Document oeoJ6MgR8eRw62Yy1VNxzGGMX

- EPA HEWS RELEASE OF 9 a . m . SUNDAY , FEB. 11 (P honed fr o m EPA R e g i o n V II P u b l i c A f f a i r s D e p a r t m e n t t o U P I , A P, K a n s a s C ity S t a r , Columbia D aily T rib u n e ) . On F r i d a y e v e n i n g , F e b . 9 , t h e M o n s a n t o C h e m i c a l Co . t o l d EPA R e g i o n VII o f f i c i a l s th a t the shipm ent o f c h lo r in a te d p h e n o lic compounds v/hich was s p i l l e d in a r a i l c a r d e ra ilm e n t in S tu rg e o n , Mo., on J a n . 10 c o n t a i n e d t r a c e q u a n t i t i e s o f a compound known a s d i o x i n (TCDD). M o n sa n to r e p o r t e d t h r e e s a m p l e s m e a s u r e d , a v e r a g i n g 37 ppb ( 3 4 , 36, 40 p p b ) . The company c o u l d n o t i d e n t i f y w h i c h p a r t i c u l a r f o r m s o f TCDD w e r e p r e s e n t . A c t i n g o n t h i s i n f o r m a t i o n , H a r r y G i l m e r , EPA R e g i o n V I I o n - s c e n e c o o r d i n a t o r , o r d e r e d t h e e x t r a c t i o n o f a sample of s o il taken a t the s p i l l s i t e s e n t to th e U n iv e rsity of 111. , Champaign. With th e a s s is ta n c e o f Region V II, Dr. B i l l i e F a i r l e s s , D r . R. D. K l e c p f e r , D r . C. Cook o f t h e U n i v e r s i t y p e r f o r m e d a n a l y s e s v / h i c h c o n f i r m e d t h e p r e s e n c e o f 2 , 3 , 7 , 8 TCDD a t a l e v e l l e s s t h a n 0.01 ppb. Gilmer's team had explored the possibility of dioxin contamination and had both performed some analyses and had contacted Monsanto on this point. According to medical scientists at EPA headquarters in Washington, DC, the new information is of concern but presents no cause for change in the cleanup procedures currently underway. Dr. J. S e is te r , s e n io r m edical a d v iso r to th e o f f i c e o f to x ic s u b sta n c e s , s t a t e d , "The p resen ce of d io x in in the s p i l l m a te r ia l changes the scope o f our review but docs not p re sen t cause fo r immediate alarm in the le v e ls re p o rte d ." -m ore- ' 4-*. PRESS QUERY H .J . Corbett - DID G.H. Ellsv/orth - E31A D.S. Frazer - 1670 F.E. Kearney - E3NA X J.F.^Iussey ______ X G.D.Ingenthron X J.v. Morse COMPANY (Unit or Corporate): C o r p o r a t e X J.T. Nolan X D.R. Bishop SUBJECT: N a d e r P u b l i c C i t i z e n s P r e s s C o n f e r e n c e X A.N. Filippello X S.Pickard-VVashington, D.C. REPORTER & MEDIA: j 0 n a n n i e s , S t . L . P - D , W a s h . , D . C . X New York PR (202) 298-6880 .X Brussels PR Jan Smith, Independent Network News X MAP PR QUESTION &. RESPONSE: (202) 783-5616 J L MEM PR X MF1 PR DATE : January 23, 1985 JL . MIC PR X MPP PR -X-. Eng'd. Prods. PR _JL_ Int'l. PR _X J.W. Molloy - 1740 X W.J. KcCarville - G3WC X W.B. Papageorge - B3N7 X J.G. Nassif - E2NG Q: Ralph Nader's Public Citizens Health Group held a press conference today in Washington during which they accused the Administration of preventing NIOSK from informing a quarter of a million workers that they face a higher cancer risk from occupational exposure to chemicals. Workers exposed to dioxin at Sauget and Nitro are included in a NIOSH study obtained through FOI. VThat do you know about this? A: NIOSH approached Monsanto in the late 1970s to see if we would cooperate with them in compiling a "dioxin registry." And we agreed. As a result, NIOSH officials were permitted to inspect worker records at our Nitro and Sauget plants in order to compile a list of registry of those people who may have been exposed to dioxin as a result of their previous employment in an area where dioxin may have been present as an unwanted contaminant. I don't know whether NIOSH informed our workers who made the registry but I can tell you that our employees are fully aware of any potential past exposure. We've told them and they've been told in a number of other ways. Our Nitro employees, have been the subject of several medical/epideniology studies, both done by Monsanto and outside medical institutions. The results of these medical studies have been shared with those employees both in general and specifically as they related to them personally. The conclusion of this extensive investigation is that other than the skin condition, chloracne, our workers are not suffering any chronic or lasting health effects from exposure to dioxin SOURCE OF ANSWER C U2 4 OO HANDLED BY: Dan R. Bishop r om iMMi-LocmoN-itioiici R. C. I s h a m -- BIND Aie : F e b r u a r y 1 2 , 1979 STURGEON, MO., DERAILMENT POSITION STATEMENT TO D. R. B i s h o p J . T. Nolan W. R. C o r e y P. S. Park J . R. F o s h r R. G. P i e r T. L. G o s s a g e G. R o u s h E. H. I la r b is o n J. J . Spano J. S . M etcalf R. A. S t o h r J . E. McKee G. Young J.