Document npKQGDxdRYnRN9yX4zNzqQkpG

spur fr/The/Ohio Department of Health In these areas'that appears to .be 'confirmed today that it is investigating related to malformations'at birth." He .a report showing that Painesville, along said J the infomation taken from the with two other. northern ' Ohio com-^--- study was crude data, and, although he munities with plants using the chemical "failed to be specific, he indicated the vinyl chloride,- hasVabout*double the. ^ deparment will be checking into the ;state average of^,birth defects. - ^backgrounds and occupations of the __ . '/I1? . * . . " Pr. Peter F, Infante of tbe depart- ment's Division-of Chronic Diseases parents of babies with defects. Painesville has two plants using vinyl said that for every 1,000 births in each --chloride, Robintech, Inc., and Uniroyal, *icommunit^22$tofAvonjf.Lake' had 4 ^ ^ General Tire & Rubber. Co. in I-!: defects, 20jin PaineaViHe and 18 in Ashi !U Ashtabula and tbe B. F. Goodrich Co.in tabula. The average for Ohio is 11.4.,*- V? Avon Lake also;use the chemical, the >.,"We just don'tknow what they (the tj report shows. '4 /.'defects) are related to," said Infante, -j study turned up when the in- "pwill.take a long and complex in- dustrial union department of the AFL- . .tvestigation and a.lot of time before we ' GIO told a congressional committee C might know. ^ excessive blrth defects might be ; fi'Malformations ' occur at birth in --1 related to plant use of vinyl chloride, f; every city and state and a lot of factors -- chemical has hee0 under ^y ffi.arerelated to thcsemalformations," he "> die union as a possible cause of liver M^said^lW^icanJtfcayfwhat. causes it W cancer. A * S^ttuse nowwed&'t'know/" Infante .called, the preliminary ln- *fAll three communities have plants -- formation taken from a study of birth , which/use vinyl fchloride but Infante pf-c records and declined to outline the &,> said there apparently is no link, at the 1nature of the department's in- 5' present/1between/the-chemical and the birth defects. vestigation. ^''"T/^There is not any evidence'that l am - '- awar^/pf that isielated to^cqngentital - malfcrmations^v/said `Infante/ * ^'/.Painesville CityiHealth Department spokesman said^/today - that iof 826 liveibirths in-4h^cjty'in 1973; 23 had i birth defects, p^Wate of 27.8 defects j per l,gOO births^ JV * l--- - "We're just starting to look into it," 'said Dr. Peter F* Infante fef the Ohio Department of .^Health's ^division' of chronic diseases./"There is something ; By George P. Rasuneu plain Daalar uraau '' * y ; < WASHINGTON -- An abnormally high i rate of birth defects has been recorded in ^children born in Painesville, Avon Lake * .,and Ashtabula, all northern Ohio.communi- nite . link between the high number of de fects and vinyl chloride. ; "We're just starting to -look into it,''-. Dr. Infante said. "There is something in - those areas that appears to be related to ' more malformations at birth." ; ties with manufacturing plants using Vinyl chloride. The Ohio Department of Health is investigating preliminary findings of a study showing that for every 1,000 live births in 4' each community;^ 22 , in Avon 'Lake, 20 in : Painesville and .18 tin Ashtabula have de fects. The average for Ohio is 11.4. He called the preliminary information that was taken from a study of birth records crude data. The department is looking into the kinds of malformations' found among babies. Although Dr. Infante declined to be more specific, the depart-'' ment presumably will be cheeking into the backgrounds and occupations of the par ents of the babies born with malformations. The study came to light when the in, dustrial union department of the national , AFL-CIO' told a congressional committee it fears that excessive birth defects might be ' related to plant use of vinyl chloride. The AFL-CIO, which has been stepping up efforts to negotiate for stronger regula tions to protect the health and safety of workers,' had initially asked the health de partment to inquire into rates of fetal mor tality in the three cities. Information on the birth defects has l been turned over to the House Committee ' 0 n Interstate and Foreign Commerce, which is considering a tougher law regulat ing chemicals used in industry. The chemical, used in the production of plastics, has been under attack by the union as a possible cause of liver cancer. The federal Food and Drug Administration has recently banned aerosol . sprays using .Painesville has two plants that use vi- the chemical. : nyU chloride, Robintech, Inc. and Uniroyal . Inc. Ashtabula, has a General Tire & Rub' ber Co. plant and Avon Lake has a B.F. Goodrich Co. plant that uses the chemical. Peter Bommarito, chairman of the AFL-CIO's committee on worker health and safety, argued that evidence shows that wives and children can become ex Dr. Peter F. Infante of the Ohio De posal to vinyl-chloride because workers partment of Health's division of chronic carry the chemical home on their clothes diseases, .however, said there.was no defi- , and bodies. ,e fa,M f\i m sUl 174 91 * 18--The Telegraph, Wednesday, September 11,1974 ^Telegraph