Document nmknnJxRNwxaBz52YjmKxORaX

L'basanto -... . ..Sift* . i in '.i TO James E. McKee - A3NB August 27, 1976 Mr. J. T. Nolan - D U ee D. R. Bishop - BIND E. H. Harbison - B3SA F. R. Johannsen - A2SC G. Roush - A2SA The comments of our epidemiologist consultant seem to boil down to these simple facts: 1) Deceased Monsanto PCB workers had no melonoma or pancreatic cancers. 2) These workers lived longer than the national average. 3) Analysis of their death certificates . shov/s a higher than national average of lung cancer. 4) Based on Information available, the epidemiologist believes the lung cancer cases were not caused by PCB exposure or even by the plant environment. The following quotation is useful: "The results of this study do not indicate doseresponse relationships, either for all causes of death or for lung cancer." Mr. Bishop and I will use the above information in preparing for the Business Week interview. . JEM:ee Attachment -- Work Sheet James E. McKee ) NEV 024775 738030 Work Sheet In examining the two items of correspondence from Dr. Mahboubi of the Eppley Institute, I have extracted the following information. From the letter dated October 17, 1975: Mortality from all causes for the Individuals studied who worked in the PCB plant is not materially different from national averages. Interpretation: PCB workers had no melonoma or pancreatic cancers. The correspondence stated that incidence of lung cancer among this group of employes is considered to be in excess. From the letter dated November 19, 1975: "Mortality rate from all causes of death among this group of employes is not materially different from those which are expected on the basis of national experience. Indeed, this mortality is lower, on the average, than the national mortality." Interpretation: These PCB employes experienced no melonoma oi? pancreatic cancers. They lived longer than the national average. Mortality due to lung cancer is higher than the national average. Based on information available, it is difficult to attribute the lung cancer cases to employment at the plant, and particularly to PCB exposure. NEV 024776 738031 Based on some animal tests, EPA considers PCB's to be suspect carcinogens. More extensive animal tests conducted by Monsanto several years ago concluded that PCB's did not cause cancer. The livers of experimental animals showed evi dence of some damage in both sets of tests, but pathologists do not agree that cancer was the result. We have examined available records of employees in our PCB department of the Wm. J. Krummrich Plant for the 1950mid 1975 period. .No deaths involving liver malignancy (tumors) have been found. Several months ago a group from NIOSH visited the plant. They concluded that employee exposure to PCB in our operation was too low to be of concern. )' NEV 024777 738032