Document 1QZRz49xNQkE83JLNoMGeJ2DK

II, l'! - V* Exposure to Talc Dust May-Be Related * ZW To Deaths of Worker,s/HealthUnit Says- By GAIL BBONSON' t The Harvard School of . Public Health is Staff Reporter of Tbw Wall St xnrr Joukitxl conducting ^ morbidity study of the current Investigators from the National Institute talc 'workers In. Vermont to determine the tor Occupational Safety and Health, or degree.of nonmallgnant respiratory disease.- NIOSH, have1: found that the deaths of 17 -The study Involves Interviews with workers,- Vermont talc workers, six of them from review of their pulmonary functions,. X rays lung cancer, may be related to-workers' and-other medical- records! Preliminary exposure to talc dust. ' data should ,be. available., In - .about ,six The unpublished study Is the first to focus months. !'",'"'! ..i'.",1'';.-., on worker hazards In the mining and milling ' The current talc .dust exposure standard of "relatively pure" talc. Previously, talc of 20 million particles per cubic foot of air ore in combination with asbestos, a known was set In 1970. However,' this standard was carcinogen, has been the focus of other In merely a holdover- based on a study In the quiries. In 1972 NIOSH recommended lower 1946s by the American Conference of Gov ing worker exposure to asbestos, and since ernmental Industrial Hygienists. As a result, then concern has been voiced about produc-' the standard is out of date. '.' [ ! -j tion of nonasbestos tale. Vermont was cho '`'We are' using more sophisticated air sen as the study site because its mining sampling procedures to 'get an idea of, cur operations process relatively pure talc. - ' rent. dust.leveii In mines," says. John De Relatively pure talc Is used In a variety' ment; NIOSH Industrial hygienist.' "Dust ex of industrial and consumer products, Includ posure In mines declined dramatically In ing talcum powder and cosmetics, asphalt 1970 when plants''installed new ventilation and plastic filler. Investigators emphasize systems and implemented wet-drilling, pro that their study addresses only the hazards cedures! But the level of safety remains .to of working with the-raw material and in no be determined," he says.'l' . way suggests any danger to consumers, '. Thd NIOSH air-sampling data will be used using talc products. '.V, with the data collected'by Harvard eventu The three companies that own the-talc ally to update,the air-quality, standards for- operations studied are Johnson k Johnson,', talc mining.s !"; Engelhard Minerals k Chemicals Corp. and - Spokesmen for'Johnson k Johnson and Vermont Talc Co. Engelhard Minerals say the'-levels 'of dust The work histories of 405 men who were exposure in their mines, are.''well' below" employed between 1910 and 1970 until their, .the 'government standard." (`.We are^'com deaths or the end of the study were re;' forted ' by pur `interpretation' ot-the epide-' viewed. The actual amount of time the men mlological information," says the Engelhard- were exposed to the ore and the period of- spokesman. "We've been able1 to keep the. employment thereafter were among the fac-` dust levels to one-tenth of the accepted fed tors considered. The study relates only to eral* standard,'.' 'adds-a*Johhson' & Johnson exposure during the 30-year period and- spokesman."Vermont Talc Co; wasn't.imme- doesn't reflect current levels of exposure to diately available for comment;'- talc dust. ' , .- Nonetheless, federal officials'still believq Six lung-cancer deaths were found, four, there Is cause for concent- "We.know'that among miners and two among combination high levels of exposure cause disease," says -"-I miners and millers. Apparently, lung dis Mr; Dement, "but we currently don't know ease may develop as early as 15 years after what .the toxic level pf exposure, is. We're Initial exposure and cancer Is discernible concerned that talcs' with toxic- materials some 30 years after Initial exposure. Eiev.en should be labeled as such',- especially when workers died from nonmallgnant respira they are used In other Industrial materials.'.' tory diseases, such as chronic emphysema ' A spokesman for the United - Cement, and' bronchitis. Five of these men were' Lime and Gypsum Workers Uniop, which millers, one was a miner and the others represents many of the mine'workers, says, were combination workers. - "It's (the study)' another Indication that "Scientists-say the 17 deaths - are'many when people are breathing an excess of.Apy. more than the expected deaths calculated mineral dust, lung problems develop.'.' . - - from national death rates and Vermont death rates for respiratory diseases. Based on the study, Vermont has a 50% higherthan-expected number of deaths' from non-., Olin Winchester Group .. Recalls More Cartridges malignant respiratory disease-.'and a 12% greater-than-expected death rate from re spiratory cancer. \ -j, ,,i .... By a Wall Street Journal Staff Reporter NEW HAVEN,' Conn.-Olln Corp.'s Winchester -Group' said-ilj-was,recallingJ "The present study ciearly'deifionstratef ' aifadditional lTmllUon rounds of 22-cal:. that nonmallgnant (lung) disease (excluding iber long-rifle /-ammunition; A month ' pneumonia or, influenza) is associated with exposure to 'relatively pure' talc," says fed eral'epidemiologist Sherry Selevan. "The study shows a high statistical association be earlier the, company recalled two mil-lion rounds, explaining, that "excessive pressure.'in' some! cartridges makes them potentially hazardous to shoot." tween exposure and- excess, nonmallgnant An Olln spokesman said that only disease. It doesn't prbve it's the cause, but one minor-injury involving any of the it's strongly implicated," she says. suspect ammunition is known tp have "Right now there Is no clear explanation occurred. . v - for the excess of respiratory-tract - cancer The latest recall covers 11 production which was found, but Investigation Is contin lots of ammunition sold nationally under uing," she adds. the Wildcat label and identified with the Strangely, the respiratory cancer, was' code LF03, LF 12 or.LF followed by the ' found primarily In the miners, who.have digit 22 or a higher* number." The num less exposure to'the talc than do the millers. bers 1, 2 or 3 may precede the LF In the Scientists believe there may be something code, and one or more letters may fol-" else in the mine environment that contri ' .low th'e two-digit- number,V Winchester . buted to the cancer deaths other than the added.' ' i' talc itself.__________________________ .' BON - 01106