Document 0JRB25nL1yRLR1gBnK0Z2npeO

kxpobs or son nrznxomar or tm xuum pxcsn bogs pool run *t - -,xoronr. WBgQORX....._ X ttptwAw, 1931, * kb* MfHtt tf th tafaty tf tba licit Piehar Motnc and taaltln* Conpany, iaapMtlM ana ante of lb* eoapoay'a rqak wool plant at Joplin. Mlaaearl.. thla plant La eparatad la coanaatten with a laad aaaltor snd'tba protest la wada from ty-protecta of laad awaltlnf. Inaoaoeh aa tba rock wool plant la only operated tdian tbara ia-a fliwand for tba protest, eonaiterahla dalay as "aacountarad la nsatebllng aaA collacttn* all data 00 tba proeaaa. Zt aaa daairad to obtain lafornation on tha teat, lta ebawdcal aanlyala, and to sxaalna tbo eldar awn aaployad at tbo plant la erdar to draw i ` eonclnaloaa aa to poaalblo baxafolaaaa of tha teat. 4 Bock tool. Sock Wool ia atoAs.-froa slac which la banted to a woltaa ltqnld and la blown eat of a aaall orlflee at eonaldarablo prataora Into tha atraaa, braaklac tba woltaa liquid Into waxy flna Iwlrlika partidaa- this la blown into a larga rooa and aftnr iftfllactlae In qoantltlaa it la ahowalad into eontalnara for tmaafarrlwc to aaotbar ballding for fabrleatlnc* Tba watarlal la nada Into ahaata, brlcka, aad 1 la eoaMnad with aabaatoa aad naad for tba pnrpoaa of lnadatisc bnildlsen, fnroacaa, ato. In both'tba boildlnea In which tba fornaea aad tba fabrleaftlnc roana sara loantad. lmrea uoanta of dost ware dataotad In tha air. . Dat Count. Atmoepberlo cuplaa war# taken In tba mixing rood, fabricating department, granulator and fnrnaea rooae. Tba sample la tba fnrnaea roo* above 5,000,000 partlolaa under 10 microns; In tba mixing room Ho, 2 samples abort 23,000,000 partlolaa; Ho. 1 sample 10,000.000 partleiaa; tba fabricating room above 1,000,000 partlolaa; and tba granulator b,000,000,000 partlolaa. all nndar 10 adcrent* Too of tbaao samples were forwarded to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for analysis (furnace room and mixing room Ho. 2) and tba figures given above are tba flgctroa obtained at Pittsburgh. Our om flgnraa show a much higher count. It la possible that soma of tba particlaa bars gone into solution. Chemical Analyaie. Samplmn at tha rock wool vara sent to Pittaborgh to Ur. W. A. Salvlg for ohamlcal analysis and tba analysts are as foilova: . #1 PABTXAL IHALTSIS . Par eeat Lead, Fb------------------------- 1.6 Silica. 8100-------------------------------- 5^*6 Aluminum oxide, AlpO,- ----- 6.1 Ferric Oxide, TegOj*'*------------------ 3't*`*' Calcium oxide, CaO~ ------ 133 #2 Load, Pb ------------------ Silica, 8102----------- Aluminum oxldo Ferric oxide FepOj- Calcitat oxldo CaO - 0.5 bo.s 5*| 31.6 13*3 Lead,1?^ ----- Silica, 8102-----------Alwian oxide, A1-0-Forrle orlda, Fe^O^- - Calciua oxide, CaO -- Uz.o 6.0 29.2 12.0 Ibe concluding statement or Kr. Solrig' report la a* follow*: "A* Mineral wool lo * slag and haa been thoroughly faaod it nay bo quite Irritating If braathad Into tb# throat and lungs In tha forn of fto*t.* Fhyalcal pagination*. On January 6, 1932, four of tha employee* working at tha plant wara examined at tha clinic to determine whether or not tbay ahow arldanea of lung Involvement. Three out of tha four nan examined ahow a docldadly aora fibrosis than noraal, and on# of tha thraa ahowa an old tuberculosi*. tha othar aan sas negative, tha hlatorlaa of tha nan ahow that thay hara not baan employed steadily In thla plant, but tbay toavw baan engaged In tbli work for period* ranging fko 9 month* to yaart, probably at about half tlaa. Tha nan that ahow* no thickening In tha bronchial tuba* la tha foreman who 1* probably axposad to tbs minimum