Document oD0RM7kwvYax3a2dbGbxGq7xD

; ^lonsali'co t tiiftA H i *- (vc-i * i * vo ^ John^J. Spano -- G4NH -- 8654 j w v-^'Arp. A !' VAviMi i ; . - t .i rr\ :r F i'!rM c r TO -April 3* 1979 Q&A ON "AGENT ORANGE" DIOXIN - KRUMMRICH P. 0. DeGarno -- A2SA H. M. Keating -- G4WA D. R. Bishop -- A3N3 W. A. Blase E. N. Brasfield H. W. Curtis -- 1740 M. Dmytryszyn J. W. Molloy -- 1740 R. L. Neunteltec J. R. Thurrott r. S. Park -- E2NE F]IDENTIC SUBJECT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER. MX ; '''X"iT-, * Attached is a preliminary Q&A on "Agent Orange" dioxin at the W. G. a' ich Plant. Cn-:Xtions have been raised by .'f\pLoyv rs r-'g it;it.i exposure. The final version of our Q&A listing would be used to respond to individual questions from employees and to answer press queries. I would appreciate any comments you may have as soon, as possible. Thanks. JJS:pa Attachment John J . Spano ( i n - ;o < (*-.* m / v G0L5069 C0242B SU BJECT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER. REVIEW COPY NOT FOR USEApril 3, 1ST79" PREPAREDNESS Q&A RE "AGENT ORANGE" DIOX-IN AT KRUMMRICH Q. When did you make "Agent Orange" brush defoliant for the U.S. Government at the W. G. Krummrich Plant? A. Monsanto was one of several companies asked to supply this compound during the Vietnam War. "Agent Orange" was a mix ture of the commonly used herbicides 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T. We made 2,4-D at the Krummrich Plant and used some 2,4,5-T at the Krummrich Plant during the period-from 1947 to 1968. We decided to cease production for economic reasons. Q. How many people were involved over the years in these opera tions? A. There may have been as many a s _____ ___ . We are checking our records now to determine this information. Q. What are the long-term effects of exposure to "Agent Orange" dioxin? A. There are no known long-term physical effects but this subject has not been studied in depth. There are now under way,or will be under way shortly, studies to determine whether long term effects, if any, have been produced from exposure to "Agent Orange." Q. What are the short-term effects? A . Acnej6form@I lesions, peripheral nerve involvement and liver dUsfSffiction. These symptoms, however,, decrease and disappear over a long period of time. Q. What is the situation at Krummrich? A. Monsanto made 2,4,5-T acid at Nitro, West Virginia. A health study is currently under way to determine long-term health effects, if any, of "Agent Orange" dioxin exposure. Dioxin is the impurity in "Agent Orange" which is thought to be re sponsible for health effects. A situation at Nitro is dif ferent from that at W. G. Krummrich because there was gross exposure at Nitro due to accidental rupture in a manufacturing process. If the current studies under way at Nitro indicate that there may be adverse health effects from exposure to "Agent Orange" dioxin, we will institute similar studies at Krummrich. G015070 PREPAREDNESS Q&A RE "AGENT ORANGE" DIOXIN AT KRUMMRICH: April 3, 1979 Page 2 - Q. What is the status of the various class action law suits being brought against Monsanto and other "Aqent Oranqe" producers? A. These suits are all in early stages of development. Mon santo intends to vigorously contest them on the grounds that they are not supportable in fact or law. The potential health hazards of "Agent Orange" were fully explored by a committee of the National Academy of Science in 1974 which found no evidence of human health problems associated with exposur to this herbicide. The major constituents of "Agent Orange" (2,4-D and 2,4,5-T, containing trace amounts of dioxin) have been the subject of more than 40,000 scientific papers and technical articles in the past 30 years. These studies show that they are not significantly haz ardo u to hiimci;i or aniaia1 lice und -jr noi:mal a:i-i r e c o i n : :d conditions of use. A recent article in the St. Louis Globe-Democrat quoted both the Veterans Administration and the U.S. Environmental Pro tection Agency as saying "there is no conclusive evidence of a correlation between exposure to herbicides in Vietnam and medical problems that may exist today." CONFIDENTIAL SUBJECT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER. GO 15071