Document wqMwV5Ewb75dG6q5QqRLyrGJo

BEST HMU8LE Wi j June, 1974 Volum 38, No. 6 K INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE DIGEST LITERATURE ATTRACTS ENVIRONMENTAL AND OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY NEWS /' / 1 J, sri-W1' t ^ ; ?s ' ' *7 * R&S 131328 INDUSTRIAL HEALTH 5231 CENTRE AVENUE FOUNDATION, INC. PITTSBURGH. PA. 15232 . 1*74 <i I II Industrial Pctlth Fiiuriiatiui .'*2.11 ( 'em r*1 A ffiinI';tt:d,iii *:!. PenneyIvaniu 15232 INIiLS`1 ItlAL IlYt.lLM. PIGL.VI Literature itmj ;><.< I NEWS I'l b.Mb | fC/ ?// iiMlA PmimHcn "No Detectable Lei!'* Stundard tor Vmvl Chloride ,'ovine w-itn ona< i-eMumcd speed under gr*.it pressure trmn cerium segments of labor and l onijri-im, < )SM \ `..i i proponed j permanent standard of "no detectable level" tor worker expocure to vm;,i > l.luridc. I>eb-> tea, I mis m u' ml ot vinyl el,ti,-t ' i. the wurkp no- would trigger work pr,Kdn-en to pre.ei.t er.fjJoyee expos . * *-|f >!/Uni . 7 hio Would apply io nil ir.ijnijfuotunng operations in vh.wh viiiyl ehloridi- is us**; .oMlA'h 1 i. ............. Htumliitd, publish'd in the Federal Register Muy 10. allows 30 days lor comments b*`- h ,i I ii. al temporary stundurt is isa ied. expected in about eix months. Spokesmen for orgainl**! labor .in i|,uily the l.nited llubt'er Worhen*. Gil, Chemical 6 Atomic Workers and the AFL Liu's Industrial l non Dep.u ttront'-expressed greater degree of H*ti*l*i-tion with the proposed standard, although they tan indicated ..> i>`.ijl ijght for even greater strengthening of the standard to tighten the language. The t.iSMA proposed -rvijirit would include: 'Limiting manufacture, use or handling of vinyl chloride to certain "regulated areas *\ionitn:'inu the regulated area atmosphere to detect measurable levels (1 ppm) of the chemical and to deter mine ir.iic. 'dual employee exposure. "Allowing employees or their designated representatives to observe mun .i n in,, activities. Initiating an engineering and wurk practice program and a respiratory protection program u.r employees in the regulated area when detectable levels of vinyl chloride are monitored. Huspirstory po- 'tton would require continuous flow and pressure demand types of respirators. Establishing a requirement l,at protective nothing be provided by employers and used by employees in regulated areas. Food, bever .ig-s and like products would be prohibited tn these regulated areas. "Requiring written operational and t.ergeitey plans with employee training in routine and emergency duties. 'Providing initial and subsequent iin d '-.i; i.viitninutmna at no expense to ir.c employee. A beginning date would be based on public comment <*i; ,l:i pri.pi-sal. Hero.- d of the resu'ts wo,,ld he retained for the dur .... of employment plus five years, or h r .(. \i*i.i-.. whichever is longer. --<ice. Health and Safety better 4(h): 1. May 8, 1874 1 7 4 Withhold ini: of Vinyl Chloride Data Hinted. 11 / / European and l .S. chemical firms, togetner with the .Manufacturing Chemists Association, a L .S. trade gtonp. In id in confidence for at least a year preliminary, albeit significant, scientific findings or> vinyl chloride aw an agent causing liver cancer in rats, C a EN learned recently l .S. chemical industry sources sav they were bound by an agreement under which four European firms controlled any release of animul test data obtained i.y I'nit, Cesare Maltom. director. Institute lit Oncologia. Roiogna. Itaiy. The first public disclosure ul Frol Multoni's findings came on Feb. 15, 1974, in tbe U.S. prof. Maitoni'w animal data have been a key to much ut the regulatory actions taken by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. At a May 10' 11 meeting of the New York Academy of Sciences and American Cancer Society, Prof. Maltoni