* ,c." M c P h i l l i p s ' " I f you have any c o rre c tio n s o r su g g e stio n s to t h i s p o s itio n statem en t, p lease phone extension 4-2621. Also a tta c h e d is t h e EPA n e w s r e l e a s e o f S u n d a y , F e b . 11. COO4 4 1 2/12/79 f * POSITION STATEMENT -- TRACE AMOUNTS OF TCDD IN CRUDE ORTHOCHLOROPHENOL QUESTIONS & ANSWERS TO BE USED ONLY 3Y MIC PR IN RESPONDING TO DIRECT MEDIA INQUIRIES At the request of the EPA we analyzed a reserve sample of the crude orthochlorophenol involved in the derailment at Sturgeon, Mo. (Jan. 10, 1979) for tetrachloro dioxin. On Friday, Feb. 9, our analytical chemists reported finding this impurity at a .037 ppm average level in the reserve sample. We informed the EPA of this that evening and contacted the clean-up contractor the next morning. Since this is an extremely low level of tetrachloro dioxin contamina tion, just barely above what equipment can detect, we 1re sure there was no harm to the citizens of Sturgeon. We have notified the clean-up contractor so he can take the appro priate precautions with his people. The same protective clothing that protects clean-up workers from the' crude orthochlorophenol would protect them from the miniscule amounts of tetrachloro dioxin. Q. Is this the same TCDD found at Seveso, Italy? A. Probably not. The 2,3,7,8 isomer of 'tetrachlorodibenzo-para- dioxin released at Seveso can11 be formed directly in our i process. The impurity found in our sample is most probably a different isomer which is far less toxic. -more- Page 2 Q. Why did Monsanto wait so long to test its batch sample for TCDD? A. In the past w e 've^ analyzed crude orthochlorophenol for TCDD a number of times and never found TCDD. That was using the same analytical equipment which measures for tetrachloro dioxin down to- .010 ppm. (three tests) . We theorize the TCDD was an impurity in one of the components. Recently another chemical company reported that dioxins are ubiquitous and can be formed a number of ways, for example, by combustion. That is everything from burning leaves to smoking a cigarette may form dioxins. We'll be working to find out how the small amounts of TCDD got in our product and eliminate the contamination. Q. Did Monsanto act quickly when it had this new knowledge on TCDD? A. Very quickly. We learned on the afternoon of Feb. 9 that there were trace amounts of TCDD in our. chemical intermediate and informed the EPA that evening. Q. How can you say there was no harm to the citizens of Sturgeon when they were exposed to the vapor 'clouds for a long period of time? A. We monitored the air soon after the train derailment. The highestconcentration of crude orthochlorophenol detected was .085 ppm. So if you percentage the v'037 ppm TCDD contamination against the highest known1crude orthochlorophenol concentration in the air of ,085 ppm, you get a number so small it's meaningless to express. more-  #* Page 2 Dr. S e i s t e r had le d a team of m ed ical and p u b lic h e a lt h e x p e r ts b e fo re a town m eeting in S tu rg eo n on T hursday n i g h t h e ld a t th e r e q u e s t o f S e n a t o r Tom E a g l e t o n . C o n c e r n among r e s i d e n t s i s s t i l l s t r o n g a s odors from the s p i l l lin g e r . S e i s t e r 's group answ ered q u e s tio n s on the known and s u sp e c te d e f f e c t s o f p h en o l and v a r io u s c h l o r i n a t e d p h e n o lic compounds as w ell as o rth o c h lo ro p h e n o l w hich were known a t t h a t tim e to be p re s e n t in the s p i l l m a te ria l. They were p re p a rin g a re p o r t of recommendations fo r fu rth e r stu d ie s in the a rea to be p re sen te d e a rly th is week. A d d itio n al samples of the s p i l l m a te ria l have been o b ta in e d from Monsanto by Region VII o f f i c i a l s . These a re b e in g p re p a re d f o r f u r t h e r a n a l y s e s . S t e v e J e l l i n e c k , EPA a s s i s t a n t a d m i n i s t r a t o r t o t o x i c s u b s ta n c e s w i l l be m eeting w ith S e i s t e r ' s group on Monday to c o o r d in a te f u r t h e r a c t i v i t i e s . "We i n t e n d t o t a k e a l l n e c e s s a r y s t e p s t o a s s u r e the continued id e n tif ic a tio n and removal of th e se s p i l l ch em icals," d e c l a r e d J e l l i n e c k . "EPA h e a d q u a r t e r s w i l l p r o v i d e R e g io n V II w i t h any a s s is ta n c e needed to com plete the job and p r o t e c t th e h e a lth o f local residents." - 0 O0 Page 