Document v1o3q3YpqDjOpn3z5Y2jXJb96

.1 03 JL Chemical U^lA. PiaSE BSbCTBt TQt ' '*?:;- [' ' wk Jufift 12-1 1978 DK. DAVS *?* L_. *t will c^*i Jim case <7137 238-2276 DOW ANSWERS BENZESE AXXGATtO?SS '" /- Jmdj 8 (i5,flfj >/g D '1978 *Ttie health of Do vr benzene workers is not - in"j Venable, Medical Director of Dow Chemical - * stated today following publication of a story citing.aHeSfl^Jbeftsentf* - - /-vi vtJ r - *- ^3"~'J"'' hazards among Dow workers. ^ 'v *Cawc prjjrary concern is, and always has been^-tba health and well being of cur employees. Continuing periodic aedijcal alrHfcsf naif tell us much store than cytogenetic studies about the health -p(, out; people, * 3 Venable emphasized. -' Dow has pioneered cytogenetic studies la industry |bt stresses -fA-- v ,(that the activity-.is research in nature. The scientific cawmaityV recognizes that cytogenetics is a new and developing tool that flOaoday will probably be useful in medical surveillance, but i# not regarded --: as such today- --T*v ' To help place cytogenetics in prefer perspective, Dcrw queues James fxr&f- Jaudt, ' K~ JJ-v^the Gearge .KirfMrdgcJtinQt Profe*a3aa:"|5^<t^ ?>. Harvard University, writing in August * 1977, *The issue of cfcro>ftoeal changes in benzene toxicity remain a subject for speculation and inves tigation; it does not at present deserve to play a role iu routine _ hematologic (blood) surveillance.* Referring to a study of 52 benzene workers at Dowy Venable said that an analysis of the cytogenetic data shoved medically significant -asore-- j IKJSUC RELATIONS DCPARTMCNT AJMUEROgt TEXAS 77SA1 W-J^*-***^ jtWffcA tWtLfc*MfAekfl lKM AL 0000193?5 m&tzmn* AU.EGATI0N3, COSTED ^ chromosomal aberrations with only two people* , , j.* 5 ' =^v,-J' ftDow*s cytogenetic con sultant. and I tret with those two employees and discmcBe&theiaedical implications of their chromosome abnormalities, " Venable saidi *Keither case was related to benzene exposure.B The consultant referred to is Dr* Cecil Jacobson* Associate Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Adjunct Professor of Genetics at George Washington University* Premature conclusions cited by Dr* Dante Piggia?tQ^ > fpn^r otw employee who resigned earlier this year, ignore <xa?plete 5vironntental exposure data of the employees involved in the study. Medical surveillance has been conducted on benzene workers at the Texas Division since 1961. This includes periodic physical ebeaosittatic blood analysis and urinary screening test for benzene, recognised throughout the ujedical profession as standard for determining; any adverse effect of exposure to. benzene* :,i. r . Considerable conasent has been generated, by the cytogenetic study of 52 workers but there is nothing in the analysis of the data to support the claim that, ^oilier? than^tfri&^twqr cases cited,.thereraageE:.any..jmadicarjk^T abnormalities* nWer ckx not practice^ Ejedi^xmwseJ&y, statistical said, referring to the report of the 52-worker s tiidy tthich igsored the high level exposure data and was basically a "ORe-poict-in-tisae* study. Dow* has environmental measurements taken in its benzene plants showing exposures to benzene of over 100 parts per million in 1973. The company contends, and is supported by published literature* that high exposures to benzene can cause chrotaosassa abnormalities* --Eore- onoci3?SAL *. S3 ZENE AX*X*EGATXOH$ , COHT'D 3 Manufacturing and radical experience for previous years supports the company*s contention that Dow workers in the past were exposed to levels exceeding what the current Federal standard allows 2.& ppn) for short periods of time. Parts per million is tbe standard geasareaent used .to determine the amount of a substance present in the enviroruaeat^ The: current Occupational Safety and Health Administration level for bengene: zm 10 parts per million. The agency has dictated & one-part--per-million leveifeut this has been stayed by the Federal Court in Hew Orleans. **On one hand we are talking about a medical evaluation of an individual test by a medical consultant, whereas on the other hand, a v ^spaper report is talking about a statistical method applied to a group analysis of all the test cells pooled together^** Venable said. 'Good medical practice is not governed by a questionable statist!- "`cal aberration applied to a test which is still in ^ijoesearch and developmental phase,* the Dov Medical Director concluded.' * * * SAL 00 GC193 ? 7 240 Various attempt revent the transfer of authority from the Interior Dep* it to the Labor Department also were rejected by the house. Congressman Ike Andrews (D-NC) offered an amendment to HR 4297 that would have allowed states to issue and ad minister their own mine health and safety plans and stand ards. The House voted 169 to 165 against that amendment. Congressman Joseph Gaydos (D-Pa), cnairman of the Sub committee on Compensation, Health, and Safety, said that under HR 4287 states would be free to administer their own programs concurrently with the federal program as long as they do not conflict with the federal program. The Senate mine safety bill differs from the House bill in the changes it made to the Coal Act. The Senate bill would tighten the administrative process under the Coal Act for im posing, adjudicating, and collecting penalties for violations. The Senators approved a provision which would allow the Labor Department to shut down mines where a pattern of mine safety and health violations is established. The Senate bill also would expand