Document mQEwGg2JGLm35MkzZGR85jzO

'^:k?4 * "^Fv" UNION CARBIDE EUROPE Svry Chemicals ami Plaetico Laboratory LAND 22. ROUTE DES FAYARDS, I2M VERSOIX. GENEVA. SWITZERLAND (~)i Lc$&I!q7 V~J~j{cT -a / S7" 3 INTERNAL CORRESPONDENCE [/ c APR22 197? , 5vr to: -^rH'^-^eun^V-^Sth Charleston COFY TO: A.J. Benson April 3, 1975 v RECEIVED APR 2 3 W' b R J, HANNA \5\ Dear John, ftEOs-W tiO APR8 ^9,S j 0. SAUwsV ktutJitu MAY 28 1975 R. N. WHFFIER, JR. Please find the enclosed chronological reconstruction of the VCM story. I thing your people might find it of interest, especially Russ Hanna. Enel. AJB/dz UCC 070579 UNft)N CARBIDE NORDEN AB ""vi ic: : : k. pr'aCtl. i'a . Jj _ i C1. j ' fX 3 bi '* low i-. >;h leci Other subjects -in.i ri-jx- .-jctcr': have priority - like tobacco - hi :: j, phyjiral net: **:'tr, rood, .'.r.d lechalir consumption. Canccr-tUT.cii" r search v, :ro fa l". o:k; .M i': :u . u:.hij' picturt of the impertan? of public Y ^th i.> remarkable in the many cases cf ropc-t.d ~-xir-'vr . 7:dior., Particularly surprising is the chrcr.olo jy concerning the vinylchibrido. The author ho: jtv. V. -.1 ::h s.v ill able litterature ar.d is giving a summery of the cor.ter. t; of ' tpo 'tcr.cr, in order to guide the purpose and f;-:thodj i-i the tlicor li vu . d .yj_ied toxicology in order to serve thepriv-.r.tio.: of e LViro.:::.. : risks in the industry-history . The Vinylchloridn started to be used commercially ii: the i'd of '}?30. Tn Sv/*:ii;u 1915. ?h yearly production in the total eM"ld is aV i mill, to v.i l 974 . The increase has been.about 15%/year during the last five years. 99% of the V C M was used for production of P V C, about 1% .was used as propellent in aerosols (Levison 1974). The Swedish Institute of Helth and Safety has followed the line tfrker. by OSKA in USA over exposure to V C I-I, and has reduced the standard jfrom 20 ppm to ------------------------------------ 1 ppm with a maximum of 5 ppm avefage for 15 min. periods. 1 1 ------------------------------ ----------------------------------------------------------------- -- Below is a review of the essential articles or. the toxicological data of V C M after the beginning of its commercial use. The acute toxilogic'effects, of narcotic character and fire hazards are not envolved. Uf.N 7 $.70.3000 A*u dith UCC 070580 Ut'flOH CAl'.BIDL NOitDCM AH Ch "ort.-l ci;ic :I cu rviv 1549. Trib'.i! '. ij-.llcLo'c.tor; published a report abo'.i'. pi raticr- organ, ci rcu L.'.tioi.-orya: , and liver charge of workers ir. s vir > 1 ehiori PVC-plrnt. ; 1950* This ;.bov-j article is summerized in Chemical Abstracts. *957- Filatova and collaborators reported about "chronical angioreurosis" ir. vinylchloriJ-,,- - I'VC-yroduccior. even at exposition-levels of a - 2c cpm. A surenary is rope:*, c th; same year in Chemical Abstracts. 1961. Toikelson and collaborators are publishing bow Chemicals'tasts on rats showing liverparenchymal changes at 500-2CO ppm and ar. increase of the liver-weight at .CO ppm. Dow Chemical accept this and choose 50 ppm as threshold-value for their own part. 1963. Suici and collaborators report of neurasteni,Raynaud,sclerodernia, and hepatomegaly among vinylchloride - PVC - workers. 1964. This year Dr Ward in Louisville reports liver-injuries or. a worker at 3F Goodrich (vinyl chic ride-PVC) as ar. industrial injury. This mar. died 1973 in hcmar-giesarcomc. (Leviser. 1974;. 1965. Fusct.i'. is the first one to report in writing about .acrocsteclysis. The following years similar reports are published from Helgicn, England, France and If'.. yCordivr and others 1S6C: Levi son '974). 