2 Dr. S e i s t e r had le d a team o f m ed ical and p u b lic h e a l t h e x p e r ts b e fo re a town m eeting in S turgeon on Thursday n ig h t h e ld a t th e r e q u e s t o f S e n a t o r Tom E a g l e t o n . C o n c e r n among r e s i d e n t s i s s t i l l s t r o n g a s o d o r s f r o m t h e s p i l l l i n g e r . S e i s t e r 1s g r o u p a n s w e r e d q u e s t i o n s o n t h e known and s u s p e c te d e f f e c t s o f p henol and v a rio u s c h l o r i n a t e d p h e n o lic compounds as w e ll as o rth o c h lo ro p h e n o l which were known a t t h a t tim e to be p re s e n t in the s p i l l m a te ria l. They were p re p a rin g a r e p o r t of recommendations fo r fu rth e r s tu d ie s in the area to be p re sen te d e a rly th is week. A d d itio n a l sam ples of the s p i l l m a te ria l have been o b ta in e d from Monsanto by Region VII o f f i c i a l s . These are being p re p a red fo r f u r th e r a n a l y s e s . S t e v e J e l l i n e c k , EPA a s s i s t a n t a d m i n i s t r a t o r t o t o x i c s u b s ta n c e s w i l l be m eetin g w ith S e i s t e r ' s group on Monday to c o o r d in a te f u r t h e r a c t i v i t i e s . "We i n t e n d t o t a k e a l l n e c e s s a r y s t e p s t o a s s u r e the continued id e n tif ic a tio n and removal of these s p i l l ch em icals," d e c l a r e d J e l l i n e c k . "EPA h e a d q u a r t e r s w i l l p r o v i d e R eg io n V II w i t h any a s s is ta n c e needed to com plete the job and p r o te c t the h e a lth o f local resid en ts." - 0 O0- PRESS QUERY COMPANY (OpUnit or Corporate): MIC SUBJECT: TRACE LEVELS OF TCDD IN ORTHOCHLOROPHENOL REPORTER &. MEDIA: J o h n F r a n k , C o l u m b i a M i s s o u r i a n (314) 442-3161 TIME & DATE: F e b r u a r y 16 , 1 9 7 9 -- 3 : 4 0 p . m . QUESTION & RESPONSE: Comment: The n a tu r e o f th e r e p o r t e r ' s con tin u in g q u e s tio n in g i s t h a t Monsanto knew TCDD w a s p r e s e n t i n t h e OCP a n d t h a t n o t t e s t i n g o u r OCP r e s e r v e s a m p l e u n t i l o n e m o n t h a f t e r th e s p i l l was an u n c o n sc io n a b le a c t . X K. W. E a s l e y X News Bureau X_ J.T. Nolan X J. E. McKee __ D. R. Bishop __ W. J. McCarville __ W. R. Mulinili X J. F. Hussey-Wnshington. D.C. X S. Pickard-Washington, D.C. X New York Public Relations __ Brussels Public Relations __ MAP PR X M d PR ( J . S p a n o ) J L M IC P R (G. Young) __ MPRPR __ MTCPR __ INT'LPR X J . R. Foe h r X T. L. G ossage X E . H. H arbison X J . C. M c P h i l l i p X J. S . M etcalf X G. Roush Q. H a r r y G i l m e r (EPA R e g io n V I I ) s a y s he n e v e r a s k e d M o n s a n to t o a n a l y z e t h e r e s e r v e s a m p l e o f OCP, b u t r a t h e r t o p r e p a r e two s a m p l e s f o r EPA a n a l y s i s . You s a i d h e a s k e d y o u t o t e s t y o u r p r o d u c t s a m p l e f o r TCDD. Whose t e l l i n g th e t r u t h ? A. The s e q u e n c e o f e v e n t s was t h a t H a r r y G ilm e r c a l l e d M o n san to and a s k e d i f t h e r e w e r e a n y TCDD i n t h e OCP. We s a i d n o , we n e v e r f o u n d a n y . He a s k e d u s i f we e v e r t e s t e d t h e p r o d u c t r e s e r v e s a m p l e f r o m t h i s s h i p m e n t . We s a i d n o , we h a d n ' t . M r . G i l m e r s a i d , w i l l y o u t e s t y o u r r e s e r v e s a m p l e f o r TCDD a n d w i l l y o u p r e p a r e t w o s a m p l e s f o r EPA e v a l u a t i o n s . Vie s a i d we w o u l d . We r e p o r t e d t h e t r a c e TCDD le v e ls in a phone c a l l the p.m. of Feb. 9 and d e liv e r e d two sam ples t o t h e a i r p o r t on F e b . 10 f o r t h e EPA t o e v a l u a t e . Q. Why d i d t h i s o n e s a m p l e h a v e TCDD l e v e l s a n d y o u r o t h e r e v a l u a t i o n s n o t show i t ? A. TCDD i s a p r o d u c t i o n i m p u r i t y . Due t o p r o c e s s v a r i a b i l i t i e s , we d e v e l o p e d t h e TCDD. We a r e w o r k i n g t o f i n d w h e r e i n t h e p r o c e s s t h e sm all amount g o t in and e lim in a te th e c o n ta m in a tio n . (Went i n t o d io x in u b iq u ity from the p o s itio n p a p e r). C0045rt G 29G7 (R EV. 11/78) -- * +* Page 2 r Q. w i l l y o u s e n d me a p r e s s r e l e a s e w h e n y o u f i n d t h e p r o b l e m i n y o u r OCP? A. T h e r e w i l l be no p r e s s r e l e a s e . The c o n t a m i n a t i o n i s a t a m i n i s c u l e le v e l, ju s t barely above what s o p h is tic a te d a n a ly tic a l equipment can m easure. W e'll fin d the contam ination and e lim in a te i t . W