Document r6N1jgZEoEkL9383kv9a0DReq

\L3) Catering Tjadnonry -EWmapslohyin6g8ton, c rcn POO "AUd 1974 By Philip M. Valley Workers and Scientists Versus Cancer The recently con Charleston, West Virginia; and firmed 14 cases of a rare Firestone and Rubber in Pottsliver cancer among U.S. vinytlown. Pa. chloride (VC) workers has caused heightened concern among unions, .scientific investi gators, public and occupational health officials, not to mention the apprehension of thousands of workers themselves. Since the first cases reported earlier this year, four more -have heen-discovered in a-search of New York and Connecticut cancer registeries. But, unlike earlier cases involving workers directly handling VC or PVC, "There's no use denying it. one of the new cases was a man We are faced with a new occu who for 30 years, operated ma pational disease," said John P. chines that processed PVC-de- O'Neill, Senior Scientist of the rived plastics. Another was a Occupational Safety and Health woman who lived four blocks Administration (OSHA). downwind from a polyvinyl Intensive interest developed chloride plant. when Dr. John L. Creech, a B.F. 'At issue now is the level of Goodrich ' chemical plant phy that "VC-3?VO workers sician in Louisville, Kentucky, endure. U.S. levels were low noticed large numbers of serious ered, after Italian investigator liver ailments among the work Cesare Maltoni's animal studies ers, and further investigations in 1970 showed tumors occurred revealed five deaths within the when they were exposed to last six years due to a vary rare levels of 500 and 250 parts per disease. million square feet. The disease is angiosarcoma The American Cancer Society of the liver, so rare that only has already confronted the prob one in 75,000 deaths was due to lem of suspected cancer-causing it. The dead men had an aver agents in the environment-- age exposure of 19 years to which the World Health Organ vinyl chloride (VC), a gas that ization suggests are implicated i3 converted to poly-vinyl chlor in 85 percent of all cancer-- ide (PVC), a powder from with the establishment of the which many plastic products Environmental Cancer Research are made. The gas is also used Project. The research effort, in as a propellant in hundreds of close cooperation with many aerosol sprays which include unions, is under the direction cosmetics, insecticides and other of Drs. E. Cuyler Hammond and household items. Irving Selikoff. Research uncovered the fact Of critical concern, the two that deaths from this disease cancer experts recently warned, had occurred not only at Good are the many years that pass rich but at Goodyear Tire and between exposure to eancer- Rubber, plant at Niagara Falls, catfslng agents and the appear N.Y.; Union Carbide in South ance of the disease. "Cancers we are seeing now had their origin 15 to 35 years ago," they said. "Prevention of cancer in the year 2000 is now the order of the day in 1974." Wor-kers-and their-union lead ers, as well as numerous com panies, have reacted by cooper ating in numerous study proj ects on occupational exposures. Moreover, the AFL-CIO Indus trial Union Department Safety and Health Committee has pressed the Department of La bor for stricter enforcement of the Occupational Health and Safety Act. The AFL-CIO has filed suit in federal court to pre vent the giving of enforcement powers to the . several states where it is feared they will be watered down. In addition, the AFL-CIO is backing a Congres sional bill (S.2008) that would create nationwide federal min imum standards of medical care and rehabilitation for victims of industrial diseases and accidents. It is the opinion of Dr. Um berto Saffiotti of the National Cancer Institute that there are no safe levels of exposure to chemical carcinogens. `It may take anywhere from 10 to 20 years between initial exposure to most of these carcinogens and the appearance of a cancerous lesion." The dilemma facing workers like the VC-PVC men is a bitter one. "What's their option?'' asks Anthony Mazzochi, the union's legislative director. "Work and eat today so they can die twenty years from now? Today it's liver cancer. Tomorrow--who the hell knows ?" 30 CATERING Industry EMPLOYEE TU089Se2 T Plastics' Technology Hew York, N.Y. H. 40,000 JUL 1974. > At the same lime, B. F. Goodrich, Akron, announced "the most intensive" R & D program in its history--a multimillion-dollar effort involving over 100 experts--to reduce "to the lowest possible level" losses from and thus exposure to vinyl chloride in manufacturing operations. According to Goodrich's Chemical Div. president, Anton Vittone, "The proposed standard of no detectable level of exposure does not appear to be possible with the current state of technology and, if imposed, could displace not only the 6500 vinyl chloride monomer and PVC production workers, but also hundreds of thousands of other employees in the companies which use PVC." u 23568002 Tr Environmental Science & Technology Washington, D.C. : M. ??.COO AUG 1274' B. F. Goodrich. Akron, Ohio, aims at cutting vinyl chloride losses to the lowest possible levels by undertaking the most intensive research and de velopment program in its history. Ac cording to the company, however, the proposed standard of no detecta ble exposure level does not appear possible with present technology and, if imposed, could displace not only 6500 vinyl chloride monomer and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) produc tion workers, but also hundreds of thousands of other employees in companies which use PVC. \ \ V> T 23568003 1/ T I '