wage rate retention for health transfers to include reasons other than black lung. Unlike the House measure, the Senate bill would make the Secretary of Labor, rather than the Secretary of HEW , responsible for rulemaking. The differences between the House and Senate versions will have to be reconciled by a conference committee and both sides_of Congress will have to approve the report of that JomHWftee ~ CHEMICAL DROPS LIMIT TO 10 PARTS PER MILLION A new corporate standard for occupational exposure to benzene setting a ceiling concentration of 10 parts of benzene per million parts of air was announced July 13 by Dow Chemical U.S.A. The new ceiling limit, which went into effect immediately, is 15 ppm lower than the current permissible ceiling level set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, it is higher, however, than the one part per million currently proposed by OSHA for revisions to the standard. There was "no intention" by the company to make the an nouncement "close to the opening" of public hearings on a new OSHA benzene standard, Dow corporate medical direc tor Charles Scharnweber asserted. (See related article in this issue.) The decision to lower the ceiling level came after "new findings in a major epidemiological study on benzene workers in our Midland, Mich., production location caused us to reconsider our position on benzene exposure," accor ding to Scharnweber. Last year, Scharnweber noted, Dow reported that the Midland study had found two cases of leukemia among 594 employees from the Midland plant. Subsequently, a former employee presumed still to have been alive was identified as having died from leukemia in 1965. Scharnweber cautioned that "information on the third leukemia case is not sufficient to relate to benzene work practices within Dow." The employee "worked only 30 months for Dow" and 17 months in an area where benzene exposure averaged from 0.3 to 14.7 ppm. The Dow official added that the company is trying to trace "28 years of the in dividual's employment history unknown to us." Reduction of the benzene ceiling level will be ac complished -.nmarily through work practices controls, a Dow sposesman told OSiLi. Generally, he reported. OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY & HEALTH REPORTER engineering controls will not be needed to accomplish the reduction. Beryllium LIMITED IMPACT ON PRIMARY PRODUCERS FROM PROPOSED RULE FORESEEN BY 08HA The proposed Occupational Safety and Health Administra tion standard on beryllium, if issued as a final regulation, would have only "a limited economic effect" on primary beryllium producers, according to a draft environmental im pact statement issued by OSHA. OSHA's proposed standard, issued on October 17, 1975, would reduce the permissible exposure limit for beryllium from two micrograms per cubic meter of air to one microgram. A public hearing on the proposal will begin in Washington, D C., on August 16 (Current Report, June 9, p. 66). The only two primary producers of beryllium in operation, Brush-Wellman, Inc., and Kawecki Berylco Industries, "should be able to support the increased costs" expected to result from issuance of a new beryllium standard, OSHA reported. The agency noted that it based, its assertion on a study by Bolt Beranek and Newman, Inc. Substantial costs would be incurred, however, by im mediate beryllium processors such as nonferrous foundries, alloy machiners, ceramic manufacturers, and metal machiners, according to OSHA. As a result, many nonferrous foundries probably no longer would be able to com pete with primary producers of the element, "leading to the concentration of beryllium metal production among fewer establishments." Some 400 employees of immediate processors could lose their jobs as a result of compliance costs and "higher input costs" imposed by a new standard, the impact statement said. It noted, however, that increased production among primary producers due to a reduction in the number of com petitors among immediate processors could lead to in creased employment in that sector. No capital expenditures or operating costs would be re quired of end-users of beryllium, as exposures in this sector are "well below" the proposed one microgram level, OSHA predicted. However, a "potential impact" could occur as a result of price increases by primary producers and in termediate processors. Prices for beryllium products would increase for the end user, but the increase would have little impact on demand due to a lack of substitutes for beryllium compounds, OSHA reported. Abroad, increases likely would be accepted in the short run, but in the long run could "encourage domestic production by other countries." No Environmental Impact The proposed standard, OSHA noted, would require in creased use of exhaust ventilation controls, and thus could result in a greater discharge of beryllium-containing dusts, mists, and fumes into the outside environment, There should be no adverse impact on ambient air quality, though, if ade quate controls are installed on emissions sources, the impact statement emphasized. Such controls also would be "economically desirable." the statements commented, because the collected waste would contain material that could be recycled. Alternative Standards Examining the possible impacts of alternative standards, the impact statement ?r :nd that a requirement for the v:ii:;inai;on of all detectaole beryllium exposure probabiy Oct jpo'ionol Safety Health Reporter Sf'-L CCJ --*i ^ O< -*