e're not concerned. Q. Y o u r n o t c o n c e r n e d ? A. No, t h i s l o w l e v e l c o n t a m i n a n t i s no t h r e a t t o t h e c i t i z e n s o f S t u r g e o n . We h a v e n ' t f o u n d i t i n t h e p a s t a n d w e ' l l w o r k t o elim inate i t . Q. Has t h e EPA a s k e d f o r t h e h e a l t h r e c o r d s o f y o u r w o r k e r s i n t h e I l l i n o i s p l a n t t h a t m a k e s OCP? A. No. Q. I t s u r e w o u ld be r e a s s u r i n g t o t h e S t u r g e o n r e s i d e n t s t o know t h a t y o u r w o rk e rs a t th e p l a n t , e x p o s e d o v e r 40 y e a r s o f p r o d u c t i o n , d i d n ' t have h e alth problems. A. I know o f n o h e a l t h p r o b l e m s a s s o c i a t e d w i t h o u r OCP p r o d u c t i o n u n i t . I f I can g e t any f a c ts on t h i s , I ' l l g e t them to you. W a r r e n E a s l e y r e p o r t s f r o m W a s h i n g t o n t h a t t h e EPA h a s a s k e d t h e c o u n t y h e a lth people to draw blood and u rin e samples from cleanup w orkers and a p re ss re le a s e w ill be is s u e d . Dr. Roush c a l l e d Dr. P o o le , EPA, and l e a r n e d t h a t i n a d d i t i o n t o b l o o d / u r i n e s a m p l e s f r o m c l e a n u p w o r k e r s , t h e EPA h a s a l i s t o f 15 o t h e r t h i n g s th e y m ig h t do. S te v e J e l l i n e c k w i l l d e c id e how many th e y w i l l do. A t t a c h e d i s a n i n t e r e s t i n g f e a t u r e i n t h e F e b . 1 2 , 1 9 7 9 , C&E News o n d io x in s . Source of Answer: Position Paper H a n d le d by : R. C. Is h a m t PRRESS Q U E R Y COMPANY (OpUnit or Corporate): MIC SUBJECT: OCP a t ) STURGEON REPORTER & MEDIA: TIME & DATE: Howard M itc h e ll (314) 449-1400 K F R U -R ad i o C o l u m b i a , Mo. May 1 4 , 1 979 - - 2 : 1 2 p . m . QUESTION & RESPONSE: X News Bureau X_ J. T. Nolan X J. E. McKee __ D. R. Bishop __ W. J. McCnrville __ W. R. MuIIiall X J. p. Hussey-Wnshington. D.C. X S. Pickard-Washingion, D.C. X New York Public Relations __ Brussels Public Relations __ MAP PR X MCI PR ( J - S p a n o ) X MIC PR ( G l y n n Y oung) __ MPR PR __ MTCPR __ INT'LPR X J . R. F o e h r X T. L. G o ss a g e X E. H. H a r b i s o n _X_ E . L. H e a d X J.-S v'M etcalf X J . ' C. M c P h i l l i p s Q. H ave y o u d o n e a n y m o r e w o r k t o d e t e r m i n e w h i c h t y p e o f d i o x i n w a s i n t h e OCP? A. Our a n a l y t i c a l e q u i p m e n t i s p r e t t y s o p h i s t i c a t e d , b u t t h e d i o x i n was in such tr a c e amounts t h a t o u r equipm ent c a n ' t t e l l which isom er was th e re (e x p la in e d d i f f e r e n t v a r i e t i e s o f d io x in s ) . Q. What k i n d o f d i o x i n d i d t h e EPA f i n d i n t h e w o r k e r s ' b l o o d ? A. I d o n ' t know; a s k th e m . Q. S i n c e t h e EPA i s t a l k i n g a b o u t d i o x i n i n p a r t s p e r t r i l l i o n i n the w orkers' blood and your s o p h is tic a te d equipment can measure down t o .010 p a r t s p e r m i l l i o n , why t h e d i s c r e p a n c y i n t e s t i n g ? A. We w e r e s u r p r i s e d t h a t t h e EPA c o u l d m e a s u r e d i o x i n s down i n t h e low p a r t s p e r t r i l l i o n . Our a n a l y t i c a l p e o p le d o n 't know th e equipm ent they are usin g alth o u g h th e r e i s no re a so n to doubt t h a t t h e y 'v e found a new way to m easure d i o x i n s i n t h e s e s m a ll am ounts. Q. W hat a r e y o u d o i n g a b o u t t h e d i o x i n s i n y o u r OCP? A. The d i o x i n s i n t h e OCP d o n ' t b e l o n g t h e r e . T h e y ' r e a p r o d u c t i o n i m p u r i t y . We've made t h i s p r o d u c t f o r many y e a r s and n e v e r found a n y TCDD i n i t . When t h e EPA a s k e d u s t o s a m p l e o u r r e s e r v e s a m p l e f r o m t h e t a n k c a r i n v o l v e d , we d i d f i n d TCDD. We s t a r t e d COO-32-1 Page 2 **fc) | t h e n t o s t u d y o u r e n t i r e p r o c e s s a n d f i n d t h e TCDD a n d e l i m i n a t e i t . S i n c e t h e n v;e h a v e made tw o c h a n g e s i n o u r p r o c e s s . H o p e f u lly , we've g o tten rid of these tra c e amounts of d io x in ; but we w o n 1t know u n t i l o u r t e s t s a r e c o m p l e t e d . Source of answ er: F iles H a n d l e d by : R. C. Is h a m PRESS QUERY COMPANY (Unit or Corporate): MIC SUBJECT: D i o x i n a n d WGK REPORTER &MEDIA: C a s e y B u k r o , C h i c a g o T r i b u n e TIME & DATE: F e b r u a r y 1 6 , 1983 QUESTION & RESPONSE: R eporter c a lle d and re fe rre d to a re c en t a r t i c l e i n t h e New Y o r k T i m e s ( s