disclosed that he hud found one liver angiosarcoma in his rats at SO p.p.m., together with several other types of tumors, fin April )8. MCA announced that preliminary findings on mice in its own study under way at Industrial Urn-Teat Labors tunes tended to confirm the Maltoni data then available publicly. Resides the animal data there is a wealth of new medical findings now appearing on vinyl chloride exposure, partly through the .May 10' 11 meeting . MCA`a epidemiological study on 7.128 vinyl chloride workers, for example, finds that cancers of die liver Iprn. arily angiosarcoma). respiratory system, brain, and cancers of unknown primary site, as web aw lytu phowarcoris. 'occurred more often than expected in those members of the study population w ith the greatest exposure " vith the caveat added that although these excesses "were not statistically significant, the find ings warrant turther study." And a major bias in the study is the ''discovery"--too late to include it- -of 1,300 Uj 2,000 workers with the longest exposures, up tt> 35 year: .Much remains to be answered in the way the release of the Maltoni data has been handled. There are allocations, unfounded from all that C 4 EN can learn, that word of early results was passed to C.S. and Italian government officials. A major question mark concerns what was said by MCA to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in July 1673 and curlier. --Chemical 4 Engineering News 52. 16, .May 20. 1974 R&S 131329 i henry on Vinyl Cl Hasard Sees Liver-Harming Steps. f _ (| A th**ory of the puthologic progression of the liver angiosarcomas seen in C.S. jiolyvmyi ctiiiindr wotkefs r.us ueun developed by Hr. Louis Thomas. chief of the Pathology Laoorntnry of the National Cancer Institute, who he* reviewed biopsy material taken from such workers tit the H.K. Goodrich plant in Louisville. K> . . jod 1/r. Hans Popper, Distinguished Service Prolessnr. Mount Sinai -School of Medicine. N . 5 ., and < I uk*r*'. Intc. nuti'.r.ul Center Scholar at NIH. "We think that exposure to the vir.yi chlorine gas .it the !ai-t.'Mi*s ,i| p..i ently ci.unes liver fibrosis, which leads to portal hypertcm.ion. which Ii uic to t-ph-noe cgwly ., I '.'4 .1. .it- (i,* * ' - nt- p'i.-mi 4-> ! \ ," Ik. I'npjiei haul. llolh inventig ,t*-i s .* ik* . . " :! -..I-, it. It.eu .......in! *i> it lin.il enm luBi>.n tan not yet be dl.iv.n atai-it 'i.t . . i . .it.,, ...........-1 i t.-.. I>r '! l.i.t: .1* noted tnat the tumors III the Workers m. t,t ipp. . . Ti-I.t It.lint . tii.'i- ..I.f, i-.r-.it t.t:.aM. llr . Bnpper recently returned Iron. fieri;..it.;' , .i a ic t mi; iljt i ,im> . "< . ii.iifi ktn . hangca were round in mnit" ot the i i k- |>ian!'>. .ntt '(> ..* nt tiff;. ittuingie climes, where the t-nlitiiiitj boif-ti- I ->! .ft,I i.ipaioM opy (I f: .Itu.ti:Ilt-l m.ir.y rwi. ut liver fibrosis, 'I hit. happcm-ii ..ill, th hiid.iig.-t a the I nib-d Mali'!.," Urn. Thomas and I'upper nn'.e that tit '.viopn t i.v. ..y- taper Aii ji. ulVit.Mj v.,rkii have had at least three years* expost.if, .e t:\. * "t. i. it u(- gas, and. fir, 'I homa* added. "I be surprised tf they wore no! eyp. a* A.-l: ttf oiiii't yet fih.i inf *.ire that it u. only vinyl chloride." -Hospital Tribune 8 i'-il 7. ,pj,, , ( I '.fit ^ my 1 t'hhnwc -Handartl. ^ , ; t ''ft \ (.ri j...t....| standard tur wrik-pla>K exposure to vinyl chloride is criticized a* 11 Hcnnuvi-it .i.. ally restrictive" l.v the Society of the Plastics Industry. SPI aaya it will urge the Occupational >..:i t;. li. jit). .i.t: a.ii.tratiun to hold heal <m> on me no-detectable" standard so that industry "can present ij. u-j'.if v.' i i.i r safety and .still permit a ilal industry to continue operating." --Chemical l Engineering New* 52. t. .las -M. i-'l 74 t ifi.i N.qrce .,f Asbestos Fiber (.xrosure . i 'Ml t no ai'Ttot.1 industry and labor to a new-found source of hazardous exposure to asbestos libel r 11 ..fcK.