Document 155gobd8KpdL9M8qvQBKRBjwm

FILE NAME Newspaper & Magazine Articles NMA DATE 1967 Dec 12 DOC NMA007 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION Nashville Tennessean - Asbestos Pipe Cancer Tie Hit NASHVILLE TENNESSEAN DECEMBER 12 1967 Asbestos Asbestos Pipe Asbestos = 12/6 127 /67 - OF Asbestos Pipe Pipe CanceTire Hif NASHVILLE ~ TENESEAn TENNESSEAn TENNESSEAn TENNESSEAn TENNESSEAn By JIM SQUIRES Staff Correspondent Cancer Tie Hif Continued Front Page One NEW YORK - There is no ment manufacturers from bid- evidence to support a recent statement by a Nashville doc- tor that use of asbestos ding on Metro waterpipe pur- chases . The council committee on ment water pipe might cause cancer a noted cancer re- searcher said here yesterday * Dr. George Wright chair- - man of The Institute for Oc- * cupational and Environmental Health said he did not think i i such a relationship ever : be established purchasing had suggested that Lawrence allow asbestos ment manufacturers to bid be- cause the product is less ex- pensive than the cast iron pipe now being used SNELL WROTE that asbes- tos is a known cause of can- cer and can contaminate drinking water The physician : WRIGHT HEAD of the de- said he did not believe this partmenotf medical research in internal medicine at St. Luke's Hospital in Cleveland Ohio said a letter from Dr. James Snell an assistant professor at Vanderbilt Univer- . sity school of medicine suggesting such a relationship apparently arises out of an incomplete perspective of the problem Wright spoke to nine Metro { councilmen here to tour a * Manville plant in New+ ark N.J. a manufacturer of asbestos pipe Snell sent 2 letter last month to Metro waterworks director Robert L. Lawrence supporting Lawrence's decision to prohibit asbestor Turn to Page 12 Column 1 - fact had been brought to the attention of the U.S. Public Health Service Wright an adviser to the U.S. Public Health Service said the asbestos pipe industry had long been aware of a link between certain types of asbestos fibers and lung cancer and with Mic- sothelioma a rare malignant tumor found on the lung cov- ering and the gastrointestinal tract . He pointed out however that asbestosis a lung tissue disease and lung cancer are caused only by inhalation of certain asbestos fibers in large amounts and over long periods of time MESOTHELIOMA he said has never been linked posi- tively with swallowed . amounts of asbestos and is extremely rare Evidence of research indi- cates that virtually everyone is exposed to asbestos fibers he said In fact it would ap pear reasonable to assume that there is no such thing as not having been exposed II mere exposure is a cause we would all have Wright cited widespread use of asbestes fibers in insula- tion electrical wiring and qvens and toasters 2THERE IS great up- - swing the use of asbestos fiber, but the incidence of ~ off Wright said Wright said asbestos pipe consisting of 20 as bestos fiber has been in water systems in some areas for as long as 30 years In many instances he said there is no evidence of wear in these pipes to release as- bestos fiber . After this many years of experience if these fibers were to be a source of Meso- . thelioma - a dramatic tumor it would be known Wright stated THIS WOULD not escape . This is not a new point of interest to the industry he added " Wright said manufacturers { of asbestos products were among the first to discover its possible biological effects and have spent millions of dollars in the field The doctor said he is preparing a written answer to Snell's statement " don't know Snell or his background in this area Wright said but no doctor is knowledgeable in all areas . have spent much of my life in this field and even I am s. .not * SNELL WROTE Lawrence Nov. 14. stating he would consider the use of asbestos- cement pipe a medical hazard of significant degree un- til the U.S. Public Health Ser- vice had checked it out com- pletely cs Officials of the Johns ville Co. asked about this yesterday said the Public Health Service is among its custo- mers . We have sold them thou- sands of fect of pipe said Jay Baker product manager " feel certain we will sell | them much more . THE COUNCILMEN are scheduled to tour the manu- facturing plant and research center today The company | claims its product will save Metro 300,000 a year on pipe - purchases oy