e e a t t a c h e d ) regarding chlorophenol production a t chemical p l a n t s a r o u n d t h e c o u n t r y . He s a i d h e h a d c o n f i r m e d w i t h t h e EPA t h a t t h e S a u g e t s i t e w a s WGK. Q. Does y o u r p l a n t i n S a u g e t p r o d u c e dioxins as by-products of its chemical m anufacturing? X J.F. Hussey X G.D. Ingenthron X J.v. Morse X J.T. Nolan X D.R. Bishop ___ A.N. Filippello ___ S.Pickard-Washington, D.C. ___ New York PR ___ Brussels PR ___ MAP PR ___ MF&IPR ___ MIC PR ___ MPPPR ___ Eng'd. Prods. PR ___ Int'l. PR X L.Boesch X W .Carpenter/M .Throdahl X H.C urtis/J.M o llo y X D.Edwards/V.M atteucci X M.Foresman/W.Papageorge X E.Head/M .M iller X R .Potter A. No. To t h e b e s t o f o u r k n o w l e d g e , n o n e o f o u r p r o d u c t s a r e contam inated w ith dioxin. Q. D oe s y o u r p l a n t s t i l l p r o d u c e c h l o r o p h e n o l s a n d a r e t h e s e products contaminated? A. Yes we s t i l l p r o d u c e c h l o r o p h e n o l s , b u t a g a i n , t o t h e b e st of our knowledge, the products are not contam inated. We r o u t i n e l y t e s t t h e p r o d u c t s f o r c o n t a m i n a t i o n . Q. D id y o u r S a u g e t p l a n t e v e r p r o d u c e t h e h e r b i c i d e , 2 ,4 ,5 -T ? A. No. Q. W ha t a r e c h l o r o p h e n o l s u s e d f o r ? A. They a r e a g r o u p o f common i n d u s t r i a l c h e m i c a l s u s e d i n the manufacture of various products including dyes, herbicides and wood p r e s e r v a t i v e s . SOURCE OF ANSWER M* R* F oresm an F ile C0975.3 HANDLED BY: s. G. C o l l i n s news analysis 15A Wed., Feb. 1 6 ,1 9 8 3 l i l LOUIS POST-DISPATCH .ivs' S f s ,n ,,-IS r ^ "* *J Dioxin A % ^ Z ^ ( t o v 'w Nationwide Concern By Philip Shabecoff 1983, New York Times News Service "It gets me that some scientists are saying WASHINGTON CONCERN IS GROWING among public health officials, scientists and legislators that contamination by dioxin, that dioxin is the most deadly chemical known to man," said Rita M. Lavelle, assistant administrator of the EPA until she was dismissed Feb. 7. "That's not true. It depends on the concentration. In the right one of the most toxic substances created concentration, table salt is just as deadly." by man, may turn out to be a serious Ms. Lavelle, who was in charge of national problem for which they are illprepared. Recent tests have confirmed dioxin contamination at 22 places in Missouri, protecting the public from hazardous waste and responding to emergencies such as the one in Missouri, belittled the significance of dioxins as a threat to the environment and public health in an interview before she left and state officials fear the chemical may office. pollute more than 50 sites there. In 1979, the Environmental Protection Agency prepared a list o f - 31 c itie s- where chemical manufacturing was likely to produce waste contaminated with dioxin "I am more worried about the threat of other chemicals," she said. "Dioxin is not a national threat." Dioxin is the name given to any of a family of 75 compounds called dibenzo-para-dioxins composed of benzene and oxygen atoms.' and destined for the nation's dumps for When chlorine atoms are added, they become hazardous wastes. Those dumps number, chlorinated dioxins, which have been found to in the thousands; their contents are be toxic at low concentrations. largely unknown. There is no reliable information about how much dioxin has been produced or where it is, and there is considerable controversy over what danger it poses to health and the environment. Nobody knows for sure. Rep. James J. Florio, D-N.J., co-author of some of the key legislation regulating hazardous wastes, is worried about the scarcity of information. "This is something of extreme gravity and we have to treat it as such," he said. " I'm not saying we have to burn down every town in the country that has been exposed to dioxins, but this problem deserves dose scrutiny, closer than other things." Richard C. Fortuna, staff toxicologist for the House Energy subcommittee headed by Florio, said, "We know that dioxin is a serious environmental problem, but we don't know yet if it is a national emergency." LABORATORY TESTS on animals have linked chlorinated dioxins, even in tiny amounts, to birth defects, skin disorders, liver ailments and other problems. Concentrations as small as five parts per 1,000 billion have caused statistically significant increases in cancer in rats. A single oral dose of 25 micrograms can kill a two-pound chicken. There are a million micrograms in a gram and a thousand grams in a kilogram, and