Document yXyp1LoX1L3GJvJk5YN02Ry3

cm Zapped to -J. J /--*^v*^#o Tom Newcomb 11/20/77 - 4:30 cc GMEllsworth - SBn j Monsanto, U.S. Cancer Test Results 'N Ol Cf y %_____________ CM > Kfi & By MARSHA MAROTTA It's just a question of whether " But the problem in this case is digestive and genital organs. ivto prepare a final report ' * ; ` v/^There's a chance that even,i w The results of a Monsanto Co. you cail the higher than expected rate that county statistics are available only The federal study found higher The final report and proposal for found'something, the company mighi study which aims to refute a prelimi statistically significant," Spirtas said. for cancer and not for other specific incidences of digestive and genitouri W! .,b\se!!i ^ cl)emicaI any more a/ic nary federal study linking occupational "We called it significant and they deaths." nary cancers than expected. It also tutes director m Washington, D.C wftofffie/lhote exercise would be^acacfern- factors with high incidences of two didn't. But their results are not that dif He said further study could include found workers between 20 and 34 had will decide whether to continue study;,.: pc," jhesaid. > w types: of cancer apiong workers at the ferent from ours." both U.S. and Hampden County death four times the rate of heart disease as "We'TM ^iting Jhe report,if we can pinpointImShffig Springfield chemical plant are " not Monsanto submitted its report to rates but could not use some of each people of the same age in the general proposing feat fee. mstitute. do an Or someone else coiildlmake very different" from the results of the the institute along with comments criti since the results could be population. .; pfe study offee digestive dnd gertitoilfee suigestlon that they change dr con- federal study, the doctor who headed cizing the two-year study for its use of the federal study said Tuesday. the national death rate rather than the county rate which the company used, While the Monsanto Co. report said Spirtas said. it did not find a statistically significant idifference between the number of " The company did not agree with {deaths which occurred and those ex our conclusions and was vary critical of pected for certain types,of cartcer, Dr., our choice of using the U.S. rates," he j. Robert Spirtas of the Nationalifestitute said. /for {Occupational Safety and! Health " If county rates are stable and |saidfee report found{| higher than ex- based on fairly large numbers^ they rpecled death rate sirriflar to the one the . tend to be more desirable to use in misinterpreted. The Monsanto study compared Hampden County death rates with its workers who died between 1950 and 1976, concluding there was no statists cally significant increase in any of 18 causes of death studied. The federal report recommends further study to determine whether oc cupational factors can be blamed- for the higher cancer rates, Spirtas said, while the Monsanto report denies any connection between the two. The report did, however, find high ' . Spirtas and his team of doctors will er than expected deaths among work use the Monsanto report and comments ers from digestive cancer, cardiovascu along with comments from the Internalar diseases and cancer of the genital' tionai Union of Electrical Workers organs. It recommended further study, which represents many of fee compa UnTMnN^anC!H'" ?pi.rtas said' , .V: y; Ifol/tbe substance and it might make a The next logical step would ft? tot&fference,'' he said. ': look at the work histories, of the work-Mv-`^, . ers who died toseeif wecart link where# said he wili wait for a' foT' they worked with the type.of carice?fflfei report from Specialists who are they died from," he said; the rePfts hr the interpatiort- " He said Vinyl chloride.,whfefetBo^g^?, before completing his ffttel plant stopped producingvinnl975 'muld r ''% - 5;, be part of fee cause of the higher/Thefederal study, was started af&i qer tates, but pinpointing ^ Study initiated by workers at ffc bright be, difficult since fe^%np^^;^^|fll|^bo'wed|a. higher ,tha ifexpected 'ttnakes s6 many and chah(p^lis^in^JM^(N fdancer airtenttgvinyiehfe ffederpl report found. . studies like this, "he said. of cancer of fee respiratory system and ny's 2,000 employees and other doctors ............. . ................................. |The Dally News i} Wed., Dec. 21, 1977 21M Hampden ? Wilbraham 'r ' ' v* A/- Monson * Warren