Document npMk433R166eE0LDp0q4qJGJw

aourno irons. rtsnvasrn, nr* 4 AdNauseum: John Anderson's article on the soul of Pat Boone'* .vhile buck* ("Rock V Roll ! Great White Buck,* RS 20S) calb to mind the resurrected rocker's visit to our small campus in Rice Lake, Wisconsin, in 1968 as part of one of his Aash-in-the-pan land development projects in the area, and our good mayor's . wresting of a few unaccom panied verses of "Love Letters in the Sand" from the super annuated superstar. Deeply moved by the article, I promptly blew lunch into my new slow cooker, purchased after receiving the Boone fam ily's inspirational commercial message on the product into my heart, the profits of which, well, tee Matthew, chapter 6. Jim Slauson Milwaukee, Wisconsin The article on Pat Boone says, "You've heard of speak ing in tongues. It sounds like tibberish to most people but ften turns out to be ancient Arabic or some other exotic language. In Shirley's case it was Latin, which she had never studied a day in her life." Linguists have made tape re cordings of Pentecostal Chris tians speaking in tongues, and have analyzed the contents of the speech. I know of no re search showing that speakers of tongues spoke in non-native or unfamiliar languages. Hamilton Gregory El Paso, Texas It's a Miracle It's a miracle, Rolling Stone with an article on the Jefferson Starship (RS 203), and a good one too!! Despite the fact that you published it only because they've been making it com mercially again, thank you... even though they have been making sophisticated, invigor ating, avant-garde rock music all along. Michael Zanoni Lodi, California Pro & Cob This is in regard to your putdown article on David Allan Coe's prison record (RS 203, 20S). Did you check out also the good he has done for prisoners --his publishing company to publish inmates' songs or his award from the State of Ten- for efforts to help, i.e.. the Seven Step Rehabilitation Program? He never cheated the public if he lied about his past, he only used it as a vehicle to bring some good music to the public. Maybe the years he was in prison seemed like 20 years to him! DgnaueK. Jones Melbourne, Florida Was really surprised to see an other article on David A. Coe. And this time a little more of the truth--or "bullshit" as Shelby Singleton puts it After my husband and t read the first article on him, are had the biggest laugh we'd had in days. Coe and Betty sponged off of us for about two months back in 1968. We lived in Ashland, Ohio, then. And by the way, he was never the president of an out law motorcycle gang either. My old man eras. And the bike he waa riding was a baby Yamaha, also my old man's. And yes, be sure is a very convincing story teller; sure seems like everyone bought everything he said until now. But us. Karen S. Lkhttfoct Gabon.Ohio Bio Ditch Diplomacy The issue of Psnama ("Psnsma's Imperial Canal," RS 203) is an increasingly important one which the American press has failed to give appropriate cov erage. As recent visitors to Pan ama and students of its history, social structure and politics, we would like to add to the infor mation and analyais that Jan Morris provides. Panama's arrangement with Bunau-Varilla, described as one in which the Frenchman would negotiate the canal concession "for cash and protection," was in fact the newly independent Panama's first betrayal by the imperialist powers. The Pana manians desired independence from Colombia, and BunauVarilla, on behalf of the U.S., offered them a guarantee of in dependence by the assurance of gunboats stationed near Colombia, in return for a canal treaty that the Panamanians would help to create. The treaty, however, was signed and delivered to Washington before the Panamanian negotiating team had arrived at the table. Another important moment is less than accurately repre sented as "an affray" in 1964, On the 9th of January, Pana manian students chose to carry out their legal right to fly the Panamanian flag in the Canal Zone. The Zonians attempted to thwart their efforts, and in the ensuing struggle die U.S. Army shot and killed 22 Pana manians. In the days that fol lowed over 600 were wounded. Panama cut off diplomatic re lations with the U.S., and the unperial negotiators came runmug to the bargaining able. This year, the 9th of Janu ary was commemorated in events organized by the Com mittee for Panamanian Sover eignty. The committee grew out of a trip last October of 40 North Americans who visited Pan ama as its guests for ten days. We were overwhelmed by the amount of support for the Torrijot regime's strong stand against the U.S. colonial pres ence. We saw how the U.S. involvement has distorted Pan ama's development by encour aging dependency and by keeping the country from de veloping other resources for its own use. Marian McDonald Cambridge, Massachusetts