one estimate is that more than 80 kilograms of dioxin was produced in chem ical manufacturing in the United States every year from the 1950s to the mid-70s. Yet dioxin's effects on humans, particularly long term risks, are not clearly understood. Florio is concerned about what he views as legal loopholes that would allow dioxin to continue to move into the environment if it was contained in waste oils that might be recycled, as they were in Missouri, leading to ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS and chemical industry executives do not see any emergency. They view the contamination in Missouri as an aberration and believe there are few if any other areas in the country where dioxin presents a significant health problem. In the hazardous waste dumps, they observe, dioxin clings tightly to soil particles and -ts-nearly-insoluble" in" water."~And"in' Missouri, they- contend;--the'-dangers "to exposed humans have .been.exaggerated in public accounts. the contamination there. He says the EPA should follow the recommendation of its staff to declare dioxins a "hazardous air pollutant," an action the agency has not yet taken. Similarly, Dr. Ellen K. Silbergeld, chief toxics scientist for the Environmental Defense Fund, a not-for-profit environmental -- group,-said-the-agency had not-acted-on-long-- --pending recommendations by its staff that new rules should limit dioxin in water supplies to fractions of a part per 1,000 billion. William N. Hedeman Jr., director of the environmental agency's Office of Emergency Response, said in an interview, "To the best of my knowledge, there are no other Russell Bliss situations around the country." Russell Bliss is the contractor who sprayed the waste oils containing dioxin on horse arenas and roads in Missouri. Hedeman said he was not aware of other areas where dioxin had posed a problem except for Love Canal in Niagara Falls, N.Y., where it was found in an abandoned chemical dump. But he acknowledged, "We don't know how much is out there. We don't know where it is." On the EPA's 1979 list were 31 ritieS around the country where plants produced chlorophenois. Ihe manufacture of these chemicals produces dioxins, including the deadly 2,3,7,8-T -- tetrachlorodibenzene-p- dioxin, l u ju . as an unwanted byproduct. The cities on the agency list were St. Louis; Sauget. Ill; Tuscaloosa, Ala.; Jacksonville, Ark::- Fremont, Calif.; San Mateo, Calif.; Orlando, Fla.; Chicago; Chicago Heights, 111.;* Naperville, 111.; Shenandoah. Iowa; Kansas City, Kan.; Wichita, Kan.; Whiteford, Md.; Midland, Mich.; St. Paul; St. Joseph, Mo.; Springfield, Mo.; Verona, Mo.; Clifton, N.J.; Linden, N.J.; Rahway, N.J.; Niagara Falls, N.Y.; Cleveland; Dover, Ohio; Portland, Ore.; Ambler, P a.; Philadelphia; Port Neches, Texas; Tacoma, Wash.; and Nitre, W.Va. ~^=* The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, an arm of the Department- of Health and Human Services, is now working on an updated and more complete "national registry" of producers of products that leave dioxins as a byproduct. Dr. William Halperin, chief of the institute's industrywide studies branch, said a major purpose of the registry was to locate workers exposed to dioxin on the job so that the effects of the chemical on their health can be studied. SINCE THE LATE 1970s, the use and production of many of the products that cause the formation of TCDD have been restricted, although not entirely banned. But a significant if unknown amount of dioxin was introduced earlier into various waste streams, and it is likely that some is still escaping into "the environment through'a variety of routes, including the combustion of wastes. 009754 "fftis is something of extreme gravity and we have to treat it as such. I'm not saying we have to burn down every town in the country that has been exposed to dioxins, but this problem deserves close scrutiny, closer than other things." Rep. James J. Florio A rough guess at the amount of dioxin The spraying of Agent Orange and other discharged into the environment was made in pesticides and herbicides introduced dioxin a recent interview by Dr. Alvin Young, an directly into the environment. Some of these environmental scientist for the Veterans uses have been suspended by government Administration. Dr. Young is a specialist in order, b u t . other applications continue. that agency's efforts to deal with the Industry officials and some administration problems resulting from Vietnam veterans' authorities argue that dioxin breaks down exposure to Agent Orange, a defoliant that rapidly in sunlight and therefore disappears includes the herbicide 