196?. Scno". tel publishes a vinylchiori de-bibliography -,.,c present; -program bar..d or. :i.e seriousness in the vinylchloride-reports abou neurologic, nephritic, acrcouteol yti c, and sclerodorm.al symptoms a?; :cicr / r- UCN I 5.73.3000 , UCC 070581 *UNION CARBIDE NORDEN AB 197C. Viol-' iV|ioric at th" Xth International Cancer Congress about zymbaly]and-cumou;s at 30 000 ppm on rate.Published in Cancer Reseapch 1971 . 1971. Haltoni (Bologna) begins his animal-tests with vinylchloride. 1972. Haltoni finds zymbalgland-tumours but also nephroblastoma and liver-angiosarcoma on rats at 250 p.p.m. He reports these_observati0ns (Maluoni 197-1) to his principals - four European plastic-plants ar.d Manufacturing Chemical Association (MCA) in U,$.A. 1973. -At the Second International Symposium on Cancer Detection and Prevention, in Bologna in April 1973 Maitoni reports in a public speech Haltoni 1973 the mentioned statements. On third of July a meeting i talcing place between the federal NIOSH, MCA, and Cheinical industry-reprensentatives in U.3.A. Maltoni's results and epidemiology for involved industry-branches are discussed. Marstellar and collaborators (7973) publish a report on hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, trombocytoper.y, and acroos-teolysis among vinylchloride-PVC-workero. The report is based on careful studies with hlp of among other things peritoneoscopy. 1974. On the twenty-second of January Goodrich Chemical, U.3.A., report to KI03H and others, that among their employees in the vinyl-chloridePVC-production they have retrospectively found three angiosarcoma. 0 S I! A arrange on the 13th of February a "hearing" where Maltoni and collaborators appear. NIOSH suggest on the 11th of March "no detectable level" of 1 ppm as threshold-values. *./. IICN1S 7.130.10 .. UCC 070582 UNION CARBIDE NORDEN AB 0 3 il A choose nn Lii<_ 5th of April 50 ppm as "tentative interim standard" * On the 23rd of April The Swedish 3oard of Industrial Safety issue a t temporary direct ion of 20 ppm as a threshold value. On the 10th to 11th of Hay The Hew York Academy of Sciences arrarigfe a two-day conference only about vir.ylchloride-PVC. On this occasion a comprehensive bibliography is distributed covering 130 references (Office of Occupational Health 1$74). Maltoni (1974) and MCA report independently about angiosarcoma on rats and mice now also at 50 ppm. Maltoni also points on the transplacental effect on rats. 0 S H A present at the same time a suggestion about "no detectable level" (= 1 ppm ) as threshold-value. During the summer 1974 there are hearings in Washington (4000 pages official record). Industry-representatives describe imaginable occupying losses and state that it is economically inpossiblc to go down to the values suggested by N I 0 3 H and 0 S H A (compare for instance Hasting, President of the American Plastic-Industry Federation 1974). Rannug and collaborators at the Wallenberg Laboratory in Sthlrn publish a report describing vinylmutagenicity after metabolic activation on Salmonella typhimurium. In October 1574 2? angiosarcomas arc- known. Two of these derive from Sweden aud have beer, identified. The first case 13?C and later 1572 diagnosticated a: livor-rxt.c:r. UCN I S 7J 3000 S ' i i ~ UCC 070583 ,UNIOI<l CARBIDE NORDEN AB Vi3S?44'vrii<i` It is to .1 high decree justified to usk, >ny the growing amount of information about the different serious injuries, particularly 'rum the last 1C--year period, not before 1974 is taker, into a systematic consideration among the people concerned with the company preservation of health. With a few exceptions, only some companies have sporadical medical examinations. Technical measurement has been rare and concentrated on high exposition levels. Information about eventual hygiencical injuries has rarely been given to the employees. 