amount of duat. Conelualon* drawn. Paced on tha chemical analytic, quantity of duat, and aTldsnca of auch peribronchial thickening In the nan who haw* baan azpoiad, according to tha hlatorlaa, only a relatively short period of tlaa to tha dust. It la wary likely that tha duat 1* harmful if hraatbad over a relatively lone period of tina. Thl* 1* particularly true In. tha mixing room whara It la atatod by the employee* that rook wool la aired with aabaeto* in various mlrturee ranging from 10 to 75 Pr nlli^bxQjeSli -With tha ooablnatlon of aebsetoe and a fused silica duet, known to bo irritating to tha lung*, it 1* reasonable to oonclude that ths wut will (tt txtmtvt ftbrptle dno(*i la a rslsilrsly short period of time. this Is particularly true *bsrs ths rook vmI Is mixed with asbestos. A study of tbs X-ray pictures of thaas aea foils to rsrssl say sllloosls st tbs prsssat tins, hot to produce s dseldodly nors fibrosis, thsa aonsl eoadltloa la tbs mines la tbs Flobsr field, tbs crwip shows n smf mtHac time of six yssrsi la othsr words, apparently tbsas mb bars contractsd tbs earns amount of fibrosis la 12 Months or loss that occurs In tbs mines of tbs Plcber field la approximately six yosrs. Assuming this to Ts correct. tbs srldeaoe, while not coexists, would lbad to ths conclusion that tbs dost eaeountarsd by those mob Is mots dangerous and sill produce lose iBrolTSMout la a Tory much short or period of tins than tbs dust which is oncoaatsrod ia tbs Piobsr Mines. * post Control. Machines should be introduced to control tbs aaount of dust produced at this pleat. Is tbs furnace room, shore tbs sod is blown into tbs room, a Method of sucking the dust out of ths roo or as upward systssi of Tsatilatloa should be Installed. In tbs fabricating rooa. It should be as spaa as possible, sad' a definite dust* controlling system installed. In tbs mixing room, it is suggested that a machine be installed to do this Mixing, sacking, etc., similar to that used by cement Industries, and it will not be necessary for tbs two awn to bs ia tbs room. These machines exw la common use sad could be used bore with economical results. United States Department of commerce BUREAU OF MINES CO-OPERATIVE CUNIC PICHER, OKLAHOMA March 11, 1932. Sr. E. E. Sayers,. Chief Surgeon, Bureau or Uinee, W&ehington, 3. C. Boar Br. Sayoro t I am encloalug copiee of the report on the investigation of the Eagle Ficher Company*a Bock Tool Plant in Joplin, which we diteutsed while you were here. Then thi* i* finally approved, please forward a copy to Ur. Ertwn Mahon, Safety Engineer, Eagle Ficher Company, Ficher, Oklahoma, at the earliest poasible date, at they are very anxious to Teeeive it. Tourt retpectfully Surgeon.in Charge. / March Cl, ibsz. MU/8SP Mg* Irboa Maboo, Safety ftif^naw flobar Coapsay, '`'ftchar. (Kht Dttr Mr. Mah--i v ;.v Inclosadis , m .twoert af Halted laapeotla pf thtfcck_ ' " pool plant of tfaa .laglajllchar-Mining and flaaltlnf CoapaBy^apIia.. . *o^ Mte hr Dr>y 1. Marigatbar, of tfca 0. & Poraaar^fMines* ,-C <hn pj>r*ol*to aay.saggaatiaas or ooiwiti you ay hm od shall. ha glad to here ay attention oallsd to any arrors cor >1--tat--at of 'fact* . lows faithfully,- Inalosnra la. 4S65 oa - Sr. Marlaatbar . $G0TT TURNER scott tram,' Wraotor. A__ y-rt 7 NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION a all tn wftom ttyw presents styaU come. (greeting: & virtue of the authority vested in me by the Archivist ofthe United States, I certify on his behalf, seal oftheNational Archivesofthe United States, thatthe attachedreproduotion(s) is a true and ofdocuments in his custody. &