Document wr61dn2g1QwqxkbX0DnXbV84d

1 J MANUFACTURING CHEMISTS ASSOCIATION Deceived1825 CONNECTICUT AVENUE, N.W. WASHINGTON, D. C. 20009 (202) 483-6 MAY 06 1974 R. N. WHEELER, JR. May 2, 1974 / To: MANAGEMENT CONTACTS OP COMPANIES SUPPORTING THE VINYL CHLORIDE RESEARCH PROGRAM TECHNICAL TASK GROUP ON VINYL CHLORIDE RESEARCH Subject: NIOSH Request for Proposal for Study of Vinyl Chloride Exposures Gentlemen: Enclosed herewith are the Statement of Work and Scope of Work sections of a request for proposal (No. CDC-99-OSH-128(4)) issued by NIOSH last March 28, and just now called to my at tention. This material is being distributed for your in formation, so that you may be prepared to handle contractor Visits should they select one or more of your plants for study. Sincerely, KDJ:mb Attachment cc : Mr. A. W. Barnes D. P. Duffield, M.D. Dr. Tiziano Garlanda Secretary Technical Task Group on Vinyl Chloride Research ucc 000799 Copied by MCA. 5/2/74 STATR'^NT or WORK l--- A. Background and Purno.se Information recently has been made available to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NT.OSH) that indicates , a serious hr-clth potentially exists in workers involved with the polymerization of vinyl chloride to polyvinyl chloride and polyvir.j 1 chloride copolymers. Preliminary mortality information concerning one vinyl chloride polymerization plant has revealed there is a definite excess of deaths due to angiosarcoma of the liver in workers that have been involved with this processing. It has been reported by Imperial Chemical Industries of Great Britain that angiosarcomas of the liver develop in animals exposed to vinyl chloride. Since vinyl chloride is definitely present in the environs of the plant mentioned above, vinyl chloride has been postulated to be an etiologic agent in the above mentioned excess employee deaths. Since there is a large work force Involved with vinyl chloride poly merization processing, NIOSH immediately initiated an extensive epidemiological investigation (including environmental surveys) into vinyl chloride polymerization operations and workers thereof. Vinyl chloride exposures, of course, also can occur in the produc tion of the monomer and may occur in the processing of the polyvinyl chloride and its copolymers and during the commercial and Industrial use of these polymers. Because these polymera have widespread use and there is potential for quite a large number of persons to be exposed to vinyl chloride, in addition to those people working in polymerization operations, there is a need to document the extent of vinyl chloride exposures in operations other than polymerization processing. The purpose of this contract is to document past and present worker exposures to vinyl chloride during (1) the monomer production and the (2) processing of polyvinyl chloride and polyvinyl chloride copolymers. In addition to documenting worker exposures, to vinyl chloride, information on work practlcs, environmental control pro cedures, industrial hygiene practices and worker exposures to other known liver toxins also will be documented. These data will be utilized to ascertain the extent of worker exposures to vinyl chloride and possibly other liver toxins so that the possible Jiealth effects Impact in the Industry can be determined and appropriate priorities for corrective measures, if needed, can be set. If vinyl chloride exposures are considered to be significant in these areas, then a very critical lock at possible general exposures will be made. Enclosure 1 ucc 000800  0, Scone of Work 1. Task I. The Contractor shall furnish the necessary personnel, material, services, facilities, awl otherwise do all things necessary for or Incident to t.';:.' performance of Work set forth herein. Speci fically, the Contractor shall perform the followingl I Vinvl Chloride Monomer Production There are 15 plahts in the United Stated that produce vinyle cjhloride monomer according to Niosi! information (Attachment A). From tjhese 15 plants, and any other plants that the contractor identifies, tpree plants chill be selected for on-site environmental/industrial hygiene.* surveys. Within SO day*; of the initiation of the contract, the con tractor shall present to the project officer (s) the list of vinyl chloride monomer plants and polymer processing plants that have been choosen for the environnencal/induatrlal hygiene surveys. Thl presentation sin 11 include the basis for the selection. The actu surveys shall notconmcnc-e until this information has been revl ed and approved by the project officer (s). Maximum review time shal be five working days. The criteria for selection shall include, but w t be limited to: (1) information gained from preliminary site visits; (2) information gained from literature searches; (3) information gained from personal contacts; (4) the representativeness of the plants to industrywide operations; (5) the plants having the greatest potential for wojrk ex posure to \inyl chloride; (6) the plants| having the greatest gradient of worker exposures to vinyl chloride; (7) the availability of historical inplant, air measurements of vinyl chloride; and (BT the plants having