< > has learned that many speckling and taping compounds used to cover seams in dry wall <.i * iattain aibi-siua. Employees sanding joints smooth before painting may expose themselves to (run ,t :.. , ...iii'Mi*. liber*,ut air. OSUA's uabertos health standard limits exposure to 5 fibers/cv, on at. f; hin 'ii'-d h.oiis. --Plant Engineering 38 lit. V..,. . . 7.i -4 i i. iiifci-r. t.. tin.- I'l ..iney Clause are Planned. i.ai.,'.1 'i v Iiciancy clause arc planned. EUA chief Alexander >\1. Schmidt says, after the age*..;. ) ..-li.i!i i -tiidy i.puireu by House debate in June 1873. The clause's anticancer language t- the u:. M >i. t !.A i .as barred use of such ch.-m teals as cyclaniates. Ur. Schmidt says that "growth ot kr. i.a.i u* ^ ar. Hi. certe-m may eventually permit safe levels of carcinogenic (food) additives to be detertmnvu. 1 ut d..'. ii. r.'i. vet I'efe " -('herr.u al l Engineering News 53. b, ..uy .4 J , e ..s , -.uiids tor '1 axii Chemicals Util i u.vn i,vi. i.t ii.uiitjiv, to help reduce potential risks to human health from the ever-growing nun.bei . .< ,.b. (i.t.,i. .niuii-td in the L .S, are moving ahead. But generally the pace is far from swift etiuugl. t" ' ti,.- i_i itu .. .it U,ti. i"jl technologies. And recently even those federal agency chiefa who take a laigc.y . . ,o.i ei) approach UiWartt chemicals have urged Congress to get cracking to close the regulatory gap that i >ji utsi-cv* t'lintrul Act is intended to fill. Bottled up since last fell in s Senate-House conference wm ! :.a\ i .ii'ldmi t- ct. owing to more pressing matters. the legislation would require some torn. .<! pi , . t ti- i.,r carious chemicals beyond that now set tor drugs, food sdditives, and pesticides, t tin a ! .r.c i.j.-ih v.oui'i nse'-no one is certain exactly how much-'snd undoubtedly some products never w.-ui'.' t ..at Ki i. ii Mol. ih legislation is needed as the "only way" to remove the Govsrnmsr.t trom the 'V ..i i <i.* : .., ttv. pi-itiin'" it tinus itself in toward unanticipated problems posed by chemicals, says Ur ituxscli A I -"ii, I'.'i.nniuii >! ti.c < ouncii on Environmental Quality. The CKW head made these punts ui a ape*-. 1. tw it. ir.i. .,,i im .t.ii^ o; tt.c Institute uf Environmental Sciences in tVashingtun. U.f., last month, lie uw<i *.!. : t a*.;. ]) p.it.l.ctzeu cxan.pK-s ut liver cancer deaths from vinyl chloride exposure end contamuiahi i. . .. ,.'.p.* ,..| 11 .i.K.ng xutri tuppl.cn by asbestoniov tilji-ib fro*:; Iteaetvv .Vluilllg's SlKcr Iu,y , ...i.i. , if.1 . ! .i.p.i till the ubviotiB need" ior this- a gislaUor.. Efforts to avert othet "vinyl *t <'> . v.f.-ic, jm- .ti'ii v way in governn *rt labs and in pmatc labs through Ivutrsl funds. With U.c W- i.o Ik 1 ',ji.;,.'i:.-,i. -ntu: uting that tome &5;.vl human i-.-inci-n are I'aused by eni'inutti ental agi'ti*', i:. I. - . * A ..i tat'.;, huv.i.u i Ison it ul toxicity tenting it i>il t'lMpuunUs as sunpect care ihi'gttin. till.. < t. ". . ta ui`.d t I'.i.y to ni.oi teri the Ume and cut caremoger. testing d-st*. a number ol i Itiviao. u, . . * t ~n .pc- tiomtig hi.v sticntiiu- knowledge i an Weep at reant u! the increasing numl/er ut new slut "1.: i.en A.to . it ally iiruo-d neulUi hazards often first uetecteu m job-exposed (sapulatniris. much ihlenet . ti .nh ci: toe ur.du.gn arid actions toward eiuiuic.i ptouucts of MllSIl and the lailior lapaitnn-tit 1 . . ait f\ ai..f !:riitfi .iiiliilil.-ttt iilluil. I'ui Uc'Ularly t'tosi'ly watched -perhaps since so tew details at i f. .,oi< ts .. jv.uit, a.iiiioii < 'SHA MOSli el'tolt to update health standards tor 400 tuxiv suhstut.t *- -l lwmical I. Engineering News a3 M R&S 131330 0*- . .