Document o9qnMz1NwgdzBn5rYBa58Y82w
U'\ LOJ^^c
April 26, 1974
To: Management Committee Briefing Group
From: W, T* Duke
(CHEMICAL COMPANY;
A. Vittone
cc: E.V. Harrington J.L, Kelson E.E. Osborne B.H* Zvicher P.J. Weaver 1), Dovney)
The attached news release concerning public exposure to vinyl chloride moved on the U?I wire late yesterday and in an altered version this afternoon.
One query from a newspaper has resulted froe the vire story, Ben Zlnser, Who is science editor for the Long Beach Independent Press Telegraph, called the Long Beach plant and inquired about the report, The Long Beach plant referred the call to me.
X returned the call to Hr, Zlosor and told him that ve bad just seen the story arid that for further information he should check with the Environmental Protection Agency. I gave fcisa background information about the Long Beach plant in regard to number of employees and products manufactured, stressing the fact that it is an extremely st>all plant which was started in I960. X then gave him previously released information on the current FV'C situation.
Hr, Zinser has cot used any of the FVC stories in his newspaper up to this point and will point out in a short story in the Long Beach paper that there have been no employee fatalities at the Long Beech plant. Hr. Zinser mentioned to me that he felt the report was most inaccurate from a scientific standpoint.
The Center for Science in the Fublic Interest is located at 1779 Church Street, N*W., Washington, B.C, 2GQ35, Tel* 202-332-6000, It vas organised in 1571 as a Ralph Kader operation but apparently operates independently with support from some foundations and the public. It's a non-profit organization and has investigated lead and other gasoline additives, aerosols, asbestos and food additives, az&ag others* Its principals include Albert Fritsch, a Jesuit priest with a Fh.D. is organic chemistry from KtT; end Jariss Sullivan, with & Ph.D. in meteorology and oceanography from HIT*
V. T. Duke
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WASinxinus (upji -- a research group told the government TODAY
THERE IB A 'TUAiUTL POS3XBHXITn THAT Pr-OPi-T. UViKS !N AT LEAST rmzz RJOISTriiAL AaEAS OF THE RATIOS ABE BF.TXG EXPOSED TO AIRBORNE .
POSES OF VINYL CHLORIDE, A CHEMICAL LINKED TO 2JYER CANCER,
THE CENTER TOn SCIENCE IK THE PUBLIC INTEREST lTRrD THE
EKVinONMEKTAL PROTECTION AGENCY TO RAVE STATE AGENCIES MAKE
MEAStHSE-HENTS HEAP FACTORIES IMMEDIATELY TO DETERMINE TllE EXTENT r
OF THfc KAEARD.
"W BBOARD THIS AS A TOTBS7IALLY SERIOUS PUIIU'C HEALTH PROBLEM,"
IT SAID, nssro WORTHY OP IMMEDIATE KVESLIGATION. OUR RESEARCH
ffRKCATCS THAT CERTAIN TWNS AND CITIES MAY BE SERIOUSLY AFFECTED
BY VINYL CHLORIDE FOLLVXICX," 3T SINGLED OCT THE HOUSTON, TEXAS, AREA, SOUTHERN LOUISIANA AND
WESTERN KENTUCKY, AS The THREE PRIME AREAS WHERE FACTORIBS PRODUCE SO MUCH VINYL CHLORIDE THAT SMOKESTACKS ARE VENTING THE CHEMICAL.
HttSH HUMIDITY AND OTHER CLIMATIC OONPITJOXS IS THOSE JIEO'OXS, IT ADDED,
COULD MAKE THE SITUATION WORSE. IT ALSO SAD THERE MAY BE A SIMILAR PROBLEM IN THE PA3SSVIUS,
OHIO, ABBA AKD AROUND LUNG eAC3, CALIFORNIA.
TRK CENTER SAID IT HAD LEARNED THAT ERA'S OWN MEASUREMENTS
SHOWED
PAIUS PER MILLION viSVL CHLORIDE ALONG ROUTE 225
IX PASADENA, TEXAS, "3X THE HEART OF THE LARGEST YWYL CRLOS
PRODUCING REGION IX THE UNITED STATES/'
uM
CP
IT CALCULATED THAT AT THE EXP OF EACH BATCH Or POLYVINYL
CHUCiniDK MADE IX A )(U'CCGALLOX REACTOR THEBE IS A STACK EMISSION
OF ,0S0 GRAMS OF VINYL CntORlDS CAS, "A PERSON UNFORTUNATE ESOUCHI'TO
BE DOWNWIND 100 MEIERS FROM THE EMISSION
iiE EXPOSED TO 2i HAinS
I {
per million,*1 jt added.
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