2,4,5-T, which is quickly from the surface. associated with TCDD. He said available But surface contamination found in. figures showed that in 1975 about 800,000 Missouri after many years has led other gallons of products associated with TCDD had scientists to question whether sunlight does been produced. From what is known about the cause the deadly substance to disappear. And dioxin residues in the manufacturing process, the manufacturing of some other products still he estimated that about 2.1 kilograms of in use forms dioxins as byproducts. dioxin was contained in the products Another route by which dioxin can enter themselves and about 80 kilograms was left the environment is through fires involving over as waste in that year.. A kilogram is transformers or other electrical equipment about 2.2 pounds. Dr. Young said that at least that amount of containing polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs. When burned at low temperatures, dioxin had been produced annually since the these release substances called "furans," 1950s. While the yearly production has been sharply reduced since 1975, "that is a hell of a which are closely related to dioxins, according to scientists at the EPA. lot of dioxin," he said. But he said he did not One of the scientists said that such a .fire think dioxin constituted a national health several years ago in a government office problem, though it might pose a problem in specific areas of the country. building in Binghamton, N.Y., produced, " maybe the only building in the country There is broad agreement that a where you can't find a single cockroach." The. substantial proportion of dioxin-contaminated building has stood empty since. wastes are now buried in dumps around the Fires or xplosions at plants that produce country. Anne M. Gorsuch. administrator of pesticides, herbicides and other products that the Environmental Protection Agency, involve dioxin, such as the explosion at the recently said there were 12,000 of these Hoffmann-LaRoche plant in Seveso, Italy, on "ticking time bombs" ; other experts have put July 10, 1976, can also provide a path through the number of toxic dumps at 50,000 or more. There is little if any information on the; content of most of these sites. The EPA; recently issued a list of 418 "priority" sites,; which dioxin enters the environment. In 1980 a study by scientists of the Dow Chemical Co. suggested that dioxin could be released from the combustion of organic but it has iust begun to act cn some of these areas.* Administration officials and chemical companies contend that the dioxins in the waste dumps do not constitute a serious threat materials. They found dioxiils in car mufflers, fireplace soot, charcoal-grilled steaks, cigarette smoke and a variety of other sources. because they adsorb strongly to soil and are Etcyl Blair and Perry J. Gehring, Dow not water-soluble; therefore, the officials say, they are unlikely to seep into water tables. But some environmentalists contend that scientists and officers, said in a telephone interview that while it was true that dioxin was present in the environment and was other solvents in the dumps could flush the dioxin into the water. RELATIVELY HIGH LEVELS of dioxin have been found in gulls' eggs and fish taken highly toxic, it did not constitute a serious problem. "There is a difference between toxicity and hazard," Blair said. " Just because it is a risk doesn't mean you are in from the Great Lakes and in waterfowl in the danger." He asserted that there were no cases *~North'Central states7*Dr.--Young-noted-that- ,,,,w here, exposureJevelaJiad.provetLto^be-i. dioxins tend to collect in silt and are ingested by bottom-dwelling animals^such as crayfish and turtles. , hazard to humans and added, " Statements about how much of the stuff can kill so many people are just not productive." ' ' " " ` The Dow officials said that employees working with dioxin in the 1960s had developed chloracne, a skin disease, but that surveillance of the workers had turned up no pattern of serious illness. THERE APPEARS to be no agreement in among scientists on the health effects of dioxin where it is known to have entered the environment . in substantial quantity; Missouri, Love Canal, Vietnam and Seveso. But Dr. Henry Falk, chief of the special studies branch of the federal Centers for Disease Control, remarked that dioxin contamination was "very much regarded as a significant public health problem that needs to be handled with extreme care." "There undoubtedly are other Russell Blisses around the country," Dr. Falk said. "We haven't systematically approached