Document v1D54XwoOYyxDqwNqBvoEzqvm

CHEMICAL MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION Vinyl Chloride Panel Research Coordinators Record of Meeting DATE: TIME: May 19, 1994 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. List of Participants: James Barter Ed Beeler Greg Bond Frank Borrelli Mike Gargas (PT) Mark Gruenwald Jim Knaak Dave Penney David Pun Jonathan Ramlow Richard Reitz (PT) PPG GEON Dow Chemical Georgia Gulf CHEMRISK - McLaren/Hart Borden Oxy Vista Formosa Dow Chemical Consultant Kim Reed CMA Has Shah CMA 1*0 The Panel approved the February 14, 1994 Record of Meeting as written. 2.0 Jonathan Ramlow reviewed the draft scope of work for the update of the mortality among vinyl chloride workers. The scope of work asks contractors to provide an additional ten years of follow-up to the cohort previously studied by Environmental Health Associates (1986). The Panel also would like the update to incorporate state of the art modelling methods for data analyses and use the Eighth or Ninth Revision of the International Classification of Disease to code all death certificates. The 1986 study used the Seventh Revision. The new update also would compare the worker mortality with regional and national averages, as compared to only the national average in the 1986 study. Due to the shifting of ownership of many plants, some plant data are no longer directly available to Panel members. Has Shah will contact non-Panel companies that produce or produced vinyl chloride to see if they will participate in the update. Panel members should contact their Vinyl Institute Executive Board members to have them encourage Westlake to participate in the update. The Panel discussed the potential contractors for the update. Potential contractors include: Howard Rockette (University of Pittsburgh); Kenneth Mundt (Applied Epidemiology, Inc.); Roy Shore (New York University Medical Center); and, Don Whorton (ENSR), CMA 119403 ROM VCRC May 19, 1994 Page 2 Panel members favored a cost-sharing formula based on the nameplate capacity of VCM for 1993 with an off-set for Dow Chemical as compensation for providing extensive staff resources in designing and monitoring the study. Dr. Ramlow will provide an estimate of an off-set amount to Dr. Shah within the next several weeks. Panel members will determine whether their companies will participate in the update based on the 1993 nameplate capacity cost-sharing formula by June 2 and contact Dr. Shah with their decisions. Immediately following company commitments, each Panel member should send nameplate capacity data (in pounds) to Dr. Shah so that a financial share can be determined based on the total estimated cost of the study. Dr. Ramlow will revise the scope of work for the update and send it to Dr. Shah for distribution to the Panel. Once commitments are received from the member companies, Dr. Shah will solicit requests for proposals from the potential contractors. 3.0 Richard Reitz presented a pharmacokinetics model for estimating human risk from exposure to vinyl chloride. Copies of Dr. Reitz's model and methodology will be distributed to Panel members. Dr. Reitz suggested that Dr. Shah contact Bill Farlin of EPA to determine if the Agency plans to conduct a risk assessment for vinyl chloride. If the response is positive, Dr. Shah will suggest that Dr. Reitz speak to the Agency about his physiologically-based pharmacokinetic risk assessment model for vinyl chloride. 4.0 Jim Knaak discussed the decision-making process of when to close major highways due to the threat of a chemical release. The Panel discussed the types of information on which the members generally base such decisions. The Panel identified a potential need for short-term exposure data in making such decisions. Dr. Shah and Dr. Knaak will prepare a program for developing short-term exposure effects data. Frank Borrelli will keep the Vinyl Institute aware of any research programs that the Panel undertakes. 5.0 Dr. Shah reviewed the proposed ATSDR research data needs for vinyl chloride. Of the seven data needs discussed in the Federal Register notice, EPA plans to fill the teratogenicity and 2-generation reproduction effects data needs by TSCA Section 4 rulemaking. The other five will be addressed by ATSDR under different options in the future. Dr. Ramlow will review and summarize the reproductive and teratogenic studies completed by Dow and provide a summary to Dr. Shah for distribution to the Panel. 6.0 Dr. Shah informed the Panel that a law firm, Cohen Milstein, solicited vinyl chloride information on behalf of a client involved in litigation, and that he sent the law firm the EHA epidemiology study report. 7.0 Panel members discussed a TIME magazine article entitled, "Stopping Cancer in Its Tracks," which associates lymphomas with vinyl chloride exposures. The source of the article appears to be the CMA 119404 I ROM VCRC May 19, 1994 Page 3 American Chemical Society. David Penney will draft a letter to send to the American Chemical Society responding to this article. The letter will accompany a statement from the Wong, et al., study stating that vinyl chloride does not appear to cause lymphoma. The letter will be distributed to the Panel for review prior to its release. 8.0 The Panel elected Dr. Ramlow as Chairman. Dr. Ramlow replaces Dr. Bond who will no longer be active on the Panel. The newly elected Chairman will serve until July 1, 1995. A Vice Chairman will be elected at a later date. 9.0 Dr. Shah distributed the financial statement to the Panel. 10.0 The next Panel conference call is scheduled for June 13, 1994 at 10:00 a.m., EDT. Subject to Approval Hasmukh C. Shah, Ph.D. Manager, Vinyl Chloride Panel CMA119405