survey Scientific [indicates no link techniques applied nto PVC, defects in polling 7; By J1MSPEROS Telegraph Staff Reporter f A survey by The Telegraph indicates no apparent connection between the occupation of parents of children born 'in Painesville in 1973 and the abnormally high rate of birth defects in the area for that year. \ X The TelegraphX). survey on possible effects of the use of vinyl chloride in" two area .plants and the abnormally high rate of birth defects in the area was done using scientific polling techniques^ Hie Ohio Department of Health reported in August that it was d investigating reports that three northeastern Ohio communities, including Painesville, had double the statewide average of birth defects for 1973. The reports linked the defect rate to the use of vinyl chloride in industrial plants in Avon Lake, Ashtabula, and Painesville. -r> Painesville had 826 births in 1973 with 23 born with birth defects or congenital malformations. This gave the city a rate of : , 27,8'defects per thousand as compared with a statewide average i- of 11.2 defects per thousand births. Reports from the AFDCIO Industrial Union Committee had indicated that the defects in ...several communities might benrelated tonthe use^of the ' ( chemical, used to make polyvinyl chloride, the most common , form of plastic. - ' ' The Telegraph survey found that of the 23 children born in 1973 with defects, only one had a parent working at either Uniroyal or Robintech, the two,area plants that use vinyl chloride. In the .' control group of parents of children born normally that year, . ; one ^also worked at a vinyl chloride plant prior to his child's birth. ? . a" ;t . ' . , Similarities-also existed between groups of parents who , worked in chemical plants where vinyl chloride was not used, k and also between groups of parents who worked in plants or -.! careers in which volatile chemicals were not used at all. ' "b f' - ' ' No correlation could be found between the type of defect in the child, or residence of the parent, and occupation. A cross tabulation of those variables produced only random patterns. Hyaline membrane disease l a disease that prevents air from , entering the bloodstream in the lungs) was the most common ' defect, and Painesville, Madison, and North Madison were the communities with the highest concentration of births in both groups. ' Each certificate of birth at the Painesville City Health Department is numbered consecutively. The cer tificates also show whether the baby was born with any kind of birth defect and the name and address of the parents. Each birth certificate that noted s a baby.5 born with a defect was made part of the sample called .the "ex perimental" group; The name and address of the 23 children born with defects in 1973 was taken as the basis for polling. To select a "control" group, or group that accurately represented the entire population of babies born in Painesville in 1973, a random selection process was used. A number between one and 35 was selected at random, and the certificate with that number made part of the control sample. Each sub sequent 35th certificate after that was also made part of the sample- to make. a control sample- of 25, approximately the same number as in the experimental sample. Because the first certificate was chosen at random, each birth had an equal chance of being included in the control sample.1 In three cases, the 35th subsequent certificate could not be included in the control sample, either because it was one included in the experimental sample, or because the baby was adopted Ml ^ant 'O $ Now, for the fir: 6V2% interest o And you can ad same high 61/2% Your interest sti the effective anr Now, and only at maximum bank ir Check the table only $10--and $ from the day of Now, there is a differ All Plan 3-Month TimeDeposit Plan 1-Year TimeDeposit Plan 2 Vi-Year TimeDeposit Plan Rate Compou Quart* 5V2 6/ 61-2 ^VC claims buffet area's plastic industry By JOHN MEYER Sunday Paper Reporter The polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic in dustry most find a middle ground that will protect the health of its workers, yet allow production to continue. Vinyl chloride, the gas used in making the versatile,, pUstic^resin, has been shown (to cause cancers in animals when' breathed in high concentration. In January, B.F. Goodrich, the leading U.S. PVC manufac turer, revealed that three employes of its Louisville, Ky., PVC plant had died from a rare liver cancer. KJ eSV lLLC ( 4\fM % U S i "i4- Thirteen cases of angio sarcosls, a rare liver cancer, have b en reported In polyvinyl chloride workers In the U.S. Eleven victims died. This weebthe Ohio Department of Health confirmed It Is In vestigating a high incidence of birth defects In three northeastern Ohio communities--Palnesvllle, Ashtabula and Avon Lake--which have vinyl chloride plants in their communities. Industry spok s- men crltlclzedphe report as 'unsubstantiated' and 'premotor and the health?department said there was no evidence th re was any connection between the plants and the birth defects. Th in dustry's problem: how to protect Its