all of the past producers to identify where their products are. That would really be an extensive job." ,j He also said that the acute effects were not the only problem created by dioxin in tfte environment. "There is a lot of uncertainty about the long-term effects on people," he said. Halperin of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health said, "In an occupational setting, exposure to dioxins is clearly a problem." He explained that data collected by Swedish epidemiologists as well as his own studies suggested that exposed workers faced a substantial risk of soft-tissue sarcoma, a malignant growth. "What we can say about dioxin," Halperin said, "is that it is an extremely toxic agent whose long-term consequences are only beginning to be understood." \ I -**'*^.`^,c'*** w.'iv:jrrv",r rtrt>t.! February 12, 1979 irrPtNce STURGEON, MO. , DERAILMENT P O S IT IO N STATEMENT TO : D. R. Bishop W. R. Corey J. R. Foehr T. L. Gossage E. H. Harbison J. S. Metcalf J. E. McKee J. C. McPhillips J. T. Nolan P. S. Park ~R. G. Pier r G. Roush J. J. Spano R. A. Stohr G. Young ~ i> v ' If you have any corrections or suggestions to this position statement, please phone extension 4-2621. Also attached is the EPA news release of Sunday, Feb. 11. R C I :smt Att. C006C 2/ 12/79 to o >r . i ,. P O S IT IO N STATEMENT -- TRACE /COUNTS OF TCDD IN CRUDE ORTIIOCHLOROPHENOL QUESTIONS & ANSWERS TO BE USED ONLY BY MIC PR I N RESPONDING TO DIRECT MEDIA IN Q U IR IE S At the request of the EPA we analyzed a reserve sample of the crude orthochlorophenol involved in the derailment at Sturgeon, Mo, (Jan. 10, 1979) for tetrachloro dioxin. On Friday, Feb. 9, our analytical chemists reported finding this impurity at a .037 ppm . average level in the reserve sample. We informed the EPA of this that evening and contacted the clean-up contractor the next morning. ; Since this is an extremely low level.of tetrachloro dioxin contamina tion, just barely above what equipment can detect, w e 1re sure there was no harm to the citizens of Sturgeon. We have notified the clean-up contractor so he can take the appro priate precautions with his people. The same protective clothing that protects clean-up workers from the crude orthochlorophenol would protect them from the miniscule amounts of tetrachloro dioxin. Q, Is this the same TCDD found at Seveso, Italy? A, Probably not. The 2,3,7,8 isomer of tetrachlorodibenzo-para- dioxin released at Seveso can't be formed directly in our process. The impurity found in our sample is most probably a different isomer which is far less toxic. -more- Xd ; i s # Sir Q 1. Why did Monsanto wait so* long to test its batch sample for TCDD? A. In the past we've analyzed crude orthochlorophenol for TCDD a * number of times and never found TCDD. That was using the same analytical equipment which measures for tetrachloro dioxin down to .010 ppm.- (three tests). We theorize the TCDD was an impurity in one of the components. Recently another chemical company reported that dioxins are ubiquitous and can be formed a number of ways, for example, by combustion. That is, everything froin--'burning i I leaves to smoking a cigarette "may form dioxins. We'll be working |* to find out how the small amounts of TCDD got in our product and . \ eliminate the contamination. Q. Did Monsanto act quickly when it had this new knowledge on TCDD? A. Very quickly. We learned on the afternoon of Feb. 9 that there w e r e trace amounts of TCDD in our chemical intermediate and informed the EPA that evening. - .Q. How can you say there was no harm to the citizens of Sturgeon when they were exposed to the vapor clouds for a long period of time? A. We monitored the air soon after the train derailment. The highest concentration of crude orthochlorophenol detected was .085 ppm. So if you percentage the .`037 ppm TCDD contamination against the' highest known crude orthochlorophenol concentration in the air of .085 ppm, you get a number so small it's meaningless to express. more- rage j &3 & & } Q. What v:ould be the symptoms of TCDD poisoning? A. The first clinical sign would be chloracne. That's pus-like sacks formed on skin exposed to TCDD. I i ii Q. Is Monsanto doing any more testing of crude orthochlorophenol? A. Yes, we're continuing to analyze the product for other production > impurities. The EPA had also been sent product from our reserve sample for their own analysis.=- Q. When will the cleanup be completed? A. It was reported on St. Louis radio on Feb. 9 that the cleanup is 95% complete. We understand the cleanup contractor is taking out all contaminated material down to a 200 ppm level. -oOo-