Impressions of Spain I was in Spain last summer and vividly remember the chilling sight of the Guardia Civil pa trolling the streets of Barce lona, swinging chose menacing machine guns under their arms, welcoming the latest batch of tourists who had crossed the border at Port-Bou. 1 remember sitting in the Plaza Mayor in Madrid, drink ing early into the morning with a young Spaniard and a couple from Berlin. The Spaniard cau tioned us not to sing too loudly since such noise might draw the police. One of the Germans cursed "fascist Franco" while the Spaniard hung his head. And I remember Pamplona and the running of the bulls, a great specude staged m the heart of the Basque country. "Franco would never come here." a Pamplona youth proudly boasted to me. "If he did, there would be bombs." The people of Spain are friendly and travel there in trigues. It is indeed a country to watch, hopefully for readers of Rolling Stone, through fu ture dispatches by writers like Donald Katz ("Dispatch from the Valley of the Fallen," RS 205). Frederick Burger Marietta, Georgia v/ A Blue Note Hound Dog Taylor and Arthur Crudup could have used some Rolling Stone publicity while they were still around. I'd speculate that over half your readers never heard of either man until their obits ap peared. How about some posi tive publicity for. the black blnesman for a change? Don't wait until he's dead to sing his song. I expect more from RS. Liz Pearl Tucson, Arizona We made a New Tear's Reso lution so do more than play the hits. Sorry it didn't do Howlin' Wolf any good.--Ed. Errata With regard to the story of the yachtjacking, the statement waa made falsely that a stripped hulk of a vessel was found off the coast of Bolivia. My map* all me that this is a nice trick, since Bolivia is a landlocked country. Otherwise, the story waa the kind of hard-nosed re porting I expect to tee more frequently in Rolling Stone. Bill Laveiette Cedar Rapids, towa Okay, okay, so that one was a skyjacking.--Ed. In my Pal Boone story l stated that Wilt Chamberlain was among the several hundred sinners whom Pat baptised in his pool. I have since teamed that this is not true. Although Wib hod an injured knee cured as the resub oj prayer at the Boones', ha aaver was baptized there. I apologise for the error. --John B. Anderson Hie PVC Controversy The Company Line We have read with consider able interest "The Plastic Cof fin of Charlie Arthur," in your January 15th issue (RS 204). The article contains errors of fact and omissions but, more importantly, it accuses B.F. Goodrich officials of trying to cover up s critical problem. The following corrections of some of the more important in accuracies indicate the flaws in your article. ITEM: "Maltoni was work ing for a group of European chemical manufacturers who wanted his findings kept secret. The American companies were all too happy to agree--so for the year before the Goodrich announcement the companies covered up Maltoni's findings that vinyl chloride caused can cer" (page 44, Col. 4). FACT: In late 1972 com panies in the Manufacturing Chemists Association were planning studies to evaluate findings that rats subjected to 30,000 parts vinyl chloride per million had developed tumors. Representative! of American companies visited Dr. Ccsarc Maltoni in Bologna in January 1973. Maltoni told them that preliminary results had found cancer in some test rats, but be was unable to reach firm con clusions at that time. U.S. government scientists knew of Maltoni's preliminary results early in 1973 but con sidered them to be as prelim inary as did U.S. industry. Um berto Saffiotti, associate director of carcinogenesis at the U.S. National Cancer Institute, at tended a symposium at Bo logna, Italy. April 9th to 12th, at which Dr. Maltoni showed a able giving preliminary results linking vinyl chloride with can cer in rats. On July 17th, one European and four U.S. industry repre sentatives presented NJOSH in formation that malignant turnon had been found in ani mals exposed to vinyl chloride. At that time no human cancer eases had been reported. Mal toni"s studies had not been completed and he had not is sued a full report. ITEM: The story reports that Dr. Peter Infante, then of the Ohio Department of Health, had found that three northern Ohio communities with poly vinyl chloride plants had higher than average birth defects (page 45. col. 2). FACT: Dr. Infante in his report to the New Yc-V. Acad emy of Science, stated that there is not sufficient evidence to link vinyl chloride tn birth defects The Center for Disease Con trol of the U.S. Public Health . Service reported on July 19th, 1975, that the study "could not establish any relationship be tween cases [birth defects] and vinyl chloride exposure." ITEM: The (Com. on d] BFG28890 239710O1 r- hqujwq rroNs. raeuAxr . itr* LETTERS [Cent, from 