Document x5GGwN2D6RbyNkj8aVMpkbxyG

i Tuesday, February 18, 1975 Internal Medicine News, Feb. 2, 197S -2- Vinyl Chloride Concern Called Unneeded for Present Workers Interim! Medicine Newx Service Concern (hat exposure lo vinyl chloride, the monomer of the plastic polyvinyl chloride, may cause liver cancer or other occupational disorders may be unneces sary for present workers, according to a physician and a toxicologisl who have been seeing workers from polyvinyl chlo ride plants for several years. Greater concern for workers' health and safety and improved controls on ex posure levels in the plants may have eliminated the danger before the connec tion between vinyl chloride and angiosar coma was discovered. Dr. Min L. Creech Jr.. of Louisville, and V. K. Rowe, Sc.D., of the Dow Chemical Company, Midland, Mich., agreed in separate interviews with Internai. Medicine News. Fifteen workers have been reported with angiosarcoma, an exceedingly rare cancer that is always fatal. A more ccmv non condition associated with vinyl chloride exposure is acnvosteolysis. a skin disease characterized by blanching or pain in the fingers (Raynaud's syndrome); thickened, nodular patches of skin on the hands; and the disintegration of the distal bones of the fingers. Sees little Hazard Dr. Rowe told this newspaper that he feels that under present conditions, work ers in vinyl chloride plants do not face a very great hazard of either angiosarcoma or skin disease because exposure levels in most plants making polyvinyl chloride are now much lower than they were previ ously. There have been no significant vinyl chloride-related health problems at the Dow plants, where operations have been maintained at relatively low levels of ex posure. Dr. Creech, who has seen many of the reported cases of angiosarcoma and was the first to recognize the association of the liver tumors with vinyl chloride workers, agreed that there is probably little danger for present Wbrkers. Both the acro-osteolysb and the an giosarcomas were found mainly in those workers who cleaned out the reaction ket tles, where the levels of vinyl chloride, were in the range of hundreds of thousands of parts per mdHoh. Workers m the same job may now bee no exposure whatsoever because they work with a self-contained respiratory system that eKmmales bR atmospheric particles of vhsyl chloride, he said. None of the patterns with angiosar comas had skin diseases that could be re lated to their vinyl chloride exposure. Of ' eight cases of acro-osteolyais observed by Dr. Creech, no patients had any detect able liver abnormalities. Because of the observed carcinogenic activity of vinyl chloride and the associa tion between the plastic and various skin disorders, it seemed likely that an in creased incidence of skin tumors might be found in exposed workers. However, no such increase was found, and there were no skin tumors In any of the patients with angiosarcomas, liver changes, or spleno megaly that could be attributed lo vinyl chloride. Dr. Creech said. Despite the report of one person who developed angiosarcoma alter living downwind fromapotyvinyi chloride plant, there is probably no danger to people liv ing around such plants, he said. Since even workers within the plants who worked within 10 feel of the reaction kettles have not developed the cancer, il seems that the smalt amounts of vinyl chloride that might escape to the outside would have Ntlle effect. The one repotted case was probably a chance occurrence. Dr. Creech suggested. There is also evidence that angiosar comas produced by vinyl chloride and other angiosarcomas are two different en tities. Cases that have been reported that are not related to vinyl chloride often have distant metastasea of the tumor, most fre quently to the hmgs. None of the patients with angiosarcoma linked to vinyl chloride have distant metastasea, although some have had spread of the cancer to the hmgs by direct extension, invading through the dia phragm, he said. While this may be small comfort lo pa tients who now face a certain death from the disease, the absence of metastases has proven to indicate a good prognosis in other types of cancer. UNDERDEVELOPED NATIONS AGREE OH PLAN TO GAIN ECONOMIC STATURE ALGIERS (UPI) -- BORE THAN ill THIRD WORLD NATIONS HAVE CONE UP WITH A PROGRAM TO `TRANSFORM THE WORLD EC0N0NV - AND TO GIVE THEMSELVES A BIGGER SHARE IN IT. THE PROGRAHt ALREADY AGREED ON IN COHNITTEESr HAS TO RECEIVE FORMAL ENDORSEMENT TODAV