Document qGrn3ymR22n468vyXKdgB88E

The Chemical World This Week CANCER DEATHS AMONG PVC WORKERS CAUSE CONCERN feedstock prices at "abnormally low levels," leading producers to in crease exports of these products to more lucrative foreign markets. The SPI position lines up with that taken by fertilizer makers in Long-existing concern over possible health hazards to workers in firms making polvvinyl chloride and vinyl chlorine intensified dramati cally last week with a disclosure chloride maker, urged use of a 50p.p.m. exposure level in the litera ture in 1961 and adopted it as a company standard some 15 years ago. Regular physical examinations their successful bid to have fertiliz er industry wage and price controls lifted to ensure adequate supplies for the U.S. market (C&EN, Nov. 5, 1973, page 2). The fertilizer in that indicates there may well be a for Dow workers support the safety dustry victory, however, may be in serious occupational disease prob lem--one involving cancer. B. F. Goodrich Co. voluntarily revealed to federal and state offi cials that since 1971 three blue-col of this level, says Dr. Etcyl H. Blair, health and environmental re search director. But last summer Dow warned all of its U.S. vinyl workers of a "potential problem," trouble. The Cost of Living Council is considering placing some new form of price control on the indus try in response to what it believes to be excessive price hikes on cer lar workers at its PVC resins plant at Louisville, Ky., have died from a very rare form of liver cancer, two in 1973 and one in 1971. The can cer--angiosarcoma--is so rare that federal authorities estimate that deaths throughout the U.S. from this cause total only 21 per year. Alerted to the deaths, federal ex perts and safety inspectors rushed within 48 hours to the plant. Dr. Marcus M. Key, director of the Na tional Institute for Occupational based upon results of an Italian re search study that found tumors in rats administered 30,000 p.p.m. of vinyl chloride. To its credit, BFG's voluntary alert is the first such notice ever made to NIOSH by a firm for a se rious health problem. But the ensu ing probe seems likely to shake op erators of the 36 existing PVC resin plants in the U.S. as well as anoth er 14 vinyl chloride plants. tain fertilizer products. In arguing its case to CLC, SPI claims that polyethylene sells for up to 45 cents a pound abroad, compared with a domestic price of about 18 cents a pound, and poly styrene that lists for about 16 cents a pound in the U.S. sells in foreign markets for up to 80 cents a pound. The petition also says that petro chemical feedstocks such as ethyl ene and benzene sell on foreign markets for as much as four times Safety and Health, says that his their domestic price. Thus, SPI agent..y **m sicp up ns enuii lo ue- termine the extent of the disease in the U.S. and in foreign countries with similar manufacturing pro cesses. NIOSH plans to develop, on a Lin price cures on plastics, SPI urges Citing high overseas prices luring plastic resin supplies from the U.S. claims, it is not auncuit to see how economic conditions have dic tated significant sales of plastics resins and petrochemical feedstocks abroad." However, two large petro chemical and resin makers, Dow crash basis, criteria for stringent work practices for use in the polyvi nyl chloride process. An agency spokesman tells C&EN the criteria might be ready in several weeks. The deaths were among BFG employees who worked in some phase of the PVC polymerization operation, but not in drying, fin ishing, or other areas. They had worked for BFG for 15 to 28 years. Dr. Maurice N. Johnson, BFG's director of environmental health, stresses that the causes of death are market, the Society of the Plastics Industry has petitioned the Cost of Living Council to exempt petro chemical feedstocks, plastic resins, and fabricated plastic products from Phase IV price controls. The move is a result, according to SPI president Ralph L. Harding, Jr., of "raw material shortages caused by the world energy crisis and artificial domestic shortages attributable to Phase IV price regu lations." Mr. Harding says domes tic price limits have held resin and Chemical and Union Carbide, pre viously contacted by C&EN, deny that their exports of these products increased significantly in 1973. To add ammunition to its argu ment, SPI surveyed plastics proces sors in the U.S. to assess the effect of resin shortages on production and employment. According to the poll, 73 of the 159 respondents have cut back their operations by an av erage of 23%, and 52 have laid off an average of 25 employees each. subject to verification and that the company is probing to see whether they are occupationally linked. Neither company officials nor Harding: lo end artificial shortages Water quality laws need fleshing out federal experts are certain now what the suspect carcinogen may "Believe it or not, industry wants be, if the deaths are due to job ex Public Law 92-500 to work," Dr. posure. And apparently there is no Monte C. Throdahl, Monsanto's violation of the federal standard for vice president for technology, told exposure to vinyl chloride vapors of government and industry represen 500 p.p.m. of vinyl chloride on a tatives at a conference on industry time-weighted-average basis. BFG and clean water, sponsored by Mid says maximum exposures in its west Research Institute last week in plants have ranged from 50 to 100 Kansas City, Mo. As it stands, he p n m with nncciHIv hi<rho* ovno. *ur * sures but not for long periods. appears to be a skeleton, not an en- Dow Chemical, a major vinyl I forceable system. 6 C&EN Jan. 28. 1974 BFG22397 22716001