6} story quotes ; worker, "Harry." who charge* that a supervisor had Upulta the plug" on a Goodrich plan monitoring system, so that wort could continue during period of higher exposure. The stor correctly states that the com pany denied these charges (pa* 46, col. 3). FACT: Goodrich PVC plant have two monitormg systems-- a computerized area monitor ing system and personal mon storing systems. OSHA require that all records must be kep amt made available to boti federal inspectors and em pioyees- A recent check of then records shows no gap. ITEM: The story quotei "other workers" as saying the whan government inspector vmted our Ohio PVC plant, tin company shut down most the vinyl chloride lines, claim ing that maintenance work wai bring done on them (page 46 col 3). FACT: Under the OSHA tn~ spectiop system, inspectors visit (dents without prior notice, and therefore could arrive when maintenance operations are oc curring. Since it takes some time to shut down and restart PVC reactions, this rumor it not only untrue, it just doemt ITEM: Rolling Stpne quotes the Wall Street Journal, which reported that nine PVC workers at the Sbawinigan plant of BFG Canada had died from angiosarcoma, "but the company had chosen not to make an official announce* ment" (page 47,. col 3). FACT: The (Fall Street Jourml story, winds itself resulted from a company announce* meet, states: "Goodrich Can. ada announced in a news relr*o last December that four cases of liver angiosarcoma had been uncovered from death rec ords of former Sbawinigan workers... The U.S. parent company said in its annual re post last spring that the Shawinigaa angiosarcoma toll had climbed to eight deaths." Only one of these men ever worked at the Sbawinigan plant after it was purchased by Goodrich Canada. None of the rest were Goodrich workers al though the article said they were. The IVeil Street Journal also reported, correctly, that we had reported all these cases to the VS. National Institute of Oc cupational Safety and Health. The cases also were reported to Quebec authorities and to all PVC employees in Canada. The Sbawinigan release was carried in th* U.S. by the Associated Pr Since Joe Klein, your re porter, apparently had the (Poll Street Journal story, we cannot understand his allegation that the company "chose not to make an official announce ment" ITEM: The report states that .. hearings were called oo a proposed permanent standard of 1 ppm " and goes on to say that at the public hearings, the chemical manufacturers threat ened that the whole industry would be forced to that down if the standard waa imple mented (page 46. col. 1). FACT: The proposed stan dard called for "no detectable" level of vinyl chloride in the work atmosphere, not 1 ppm. This is important in correctly reporting the industry's objec tion. The proposed "oo de tectable" provision was ambig uous. If it had been interpreted as "no detectable" by any test method--cn other words, zero --it would indeed have shut down the industry. The article dearly implies that BJ. Goodrich conspired to suppress information relat ing to employees' health and then to prevent implementation of safeguards to resolve tins most-serious situation! This im plication is unfounded. Omitted from Klein's story are such facts as: Goodrich freely and voluntarily publi cized its findings of the first an giosarcoma cases when they were discovered. The company supplied detailed information to employees, state and fed eral officials and the industry. Goodrich has conducted the largest research program m it* history, and is spending an es timated $42 -million to prevent exposure to vinyl chloride in plants, in the environment and in product*. The company has staled that it can operate within all present and expected reg. ulations. Thomas B. Nantz Executive Vice President The B.F. Goodrich Company The Author's Reply The objections raised by Good rich are minute or easily re futed. Til answer them in order. 1. Maltonts cancer findings: Every independent scientist I spoke with agreed that by the time the corporate officials visited Maltoni, he had pretty much proven that vinyl chlo ride gas causes cancer. The fact that the VS. government was aware of MaltonFs tests and didn't act makes it as guilty as Goodrich and the other plastics people. The ques tion remains: why, if there was even a suspicion that vinyl chloride causes cancer, didn't the company move to improve conditions in its factoriesf 2. Infante's birth defect find ings: fn the story / said that Infante's findings were not con clusive (''There was no smok ing pistol*), only because there wasn't enough data in yet. In talking to infante, / found that he stands behind his study de spite Goodrich's attempts to discredit It. 3. The statements by "Harry" and "other workers": The vaunted Goodrich monitoring systems do indeed