Document 0RKoJvE4NQnVdaM7jDXbqaeb

FILE NAME: JC DATE: 1975 Oct 6 DOC#: JC076 D O C U M EN T D ESCRIPTIO N : Crane Packing Co. Memo R E Wall Street Journal Article on New Rules RE Exposure to Lead, Toluene & Asbestos ' t` y ' CRANE PACKING COMPANY 7: I r /Wr 7- rO: ART 20BENS fro m : VANCE E ' VOR11EES OCTOBER 6, 1975 StJfiJttT. Attached i5 an article which we have clipped out of the Hail Street Journal covering the new rules on worker exposure to lead, .toluene and asbestos as offered by .the Department of Labor, You will note that they h.ave recommended a new standard of only ,5 fibers per Cubic centimeter pf air as an average figure for an eight hour period. A few months ago they set up a limit of 5 fibers per cubic centimeter of .air. The-present plan was changed later and will allow only 2 fibers per cubic centimeter of air as an average over eight hours .starting January, 1976. \/*Llou can see that pressure is coming along to make our problem even more diffi cult]. He are asking Kemper In s u r a n c e Company to come in and check the r e a d in g s once again. Last time we were well within the limitations of the present regulations but when we talk about .5 Fibers per cubic centimeter we are really into an area which may be impossible to-obtain. It generally takes three or four months before Kemper can get around to making .the checks .tha.t ye want them to do* Therefore, if we .are going to make modifi cations and attempt to improve the situation in various locations, it would appear we can't wait chre.e ot four months for someone to come around and tell us whst to accomplish. We have to be able to .take these readings on the spot. Therefore, will you check to see what it will cost- to obtain a USA Modpl G gravimetric pump unit with, a MilIipore-_fliter cassette,. It is"Tny understanding ^that the Kemper check was on the basis of 430 magnification and used what they call phase contrast illumination in the process# MSA undoubtedly stands for Mine Safety Act. So there must be a standard set up for this equipment# In order to reduce our asbestos count previously, we did away, as I understand it, with all dry braiding.. By wetting the strands we have b.een able to reduce the amount of asbestos floating through the air considerably and, therefore, we are within the present .standards as checked put by Kemper. However, even to meet the present standards we -have to exhaust a considerable amount pf air and we have be.en warned by the utilities, that we may have to cut the amount of our gas jthls winter, which could be 3 seripus problem If we have to throw out so much heat as is required by exhausts through a bag unit. iOL ; It is our understanding ch;at we were well within .the regulations in the white room of the Packing building where we braid the ceflpn and teflon coated packings., In that area we don't have, ^hausts. over the machines. .This is only natural because all a es'_cqs y ajns are.dipp.ed_ ! : (>J cJ}j - . ,> 1/'' /> " h*" ~<L3K Page 2 Ciw:rc/v N However, che use of teflon suspensoids may not be acceptable to some customers. Certainly, some of our products that we sell would not b-e competitive if teflon Is used but it may .be that that may be the only answer. Nevertheless, Art, what I want you to do to have someone on your st.aff investigate various wetting agents in which our y a m s can be dipped to further reduce generation <?f particles during the braiding operation- I would suggest that you contact Bill Koch' and George McKillop to see what their thinking might be but definitely ue should check into this matter because it is only a -matter of time before the Government will be reducing the allowable limits of asbestos floating in the air. With reference to the lead and toluene situation, we are going to ask Kemper also to check this out but we have aprogram whereby all our empl in the presence o.f lead are checked periodically in accordance with regulations and we have very adequately controlled that factor. We also feel that we are well within even the revised limit of toluene in.the airT Actually, we use very little toluene as such but it could be that napthasol, which is one of our solvents we use, may contain toluene. However, we will .ask Kemper to check this,. The main thing I want you to check at the moment is what it will cost us to set ourselves up to check the asbestos fiber count in the air and also to check into the availabili ty and use of wetting agents jto re duce the amount of asbestos fibers floating in the air near our machines in the Packing building. VEVrph Att. CC: K.E. Swanson J. Iverson