Document xY37YGN7qyJX4GMb79qD8Dxg

NIOSH finds more brain cancers among chemical workers in Texas plants Concern over brain cancer deaths among chemical workers continued to mount last week with the discovery that five deaths among former employees at Monsanto's Texas City. Tex., chemical intermediates plant were attributable to brain tumors, and that two of the deaths could have been caused by the type of cancer known as glioblastoma multiform. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health have been investigating brain-cancer deaths since the discovery that nine employees of Union Carbide's Texas City plant died of glioblastoma between 1962 and 1978. One employee with glioblastoma is still living (iCW,; Feb. 28. p. 22). osha began investigating deaths at the Monsanto plant as the result of a "com pliance complaint" received shortly after the discovery of the cancers at Union Carbide. The cases at Monsanto were reported after an initial review of 1.2001,300 health records of employees and former employees at the plant. Spokesmen for Monsanto say that only two of the deaths could be attributed to glioblastoma, and that there is "no evidence" that the other three were of that rare form of cancer. Initial indications were that the deaths at both plants could be linked to vinyl chloride monomer but Ben Bare, senior industrial hygienist with osha's area office, says several chemicals are now being studied and "the list is growing every day." included: acrylonitrile, ethyl ene oxide, polyethy lenc and their interme diates. Monsanto, which has not made vcm at Texas City since 196S, says it is conducting a study of its employees "stretching back 30 years" and will start another check in phases in cooperation with OSHa and NIOSH. Vinyl chloride is a suspect as the cause of the cancers because several studies have linked vest to glioblastoma and other types of brain tumors and because many of the workers with glioblastoma had been exposed to vcm One study that made a connection between vcm and glioblastoma was sponsored by the Manufacturing Chemists Assn, and published earls lasl year. The study, conducted by Equitable Environmental Health inc. (Rockville. Md l, examined the death certificates of 9,677 workers exposed to sext at 34 plants. As well as reporting the incidence of angiosarcoma, the main type of cancer linked to vcm. the study showed an excess of brain tumor deaths--12 where statisti cally there should have been six. And now there is evidence that the incidence may be even higher than expected. Although 43! death certificates from Union Carbide's Texas City plant were included in the mCa study, none were for victims of glioblastoma. According to Joseph Wagoner, director of osha's office of carcinogen identification. "There were no brain cancers among that group of workers" although he points out that the criteria for selecting workers may have inadvertently excluded those with glioblas toma. Carbide says it submitted data in answer to specific requests by the mca study group. And the extent of the Carbide workers' exposure to vcm is uncertain. According to Sanford Leffing- well. who heads the niosh study team, five workers were clearly exposed, and for two others, evidence is "tenuous." Indians unhappy with paper firms' land offer The continuing dispute between Maine's tribal Indians, state leaders and paper companies apparently is not over. Although the state's political leaders and paper makers have endorsed a White House proposal for a S37-miiiion out-of- court settlement of land claims by the Passamaquoddy and Penobscot tribes, the Indians are still not ready to okay the deal. The tribes, faced with a Mar. I 1 deadline for a decision on the settlement package, said they will seek an extension because of misgivings about the land offerings. Under the White House plan, the feder al government would pay S27 million to the Indians to end their claims to 12.5 million acres of Maine land. The govern ment would also give them S10 million to buy umberland from same of the state's paper firms. Attorneys for the paper companies are still in the process of lacntifying possible parcels. Bui the Indians reportcdlv arc unhappy with the location of some of the land and contend that the offerings include inferior tract' One tribal leader said some of the land i> 'Aery average, like the top nf a mountain." lie added. "The tribes don't want their new