exist, as l reported. The question is whether Goodrich is fiddling with the machines, lowering the counts. Goodrich churns that Us data isavailable to gov ernment inspectors. But gov ernment inspection in this country is pretty much a farce. There are 248 government hy gienists who are supposed to monitor air quality In 4,1 mil lion workplace*. If they went about the task systematically, they would hit each workplace once every 200 yean. So It comet down to a question of trust. Do you trust Goodrich, which knew for almost a dec ade that vinyl chloride causes 1 liverdamage and tttdn'i do any thing about itf Or do you trust the workers, who are so docile mid loyal to the company that they haven't even formed a union? There wasn't room in the story for all the things the workers told me about condi tions at Avon Lake. Suffice to say, Harry wat not an isolated cose. 4. The `Wall Street Journal story: / concede. Goodrich Is to be congratulated for an nouncing the deaths of nine Canadian workers. 3* The proposed government standard: Again, / concede. Bui would the plastics people have acted any differently if the proposed standard had been I ppm, instead of 0 ppm? At its New York press con ference. Goodrich admitted that it had overreacted to the proposed standard. Finally, the most striking thing about the letter is that Goodrich does not once men tion Charlie Arthur or the^ shoddy way the company has treated his wife since he died. The letter is no more than an other piece of evidence that the company puts its profits and public image ahead of its concern for human Ufe. A Reapek's Concern Hopeful Signs After w>e published Joe Klein's `The Plastic Coffin of Charlie Arthur" Washington Star col umnist Mary McGrory de voted a column to the story and the issues it raised. Her column is syndicated to some 60 papers. McGrory reported that the Environmental Pro tection Agency has scheduled public hearings on propoaed standards that would lower plant emissions of vinyl chlo ride by more than 90%. A re cent EPA task force report stated that "there is no abso lute proof of advene effects of . . . vinyl chloride in the ambient air. However, for carctnogem, there may be no at mospheric concentration which poses absolutely so public health risk." McGrory stressed the dan- gen to PVC workers and those who live near the plant* and suggested that some witness may ask to read the article aloud during the hearings. She described the feeling among PVC workers that they would rather risk cancer in 20 years than be jobless. We checked back with some workers at the Avon Lake plant and they con firmed that most still feel this way, despite what has hap pened there. But our story has raised serious questions is their minds, questions about their own health and the wel fare of their families, mid this may be enough to bring die United Robber Workers Union into the plant when elections are held this spring. Mrs. Arthur did receive benefits on a regular group life insurance policy, but only af ter a two-month delay com pelled her and her family to apply pressure on Goodrich. She remains pessimistic about bar chances of receiving beneto oo her claim of accidental death oo the "all-risk" policy Charlie held during his 21 'year employment at Goodrich. The Lorain Journal, the community paper of Avon Lake, reprinted Klein's article on January 4th, even though they had been following the story on a day-to-day basis since the announcement of Ar thur's illness m March 1975. The Journal reported a "splen did" response. Finally, we are intrigued by a report that when the article appeared on the bulletin board at the Avon Lake plant, man agement felt obliged, a worker tells us, to remove it.--Ed. Joe Klein's chilling article on the polyvinyl chloride danger brought to mind several ques tions which were not answered. (t) Is there any danger from common household plastic arti cles? (2) What are to alternative plastics to PVC--and are they just as dangerous? (3) What common sterna are PVC ami what are other plas tics? (4) Has anyone suggested how to PVC workers' wives might have become infected? (5) What other possible causes are there of this rare form of liver cancer, if any? (6) It vinyl chloride any longer in use as an aerosol pro- peHaBt? Dice Eotsl Chicago, Illinois Here's a partial list of places that can answer your questions: Health Research Group (Na der), 2000 UK Street NW, Washington D.C. 20036: Ml. Sinai School of Medicine, En vironmental Sciences Lab, 100th Si. and Fifth Are., New York, NY 10029; National In stitute for Occupational Safety and Health, Room S32, Fast Office and Courthouse Build ing, Cincinnati, OH 45202; Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Toxic Sub stances, 401 "M" Street SW, Room 711, East Tower, aft Dr. Wallen, Washington D.C. 20460. Ur JOHN COhCAOftAtN JOUANAt 3337100a