required." On May 1'). the New York Academy of Imports of the selected essential oil, on Sciences will hold a meeting of "concerned which Census Bureau reports monthly, experts" in an attempt to improve the state started 1974 off at a slow pace. Compared of knowledge about VCM and pathology. with imports for December of last year January shipments showed drops m volume for twenty of thirty live nils, while twelve rose slightly and three remained at the ,,me level, which was zero. S0CMA Gets Word Continued from Page 7 addition to an absence of origanum. "we have two specialists in the area ofjor-