territory to eonvist ot i'oiaied parcels scattered ail over the stale " The tribes did not spectfv how much extra time they will need to consider the deal. The\ have taken iheir deadline request to the U S District Court in Port land. Judge lets EPA ban on 2,4,5-T stand Dow Chemical and 10 co-plaintiffs lost the first round in their attempt to roll back the Environmental Protection Agency's Mar. I emergency suspension on use of the herbicides 2.4.5-T (tnchlorophcnoxyacctic acid) and Silvex. The 11 companies and trade associa tions. including users and makers of the herbicides and agricultural and forest- products groups, had sought a temporary injunction against era's action in U.S. District Court in Flint. Mich. They asked that the move be found "arbitrary and capricious and done without observance of procedures required by law." Although U.S. District Court Judge James Harvey declined to rule on the case, he did gram a request for an expedited schedule to review the facts of the ban. which requires era officials to appear in Flint. In response to era's bid for addition al time to prepare its case. Judge Harvey ordered the hearing for Mar. 19. Certain to come out at the Hearing are Dow's sharp criticisms of the era data that led the agency to suspend use of 2.4.5-T. An era study of eight women in the Alsea Basin of Oregon found an asso ciation between 2.4.5-T sprayings m the area and 13 miscarriages they suffered between 1972 and 1977* (CW, Mar. 7, p. 21). The agency reported a peak in the spontaneous abortion rate four to six weeks after the herbicide was sprayed on forests near their homes. But Dow notes that. "Upon review of this Oregon study, we find the researchers have used inappropriate data; ignored other obvious causes of miscarriages, and applied selective statistical manipulations of the data . . . their research failed to demonstrate any causc/effeci relationship between 2.4.5-T and spontaneous abor tions." Perry Gchrtns. Dow director of health and environmental research, notes that era's "peak" theory doesn't hold up. mcc the accumulation of toxins necessary to cause miscarriages in the women would occur gradually. A gradual incidence, rather than a sudden peak of miscarriages, would be more likely, he said. In addition, miscarriage peaks occur throughout the nation, even in June when the Oregon women aborted. Gehrmg said. Another Dow criticism: EPA measured hospitalized spontaneous abortions but. because the AKca region has so few physi cians who treat women with miscarriages m their otliees. the women were reterred to hospitals more often than were women in the control region. 0 March 14. 1979/Chamical Wm 19 RSV OOQ7029 4 / OSHA, NIOSH study brain-tumor deaths at in the years between 1962 and 1978. Shock Waves: Even the tentative link to VCM has sent tremors through the vinyl Union Carbide facility industry. On February 13, Union Carbide plant manager Damon L. Engle sent a letter to employees at Texas City appris Following the discovery that 10 em ing them of the brain-cancer cases. A ployees at Union Carbide's Texas City. similar letter was given to employees at Tex. plant had died of brain tumors, the Carbide's 5. Charleston, W.Va., facility, Occupational Safety and Health Adminis and other VCM manufacturers were tration and the National Institute of informed of the Endings at Carbide. A Occupational Safety and Health are Dow Chemical statement cautions against conducting an epidemiological study of hasty correlation of the deaths with VCM. 8,000-10,000 present and former workers Dow says that mortality studies conducted at the plant. The investigation resulted recently at Freeport, Tex., and last year at from a worker's complaint last November, its Plaquemine, La.. VCM facilities failed alleging an abnormal incidence of brain "to show any indication of a similar situa tumors among personnel in the company's tion. Both studies showed no deaths from chemical-shipping area.. -- brain tumors among VCM workers." OSHA inspectors visited the plant on The joint OSHA-NIOSH investigation Dec. 13, 1978, and Jan. 8, 1979, and team is gathering data. As a result of reported last week that examination of findings to date, OSHA is also investigat- Carbide's medical records revealed 11 * ing a "compliance complaint" at Monsan- brain-tumor Cases, including 10 deaths. I to's operations in Texas City and says that Nine of the workers had died of a form of ^ "It