4.) The detection of angiosarcoma (and other tumours) during the Seventies, first on animals, later ir. man, points on some alarming phercnnjna in the industry concerned: a) Haltonis carefully planned experiments are financed by the industry. He has now informed that his test-results preliminary were givn only to his principals. The plastic-industry, like others, who are handling chemicals ought to have been obliged to toxicologically value their chemicals and contineously follow up eventual symtor.s related to the working-process. The present system, is senseless and creates suspiciousness and delays the health-preventions for the exposed people. A demand is therefore a clear insight into the industry-financed toxicological research ar.d information Gf at: ind-P-'-ndant research centre. b) The views and procedures behind the determination of the threshold values, partis 1triy concerning cu.ecerogcric substances must bi recheckcd. UCW 2 5.73.;K UCC 070584 INION CARUIPE NORPEN A3 :jt i I 1 in ir.ir.y e j :os ar. unscientific attitude s^cmn to be dominating, namely that a dose-response analysis could lead to a cor.firelation of non-tumour, producing exposition limits even for verifiable car.carogeric substances. It is evident to-day that cancer-developing substances, alone or with co-factors, exert an influence which can not be foreseen by mathematic models. (2P3T3I" 1974;. If values above nil of economical reasons are chosen, the canccrrdsk for the exposed individuals must clearly be declared. The magnitude of this risk must be estimated and clearly stated. A judgement of! this character has ir. reality always taken place, but outwards-ever. ini the Swedish threshold limit value list 1974, (The national Swedish Board of Industrial Safety) it is understood that the values are strictly based on hygicnic-scientii'ic judgement. However, in practice are every limit value economical-hygienic (and often influenced by measuring methods) but the involved components has r.ot been separately declared. There are reasons to believe that the to-day limits can be lookedlupon as a series of retreat where often an overpowering published proof, in a few cases has led to an adequate determination of the threshold1limit values, i.c. Vinylchlorice. 5.) Testing of chemicals ir. working environment includes systematic errors. Furthermore, there is a lack of international coordination. All the chemical and animal tests together v/ith the clinical and epidemiological rests are suffering from serious weeknesses. As regards the epidemiology, the results are unci oar since a well define series of observations curing 30-4C years is required to forecast the risk of cancer. / UNION CARBIDE NORDEN AB (V. the first of October 0 l H decide that the threshold value should be 1 ppm valid from January 197^ t On the 15th of October the Swedish 3oard of Industrial Safety agr:.- or. the same limit valid from the same date. KrL5STICKS The chronology gives reason for the following reflections: 1. ) Chemical relatively alarming results concerning vinylchleride have been available since 1549 - 1950 4nd in increased extensiveness since 1957. Both these Hussite: reports were immediately referred to in Chemical Abstracts. 2. ) That Tcrkelson's and collaborator's report of 1961 about vinyl-toxicity in animal-tests was not observed to full extent and did not lead to a decrease of the threshold value - in spite of the report culminating in such a recommendation - must be considered as ar. annoying negligence from responsible people involved. The report seems not Tfo have beer, the inspiration to any toxicological research. 