the_ longest history of vinyl' chloride monomer production. The surveys at the selected three plantsjshall consist of documenting past and present worker exposures to vinyl chloride and past and present work practices, environmental control procedures and industrial hygiene practices that involve the reduction of Worker exposures to vinyl'chloride. At a minimum, the following specific information shall be`obtained and/or constructed: (1) a general description of the vinyl chloride monomer pro cessing operation; (2) d-hour daily time-weighted average exposures (TVJAs) of vinyl chloride for each different job-type/job-operation in nhe monomer processing ares, inclulling a specific jobj description for each of the job-types; (3) general area (stationary) samples of vinyl chloride in areas of suspected high concentrations; (4) raw material and product lists and quantities therof that relate to the past and present vinyl chloride levels; (5) ventilation design and ventilation measurements, including documentation of dates of ventilation changes and the extent of changes and how they relate to past and present vijnyl chloride levels: (e) documentation of past and present environmental control procedures and work practices that have been Instituted tblovr:vinyl chloride levels and how they relate to paisc and present vipyl chloride levels; (7) photo graphs, sketches, etc. to document existing conditions; and (K) documen tation of past and present industrial hygiene practices, including utili zation of protective clothing (i.c. type, frequency of change, laundering practices, etc.), protective devices (i.e.^ rospirntor-usngc, frcjquoncy type, etc.) Iv.'iv"! orpin.- practice.:, shower j requirements, eating, jcr.okii;;; and drinking pt.ict loo: in production ar-nsj etc. ucc 000801 [ICC, 801' Task II. Processing of Polyvinyl Chloride Qnd Polyvinyl Chloride Copolymer Environmental/industrial hygiene $urveys shall be conducted in pro- ductic-r. areas \.l*rslyvinyl chloride and polyvinyl chloride co polymers* are processed including^ but not limited to, tie following operations: (1) compounding; (2) extrusion; (3) molding: (4) calenderir.:; (5) thermoforming; (6) binding; (7) foams; (8) fibers; and (9) plastisol processing. The surveys shall be conducted so that each processing operation is sampled- at throe different plants (locations). The criteria for the selection of tiiesje three plants shall include, but net be limited to: (1) information opined from preliminary nite visits; (2) information gained frem literature searches; (3) information gained from personal contacts; (4) representativeness of the operations to in dustrywide processing; (5) operations having greatest potential for worker exposures to vinyl chloride;'(6) dperations having the .greatest gradient of worker exposures to vinyl chlorfide; (7) availability of historical inplant air measurements of vinyl chloride; and (8) the operations having the longest history of polymer processing. The information that shall be obtained and/or constructed shall be the same as the eight items listed above for thev1nyl chloride monorter production operations. In addition, to these eight items past and present T'.'A worker exposures to other known liver toxins (if present)" including, but. not limited to, mercury, 2,2 dichlorovinyl dimethyl phosphate, ozone, dioxana, beryll urn, lead, dimethylnitrosamine, arsenic, (amyli methyl, ethyl, butyl, propl and vinyl) acetate, copper, trichioroethylend, cairtbontetrachlorlde, arsine and tetrahydrofuran shall be measured and/or constructed. Task III. Sample Collection and Data Analyses All vinyl chloride sampling and aijalytlcal techniques shall be specified in the contract proposal. If sampling is required for o:her known liver jtoxins, the sampling and analytical procedures must be approved by the project officer(s) prior to use by the contractor. The contractor should be cognizant of the fact that vinyl chloride Is considered a potential human liver carcinogen and all employees and agents of the contractor should be provided with appropriate protective equipmar: These equipment needs will be disgussed with the project officer(s) prior to the field surveys. > The sample collection shall be conducted in such a manne* as to provide statistically valid data that are representative of presont worker ex posures (cateaorized by different job-types) to vinyl chloride and other liver toxins, if found. Past worker exposures (by job-type) shall be construct.?'! based cn the information that is collected oil the changes ir processing, ventilation, environmental control, work practices and indust rial hygiene practices that have Occurred over the years and on historical Polyvinyl chloride-acetate, polyvinyl chloride-propylene and polyvinyl chloride vinylidene chloride I | air sampling data (preferably personal sampling data) collected in \ the plant. If deemed reliable and accurate. All assumption' " are made In arriving at the constructed concentrations sha.11 l>o (~re- f sen ted. All of the above information on processing changes , ventilation changes, etc. shall be presented as part of the report on' the surveys- UCC 000803