is possible that other plants will also be cancer called glioblastoma multiform; the checked, though none has been identified. living worker is believed to have glioblasto Davis Layne, area director of OSHA's ma. The other employee died from meningio Houston office says "We are just begin ma, another type of brain tumor. ning to turn the leaves, and it all depends According to OSHA Administrator on what turns up." O Eula Bingham, "The total number of brain tumors so far would appear to be higher than expected for a plant popula tion this size." At the start of the investi gation, which is expected to take about a year, vinyl chloride monomer is the lead DISTRIBUTION SLIP Date, ing suspect. While VCM is most common ly associated with angiosarcoma, a form of liver cancer, several studies have linked it MONSANTO CHEMICAL INTERMEDIATES CO St. Louis to gtioblastoma. Sanford Leffingwell, a NIOSH medical officer who is heading the epidemiological study, cites a 1976 study by Richard Waxweilcr published by the New York Academy of Sciences, and a later study by Italian researcher Cesare Maltoni that showed an incidence of another type of brain tumor in rats exposed to VCM. A study supported by the MCA also recognized an incidence of glioblastoma among the workers exposed Blase. W, A. Brasfield, E. N. Daues. D. R. Dntvtrvszyn, M. 61son, D. A. Potter, R. G. Reese, F. E. Tfcurrott, J.R. G4NF G4NE G4NH G4WA G4NA G4NA G4NH G4NH ---------- y , y to VCM in its sample. Carbide says that the affected workers were exposed to VCM in 1950-1965, but evidence at this point is far from conclu sive. Leffingwell says that other chemicals Av * 9 1! , f.fi- JLn**Ar-i- d fa y ~7----------- in use at the plant, including ethylene oxide and acrylonitrile, are possible causes of brain tumor* and will be examined. It is CotDorate PR A3NB also possible, he points out, that the number of glioblastomas could turn out not to be e*Ccsi;\ t for a plant with approx imately 2,000 employees. In the period since 1941, there have been 455 known Muihall, w. R. V u4 \) H. V/. G5NA / -- deaths of Carbide employees at Texas City, although all 10 in which brain tumors "ere listed as the cause occurred y' 22 Chemical V/eek/February 28. 1979 From: PUBLIC RELATIONS, MCI RSV 0007030 TROCHEMICAL NEWS -- 2/26/79 /:OSHA-NIOSH TEAM PROBING BRAIN-TUMOR INCIDENCE : *-- -i Washington--A govern - ment team is looking into reports of brain-tumor inci dence among workers in two Texas City petrochemical plants, Dr. Eula Bingham, Assistant Labor Secretary, said last week. . ,'i.. ___ . Dr/Bingham, who heads up her department's Occu pational Safety & Health Administration, said the inves tigating team is made up of representatives of OSHA and the National Institute for Occupational Safety it. - Health, plus local technical personnel. - .J Vk' - ; The investigation is centering cm plants of Union M Carbide and Monsanto, Dr. Bingham, said, adding that . the Carbide probe began after a worker complaint was received 27 Nov. charging a high incidence of brain tu- ' mors among workers and former:workers at the plant. * -^^Dri Bingham said that ''while it'is too early, and there are too many chemicals present and in use, to reach a ; definite correlation between any particular chemical . and tumors," OSHA has already established, as to the Carbide plant, that, "so far, there are 11 known cases of brain tumors in workers" of the plant. f':'% This number, she added, "would appear to be higher than expectedforaplantpopulation of about 2,000 workers.' OSHA sources added that "at least two" similar cases ive been reported at the Monsanto plant. ..v.rsX / DISTRIBUTION SLIP /^> /7 Date__ "Z- MONSANTO CHEMICAL INTERMEDIATES CO. St. Louis G4NF Brasfield, E. N. G4NE Daues, D. R. G4NH Dciytryszyn, M. G4WA Olson, D. A. G4NA Potter, R. G. *--------- . G4NA Reese, F. E. G4NH Thurrott, J. R. G4NH BrtUi.'<ZoJry Lu- (, f- Oi-^er^ nor T' f--. L. ^' ;r. e- y y y ty *y Corporate PR/'T.*- k.'A.