Document zonVOMRk56K8LpJRQxwDewEyR

Monsanto r ROM , m h e - l o c a t j o n --- P H O N E * D. R. Bishop - F3EE - 4-2891 D*ft December 15, 1983 S U B JE C T r efer en c e TO : R. T. Berendt - E2ND D. T. Berns - E3SA T. M. Bistline - E2ND S. G . C o l l i n s - B I N O A. M. F o r d - G 3 W G W. J. McCarville - G3WG P . S. P a r k - G 3 W B J. D. Wilson - G3WG W. D. Carpenter - G3WG L. A. Furrer - C2NJ L. J. Guarraia - 1920 J. F. Hussey - F3EA G. D. Ingenthron - F3EE J. T. Nolan - D1A L. J. O ' N e i l l - F 3 E E G. Roush - G2WG M. C. Throdahl - DID F.Y.I., attached is the news release we will issue in the New Orleans area tomorrow, Dec. 16, re follow-up dioxin test results at the Luling plant. D R B :ec Attachment od. fp. Dan R. Bishop IN 10 i R E V . B , ' 7 7 ' Af il SUBJECT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER. C0984G NEWS FOR RELEASE Monsanto D. R. Bishop (314) 694-2891 ( O ffic e ) (314) 432-2030 (Home) V. E. Boyen (504) 785-8211 (O ffic e ) (504) 785-8510 (Home) MONSANTO ANNOUNCES DIOXIN FOLLOW-UP TEST FINDINGS LULING, LA. Dec. 16 -- Monsanto Company sa id today th at fu rth e r company te sts a t it s p la n t here confirmed th a t d io x in found in the s o il e a r lie r th is year is confined to a small lo c a liz e d area o f the p la n t where the h erb icid e 24,5-T.was handled in the mid-1960's. Vincent E. Boyen, L u lin g P la n t Manager, said the te sts showed th at the to ta l area where any d io x in whatsoever could be found was approximately 100 fe e t wide by 300 fe e t long and th at over 80 percent o f t h is area contained le ss than 10 p arts per b i l l i o n (ppb) d io x in concen tration . The a ffe cte d area is along a se ctio n o f r a ilr o a d s id in g where 2 ,4 ,5-T was loaded and unloaded some 16 years ago. Sampling fo r the d io x in was observed by an o f f i c i a l from the U.S. Environmental P ro te ctio n Agency. Immediately a ft e r the sampling; the area was covered w ith p la s t ic sheeting and s h e lls to assure th at no exposure would r e s u lt from d is tu rb in g the s o i l . Covering the area is the most p ra c tic a l long term approach fo r lim it in g exposure a t in d u s t r ia l s it e s . Boyen said the la t e s t te s t re s u lts show that the d io x in has not moved from the ra ilr o a d s id in g where 2 ,4 ,5-T was handled. "Concentrations are e s s e n t ia lly lim ite d to the upper 12 inches o f s o il and drop o f f sharply away from the loading and unloading sectio n o f the s id in g ," he sa id . "That fu rth e r more - 009847 v a lid a te s that d io x in binds i t s e l f t ig h t ly to the s o il and does not m igrate." Dioxin concentrations o f le ss than 10 ppb were found in 89 percent o f the 28 core samples analyzed from 16 lo c a tio n s on and around the r a i l s id in g . Results confirmed the low le v e ls o f d io x in found in the o r ig in a l sampling and fu rth e r defined the lo c a liz e d area. In a l l , 50 lo c a tio n s have been sampled a t depths ranging from zero to 40 inches. The r a ilr o a d s id in g along which the d io x in was handled is more than o n e -h a lf m ile in s id e the boundaries o f the 1555 acre p la n t. Previous te stin g showed no evidence o f d io x in in water samples o r in products c u rre n tly made at the plant. Monsanto has discussed the la t e s t t e s t re s u lts w ith sta te , fe d e ra l, and lo c a l o f f i c i a l s and has informed the p la n t w orkforce o f the fin d in g s . "We w ill continue to manage the area in the fu tu re in a manner which w i ll ensure th at there is no hazard to our workers, the community, o r the environment," Boyen sa id . Monsanto's L u lin g P la n t has been in operation sin ce 1954. Approximately 830 employees work a t the f a c i l i t y which is on the west bank o f the M is s is s ip p i R ive r 15 m iles west o f New Orleans. - oOo - C99848