BV 114 NONALIGNED NATIONS. THE PROGRAM RELIED HEAVILV ON THE HONEV AND GOOD HILL OF THE UEALTHV WESTERN NATIONS. WESTERN AGREEMENT HILL BE SOUGHT WHEN THE PROGRAM GOES BEFORE THE U.N. INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION CONFERENCE IN PERU MARCH 12-26. > THE PROGRAM SEEKS TO INCREASE THE DEVELOPING NATIONS' SHARE OF WORLD INDUSTRIAL OUTPUT FROM SEVEN TO 25 PER CENT BV THE END OF THE in vo CENTURY. m ONE SECTION OF THE PROGRAM DEALT UITH HHAT THE DEVELOPING NATIONS COULD DO FOR THEHSELVES. THE OTHER SECTION FOCUSED ON HHAT REQUIRED 3 tu HELP FROM THE UEST HAS NEEDED. AMONG THENSELVESr THE NATIONS ENDORSED THE NEED FOR CARTELS AMONG PRODUCERS CF SfiH MATERIALS* FOR REGIONAL ECONONIC BLOCS AND FOR FINANCIAL AID FROM OIL-RICH DEVELOPING NATIONS TO POORER COUNTRIES. \}> i'j Tuesdajf, February 18, 1975 B.F. GOODRICH DAILY NEWS DIGEST _______________________ CONTACT: 0. Roberts X3410 SAYS HOUSING RECOVERY IS LIKELY IN HFXT FEW MONTHS WASHINGTON (UPI) - THE GOVERNMENT EXPECTS SUCH A LARGE SURGE IN NEW HOUSING STARTS IN THE NEXT FEN MONTHS THAT A *651 MILLION SUBSIDY BILL BEING CONSIDERED BV CONGRESS IS NOT NEEDEDi A FEDERAL HOUSING OFFICIAL SAID TODAV. JAMES L. MITCHELL. UNDERSECRETARY OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT. TOLD A HOUSE BANKING AND CURRENCY SUBCOMMITTEE THAT THE ASSUMPTIONS ON NHICH THE SUBSIDY MEASURE HAS BASED 'ARE EITHER UNSUPPORTED BV THE FACTS OR ARE AT BEST HIGHLY QUESTIONABLE.* HE SAID. 'FORECASTERS NON AGREE THAT HOUSING. AFTER EXPERIENCING THE HORST DECLINE SINCE HORLD UAR II. HILL REACH A TURNING POINT HITHIN THE NEXT FEU MONTHS ... * MITCHELL SAID. 'MANY FORECASTERS ARE PREDICTING THE HOST RAPID RECOVERY IN HISTORY.* HE SAID. *A SURGE OF THIS MAGNITUDE HILL CREATE AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT SITUATION THAN HE FACE TODAV.' MITCHELL CAUTIONED. HOWEVER. THAT MUCH DEPENDS ON CONSUMER CONFIDENCE EVEN THOUGH MORTGAGE FUNDS ARE NOH UIDELV AVAILABLE AND INTEREST RATES ARE DROPPING TO LEVELS HHICH SPARKED HIGH PRODUCTION LEVELS IN THE PAST. 'CONCERN OVER SUCH THINGS AS LONG-RANGE ENEGV COSTS AND HOME FUEL AVAILABILITY. OR THE FUTURE AVAILABILITY OF GASOLINE FOR DRIVING. AND THE BELIEF THAT HOME VALUES NAY NO LONGER RISE IN THE FUTURE AS IN THE PAST -- ALL HAY LEAD PEOPLE TO AT LEAST DEFER HONE PURCHASES.* HE SAID. ______________ -AMERICAN MOTORS VO RECALL 8 5"0 WORKERS AMD HESUME NORMAL OPERATIONS NEXT MONDAY -CHRYSLER EXPECTS TO REMAIN IN GREAT BRITAIN J m DETR -UPI- AMERICAN MOTORS CORP NHICH VIRTUALLY HALTED AUTO PRODUCTION THIS HEEK HILL RECALL 8 500 WORKERS FROM TEMPORARY LAYOFFS AND RESUME NORMAL OPERA TIONS NEXT MONDAY THE COMPANY ANNOUNCED. AMC'5 ONLY OPERATIONS THIS WEEK CONSIS TED OF ASSEMBLY OF ITS NEW SMALL PACER WHICH WILL GO ON PUBLIC SALE FEB 28. ALL PRODUCTION OF THE GREMLIN HORNET AND MATADOR MODELS NAS HALTED BECAUSE OF HIGH INVENTORIES. THE CALLBACK INCLUDES 4 500 WORKERS AT THE KENOSHA WIS ASSEMBLY PLANT- 3 000 AT THE MILWAUKEE BODY PLANT- AND 1 000 WORKERS AT THE BRAMPTON ONT. ASSEMBLY PLANT. DE5PITE THE CALLBACK AMC STILL WILL HAVE 450 OF ITS 24 400 HOURLY WORKERS ON INDEFINITE LAYOFFS A SMALL . NUMBER IN COMPARISON TO ITS 'BIG THREE' COMPETITORS WHO HAVE A RECORD 207 200 *4 WORKERS ON OPEN-ENDED LAYOFFS. -HAbE5iui>-MANil.1 JAN HtH $1.79 A SHR IN 4TH OTR VS 78C NET INCOME $2 425 000 VS $1 062 000. SALES $52 088 "00 VS $42 352 000. YEAR NET INCOME $6 V66 000 OR $5.14 $5 517 000 OR $4.07. SALES $202 114 000 VS $174 237 000. VS DETR -DJ- CHRYSLER CORP EXPECTS TO MAINTAIN ITS OPERATIONS IN GREAT BRITAIN DESPITE REPORTS THE COMPANY IS CONSIDERING LEAVING THAT MARKET CHAIRMAN LYNN TOWNSEND TOLD A PRESS CONFERENCE. 'WE HAVE NO INTENTION OF PULLING OUT OF GREAT BRITAIN' HE SAID. HE SAID CHRYSLER'S BRITISH OPERATIONS POSE THE COMPANY'S MOST DIFFICULT INTERNATIONAL SITUATION BECAUSE OF POLITICAL ECONOMIC AND LABOR PROBLEMS THERE. BUT HE SAID 'WE WANT TO STAY AND WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO DO SO.' CHRYSLER PRESIDENTJOHN RICCARDO SAID THE COMPANY PLANS TO BUILD ITS NEW SMALL EUROPEAN CAR IN FRANCE RATHER THAN ENGLAND BECAUSE OF A MORE STABLE FRENCH LABOR FORCE. THE CAR IS EXPECTED TO COME OUT LATER THI5 YEAR BUT WON'T BE IMPORTED INTO THE U 5. ORIGINALLY CHRYSLER PLANNED TO BUILD THE NEW EUROPEAN MODEL IN BOTH FRANCE AND ENGLAND BUT RICCARDO SAID THE CURRENT EUROPEAN CAR SALES SITUATION WON'T SUPPORT ASSEMBLY IN BOTH PLACES. -CHRY5LEH EXPECTS LOSS IN 1ST UTR BUT DECLINES FORECAST BFG13652 2141 \