workers, yet not d stray an industry that employes some 2.2 million people. Since then, 13 cases of the cancer have been identified in'U.S. PVC workers, 11 of whom connection to cancer was discovered, OSHA lowered the allowable level to -50 parts per production, and between 1.7 and 2.2 million jobs would be lost. have died. This newly-discovered health (has led the federal government to regulations which could have a major ct on the U.S. economy. Polyvinyl chloride is one of the most widely used plastics, and is found in homes, automobiles, recreation products, and a myriad of other applications. million (ppm). That standard will be lowered to essentially zero - "no detectable amount" by Congress in October if OSHA has its way. The 21 com panies producing PVC. have said compliance is impossible ; they claim the industry would have to shut down. The study, made by the Cambridge, Mass.based firm of Arthur D. Little, Inc., concluded a shutdown of all PVC plants "would create severe economic dislocations in many local areas." Substitue products for PVC fire often in ferior, and even if available in adequate quantities, which most are not, would require Meanwhile, the Environmental Protection ,, conversion prograins of,up to four years, the . The largest single use is in drain pipe and * Agency?(EPA)has * sampled theair near^T ` study.said. v ' : ` conduits for construction. The modern )';; several PVC plants and is expected to issue flooring materials which have replaced its own requirements on allowable levels of Besides the economic studies, the plastics linoleum are nearly all based on PVC. VCM gas outside the plants. industry has funded medical studies tc Upholstery, both for furniture and in cars, the determine what amounts of vinyl, chloride in vinyl roofs of cars, and the insulation on most the air are dangerous. The crux of the issue is wiring are other major uses. J.E. Zimmerman, operations manager for the plastics division of Diamond Shamrock whether levels industry considers acceptable - around 20 ppm - are really safe. Records, credit cards, siding, shower curtains, hoses, wall coverings, and sporting goods are a few other applications. Chemical Co., said a one ppm level outside a plant could be achievable "with difficulty", but would require "astronomical costs." As Diamond's Dr. McBurney pointed out, all identified cases of the liver cancer in PVC workers involved men who had worked over Supermarkets wrap meat and produce in clear PVC film; beer and pop cans are lined with it; bottles now are sealed with PVC in stead of cork. All these plastic products are formulated Diamond Shamrock's medical officer Dr. , Richard W. McBurney of Painesville pointed out reductions in workers' exposure are largely gained by venting of the gas outside the plant. long periods in old plants where eposure levels were fan higher than now. When PVC production began in the late 1930s, VCM gas was considered safe except . for its explosive qualities. The only concern from raw^PVC resin, which is a granular, awhile substance-resembling sugar or sand. It is an innocuous substance, resistant to flame and chemicals, and hasn't been connected with any health problems. ; Improved ; processing t-techniques, better control of leaks and wasteland plant designs " that minimize worker contact with VCM gas have significantly.*- reduced exposure throughout the industry. was to keep levels in the air below three per -Mi cent (30,000 ppm), to prevent accidents. In the early days of the PVC industry - and into the 1950s - the odor of the gas was constantly present in the plants. VCM can't be smelled at concentrations less than 2,000 ppm. problem lies with vinyl chloride monomer, the raw material for the resin. Vinyl choride (VCM) is a molecule called a "monomer" which under heat and pressure is linked into a chain called a "polymer." This is PVC. The polymerization process, carried out at 36 plants in the U.S. (including Uniroyal and Rcbintech in Painesville Township) is never complete. The VCM molecules which don't Diamond Shamrock engineers have said in- plant levels around 20 ppm are achievable. The industry position, both in this country and. in Europe, is that levels below five to 10 ppm couldn't be achieved even with today's most advanced technology. The industry argument Is that these low levels don't constitute an occupational hazard to workers, and that a zero level requirement would cause massive -disruption in the frlinrilnP flnt'nmnhnp nlp^Viin" v. -- - The chemical corporations assert that the men who contracted the liver tumors did so when working under extremely high con centrations which are never found anymore. The Manufacturing Chemists Ansociation (MCA) sponsored, a study of some 8,000 present and former PVC woi kers and found SPVerfll tvnf1* of onrrpr opport-*H rnr%re oftTM >/o V-y*- * lri<r juJl ^ztLi^cdL^uJ^i__. h l/C 0- 3( l LY*~ Wy^cts /) l/C. /t - fyjdlrutM. f-f- 2 2-/^ & " ^nfA// 6C. - CMc/vctesj * tXvM0.tJl$ iSfto TJ- ^fOiAvO. I A' i-l^v/lj? fitcrfucK, lvL- bi" y%wi&u*iej A' C'UuA-l+lJl 8- $Atm,o CGC 0Q034 7 ^ UA/U^. Jl'tftC'^t'W ^r^l .yvJ* S- 'OU r LJ /Uww*^* GGC 000343