- ^ A3NB Mulhall, W. R. G5NA Pco < i 6~ i/___ ^ 1A* `tl. f / y ___________ From: PUBLIC RELATIONS, MCI top ofthe news ( PVC pull-out planned benefits would come in improved csti- OSHA adds to its fist tales of crop losses, o' the economic ad Uniroval Chemical made a tentative vantages of using pesticides and of prog- The Occupational Safety and Health decision Iasi week to discontinue poly : ess in developing resistant crop varieties. Administration last week proposed stan vinyl chloride resin production at its ICI. Recce said, feels that industry as a dards for asbestos, lead anddoluenfe that Paincsville. O., plant. The company's PVC production amounts to about 125- thole could benefit from such a system, vovjded it was conducted confidentially would lower the permissible-levels for worker exposure and also require that 130 million lbs./year. "Exceedingly large capital expendi y an independent body. companies lake steps to protect workers when exposure reaches one-half the new- tures" needed to stay in the PVC resin Aluminum tabs trimmed business and meet Occupational Safety level. In addition, the agenc\ proposed new worker protection regulations for 11 and Health Administration worker safety Aluminum producers Alcoa, Reynolds chemicals being reviewed for additional standards and proposed Environmental Protection Agency emission rules are be Metals and Alcan Aluminium last week increased their discounts on flat and coil rules as pan of a two-year OSHA project (CW, Sept. JO, p. 17). ' hind the planned pull-out. sheet aluminum in response to recent dis The standards would lower exposure The firm's ownership of the plant dates counts made by Marlin Marietta Alumi levels for asbestos from 5 fibers/cu. cen to 1950. num and Kaiser Aluminum &. Chemical timeter to 0.5. averaged over an eight Uniroval declined to say how close it is (CW, Oct. l,p. 17). hour period: toluene from 200 parts per to satisfying the 05HA requirement--set Alcoa says it will meet the rates of million to 100 ppm.; and lead from 200 to take effect in April 1976--that vinyl jeompentors on shipments of such prod micrograms/cu. meter to 100. chloride monomer exposure levels for ucts from Sept. 24 to Dec. 31. Reynolds OSHA's proposed rules for ] I other workers not exceed l part per million. Employees in operations currently ex told customers it will meet the price lev els on certain common alloy sheet and chemicals would also impose the "action level" requirement on companies but ceeding that level have been wearing res cpil items, but did not specify the dates. would not change present exposure lim pirators, the company says. Allcan savs it will give a discount of its. The chemicals: cumene; ethylben About 230 workers would be affected by the shutdown. 2,yc/lb. for flat and coiled specification shtel in gauges 0.006-0.125 in. for se zene; alpha-methylstyrene; styrene; vinylloluene; cyclohexane; camphor: Uniroval stressed that a halt in PVC manufacturing would not affect its Para- lected alloys, effective Sept. 29 through D^c. 31. meshy) oxide; ozone; p-ierl~bvtylto)uene; 5-methyl-3-hcptanone. cril synthetic rubber output at Paines- ville. nor its Naugahyde vinyl-coated fab rics operations in four other plants. The company also said it will continue to produce VCM at its jointly owned / (with Borden) Monochem installation y Gcismar, La. UrW&3CKTtFTnew rules Industry and governments should look imo the consequences of developing more uniform international standards for registration of new pest control chem icals. Charles Reece, chairman of 1C1 Ltd.'s Plant Protection Division told the annual meeting of the National Agricul tural Chemicals Assn, in White Sulphur Springs. W.Va.. last week. Recce said (hat t( is caking longer to find, prove and register new products, mainly because of demands from regis tration authorities for more evidence on toxicologv, residues and environmental effects. Such a trend might eventually leave the market in the hands of a few large multinational companies, increase the costs of crop protection chemicals, and force companies to develop chem icals only for major crops "that can pro vide sufficient volume of use to recover costs," he said. Reece also suggested industry should consider an international information system on pesticide supply and demand. nux BROCHURE _ "Loon HMun Sol*nu" pir* (chiueol data on our lull Un*. Writ* Enn Company. U.S.A.. Room 2633Q. Bax 2160. Hautton. 1*xa 77001. When your toner diluent has too high a bromine index, and your customers' secretaries are complaining about the odor . . . and you try another diluent, but the pigment won't behave, so the copy comes out tattletale gray . . . it's nice 1o have the Exxon man recommend last-drying ISOPAR* G with its low bromine index, low odor and consistent electrical and physical properties. That's . . . Solvability October 8. 1975 CHEMICAL WEEK 25 00G7032