3. ) During the Sixties a growing amount oi reports were published about clinical changes during the handling of vir.ylchloride-Riynxud, aerr ostecl ycis , sclc-rodormi , hepatomegali . These reports complete the Russian reports, even if these studies contained little information about xposition-1eveIs the amount and nature of physiological changes ought to !, iV: _.cd to an intensified research and a review of the regulations with the background of the fast growing vinylchlorit!c-> J~ i n du st ry . UCN 2 S.72.23M t. * UCC 070586 UNION CARBIDE NORDEN AB The company Vi :.fL111 service must increase the control of' exhibit'!1.: individuals and be aware of the limits of its methods. The human beings must not be test objects where other possibilities are available. The valuble preventive work has probably instead its preponderance of power outside the companies hea]th services in the form of biological tests, mutagenic tests and similar tests. A collaboration-work must start on this subject, and it has to be repeated, that the industry has to be enjoined to test all substances and compounds the individual could be exposed to. LITTSRATUR CORDIS II J M, FIEV57. C, LfiPfiVRE h J, SEVEIN A: Acro-ostelyse et lesion cutar.oes associes chcs ceux ouvriers affectes au nettoyage d'autoclaves. Cah Fed Travail A: 14 1966. EPSTEIN 6 S: Environmental determinants of human career. Cancer Res 34:2423-2435 1974. FILATOVA V 3, GEONESFG E 3: Sanitary-hygienic working conditions in the production of PVC resins and measures for improving these conditions. Gig Sanit 1:36-42 1957 HARDING R; 1: Current Developments Section .tentingcon: The Bureau of National Affairs Ir.c 123: A-8-9 1974 . LEVID'SGii C: 'fork Hazard; Vir.yl Chloride. Geuev-e: IDF 'S74. uchi; 73.3000 UCC 070587 UftlON CARBIDE NORDEN AB MALTOHI Occupational carcinogenesis. Preprint of International Congress Series 322. Excerpta Medica 1974. - Foredrag vid Working Group .-on Vinyl Chloride and Poly-vinyl Chloride, New York 10-11 May 1974. Ann KY Acad Sci to be publ - Carcinogenicity Bio-Assays of Vinyl Chloride:Plan, Current Results, and Perspectives. Bologna Oct 17 1974. Presenterat vid ICF, Geneve 1974. MARSTELLAR H J, LELBACK W K, MULLER R, JURE S, LANGE C E, ROHNEfc H G, VELTKAN G: Chronisch-toxische LeberschSiden bei Arbeitern der PVfi-Produktion. Dtsch Med V/ochenschr 98: 2311-2314 1973. M0H30N R R, PETERS J M, JOHNSON M N:Proportional mortality among vinyl chloride workers. Lancet i: 397-398 1974. OLIN R: Vinylklorid-sjukdomen. L&kartidningen 71: 1500 1974. PONTSN J; Experimer.tell cancerforskning 1969-1971 . Cancer 2: 11-i22 1972. PUSCHIHG G A: Sov Med 28: 132-135 1965. RANNUG U, JOHANSSON A, RAKEL C, VACKTKEISTER C A: The mutagenicity of vinyl chloride after metabolic activation. Ambio 3 (5): 194-197 1974. SCHOTTEK W: 2ur Toxikologic des Vir.yl-chlorides. Chem Techn 21: 708-711 1969 3UICIU I, DREJM/.N J, VALASKI M: Etude des maladies dues au chlorUre do vir.yle Med Lav 58: 261-271 1967. '-'CN 1 5.73.3X0 r- UCC 070588 UNION CARBIDE NORDEN AB T0RK3LS0N T R, 0V3K F, ROWS V K; The toxicity of vinyl chloride as determined by repeated exposure of laboratory animals. Am Ir.d Kyg Assoc J 22: 354-361 1961 . TRIBUKH S R, TIKHOMIROVA 3 7 L, XOSLOV L A: Working conditions and measures for their improvement in production and use of vinyl chloride plastics. Gig 3ar.it 10: 38-44 1949. - - Sammandrag i Chem Abstr 44: 1743 1950. VIOLA P L: Cancerogenic effect of vinyl chloride. Fbredrag vid -4th Int Cancer Congress, Houston 1970. BISCTTI A, CAPUTO A: Oncogenic response of rat skin', lungs and bor.es to vinyl chloride. Cancer Res 31: 516-522 1971. Arbetarskyddsstyrelsens meddelanden. Nedbringande av exposition:^. fbr vir.ylklorid. 1974: 30 Arbetarskyddsstyrelsen: Hygieniska gransvarden. Okt 1974. Federal Register. Department of Labor: exposure to Vinyl Chloride39: 194 Oct 4 1974. Office of Occupational Health Surveillance and Biometrics, NIOSif: A.biblio graphy on vinyl chloride. Stencil 1974. UCC 070589