NIOSH boosts efforts to detect carcinogens
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The National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health has developed an ambi tious three-part program, involving sur veillance, industrywide studies, and lab oratory research, to identify and control carcinogens in the workplace. The pro gram has been greatly expanded this year at the prompting of Congress, which al located $6.9 million for it in fiscal 1976, up from $1.8 million in fiscal 1975. However, although now well funded, the program has run into a number of problems this year, NIOSH says. For example, plans for industrywide studies of the printing industry and of epichlorohydrin use were delayed when many employers objected to having NIOSH contractors inspect their plants. Other problems have included no inhouse facilities suitable for research work on highly hazardous carcinogenic sub stances, delays in obtaining funding for some planned studies from the National Cancer Institute, and difficulties in hiring experienced, qualified people to fill the 125 slots allotted for the program. Despite these problems, NIOSH has made considerable progress in a number of areas. In fiscal 1976, 17 people and $789,000 were allocated to the surveil lance part of the occupational carcino genesis program. One of the first priorities of the surveillance program was to iden tify occupational groups having an un usually high risk of developing cancer. So far, drawing on cancer mortality data from NCI and information received from federal and state health and labor agen cies, unions, and physicians, NIOSH has identified excessive bladder cancers among leather workers and dairy farmers and excessive genital cancer among hair dressers and cosmetologists. NIOSH also has begun several wideranging epidemiological studies, including plant visits and worker medical exami nations, of eight industries and 15 sus pected carcinogenic agents. These ac tivities involved 57 people and cost $2.4 million in fiscal 1976. The industries being studied are: printing; dairy; uranium milling and mining; plywood, pulp, and paper; coal gasification; pesticide formu lating; steel; and metal smelting. The agents being studied include: benzene, epichlorohydrin, styrene-butadiene, trichloroethylene, vinyl halides, chloroprene, polychlorinated biphenyls, and talc. NIOSH also allocated 30 people and $2.2 million for laboratory research in fiscal 1976. Studies under way include developing sampling and analytical methods for organic and inorganic carci nogenic compounds and using microbial indicator organisms for testing the carci nogenicity of chemicals. Almost all of the studies begun in 1976 for the occupational carcinogenesis pro gram will continue in fiscal 1977, and the program will be expanded further. Con gress again has given the program a large budget increase, to $10.7 million D
Federal Alert— new regulations This listing covers regulations ap pearing in the F e d e r a l R e g i s t e r from S or. /) through Nor. 22. Tage numbers refer to those issues.
PROPOSED Environmental Protection Agency—Pro mulgates effluent guidelines for individual pharmaceutical manufacturing operations; comments by Jan. 17, 1977 (Nov. 17, page 50676). Food & Drug Administration—Establishes maximum allowable costs for certain forms and strengths of ampicillin; comments by Dec. 20 (Nov. 19, page 51085). Sets forth methods to be used in, and facili ties and controls to be used for, conducting nonclinical laboratory studies to assure quality and integrity of data submitted to agency; comments by March 21, 1977 (Nov. 19, page 51205).
FINAL Department of Transportation—Relaxes existing rules on transport of several haz ardous materials, such as vanadium oxytrichloride and vanadium tetrachloride; effec tive immediately (Nov. 15, page 50262). Environmental Protection Agency— Amends emission standards for sulfur ox ides, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter for facilities burning wood residues in com bination with fossil fuel; effective Dec. 22 (Nov. 22, page 51397). Nuclear Regulatory Commission—Deter mines not to provide funding for participants in its licensing, enforcement, antitrust, and rule-making proceedings, except for pending proceeding on whether wide-scale com mercial use of mixed oxide fuel should be authorized; effective immediately (Nov. 18, page 50829).
NOTICES Environmental Protection Agency An nounces availability of draft program strategy documents that describe goals and priorities of various pollution control programs; com ments by Jan. 10, 1977 (Nov. 10, page 49667). Tells of availability of final environmental impact statement on vinyl chloride emission standards (Nov. 12, page 50053). Occupational Safety & Health Administra tion—Announces availability of new infor mation on occupational exposure to inor ganic arsenic; comments by Dec. 9 (Nov. 5, page 48746). MEETINGS Department of Transportation Says chemical transportation industry committee's subcommittee on chemical vessels will discuss whether changes should be made to Intergovernmental Maritime Consultative Organization's rules for bulk tanker ship ments of propylene oxide; Dec. 9 in Wash ington, D C . (Nov. 18, page 50884).
