Document 1QrvmOpmkeZLY6QLKjyBJwakd

FILE NAME: Railroads (RR) DATE: 1978 DOC#: RR055 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Letter, Memo & Report RE Anchor Brake Shoes Asbestos Emissions March 15, 1978 Engineer, Car Construction Mechanical Department Seaboard Coast Line Railroad Co. 500 Water Street Jacksonville, Florida 32202 Dear Mr. Mims: This letter and the attachments are in response to your request for information regarding lead and asbestos in our AJiCHOR Com position Brake Shoes. The contents of the attachments are as follows : 1. A report entitled " ANCHOR Brake Shoes, Asbestos Eir.issons". This report dated August 8, 1977, by our Mr. R. D. Fleck, Director of Research and Development, contains numerous con clusions from studies by industrial concerns and governmental agencies regarding the use of asbestos in brake linings^. / 2. A letter dated January 30, 1578 from. Mr. Fleck outlining the findings of Ryckman, Edgerley, Tomlinson and Associates, regarding lead and asbestos emissions on the dynamometer when tesring ANCHOR Brake Shoes. 3. Another letter dated February 9, 1978 from Mr. Fleck covering the volume content of asbestos and lead in ANCHOR 3rake Shoos, the make-up of the bond and the recommended handling of our brake shoes. Please review the enclosed and let me know if additional infor mation is required. (cont.) ce: F. P. Kostka Chief Patent Attorney AMSTED Industries SCP, RDF, DBW, FILE, BOOK i/ CSXT 418863 As we discussed by telephone, I v;ould appreciate a copy of the letter from Mr. G. W. Gerhart of the Safety Steering Committee of the AAR. We thank you for your cooperation and again, if you have any additional questions or comments on the enclosed, feel free to call on us. RHA/ljm ATT. Very truly yours, R. H. /Alber Sales Manager ANCHOR Brake Shoes cc: F. P. Kostka Chief Patent Attorney AMSTED Industries SCP, RDF, DBW, FILE, BOOK C3XT 4100*4 PLAINTIFF'S I EXHIBIT RR-I6lb ANCHOR BRAKE SHOES ASBESTOS EMISSIONS L _J ANCHOR BRAKE SHOES-- ASBESTOS EMISSIONS WEST CHICAGO August 08, 1977 R. H. Alter Sales Manager ANCHOR Brake Shoes Many of our customers have asked us about the dangers of ascestos in our brake shoes during use. This concern resulted from -widespread publicity in the press concerning asbestos and its effect cm ice general health. We have answered the questions by quoting conclusions from :ladies conducted by industrial concerns and government agencies, Tr.ese all conclude that the. dust emitted from brake linings is nos a significant source of asbestos in the environment. Brake linings in aut:s contain up to 55? asbestos but the fiber is locked into the linings with various resins and polymers. When brakes are applied'high semperatures generated from friction change the chemical nature of ashes::s into a non-fibrous material known as "forsterite". Studies have shown that brake lining dust contains only traces of free asbestos fiber. Since railroad brake shoes contain only 1/5 as much asbestos , the danger is even less. Asbestos fiber health hazards are confined mainly to industrial workers The risk comes from inhalation of excessive amounts of ashes cos'2*7dust over a period of many years. Some long time employees have developed cancer. With today's improved dust control technologythere is every reason to believe that asbestos related disease will lease to be an occupational problem. (O.S.H.A. Standards now prohibit asbestos fiber levels above 2 5+ micron fibers per cm.3 of air in a plant.) The basis of the above opinions came from the following sources:(articles attached) 1. "Asbestos and Health" Johns-Manville Co. A good general discussion of asbestos and health with good references to much of the work done in this field. This article states that "there is no evidence either from experience or scientific study that anyone in the general public has ever contracted any disease from exposure to the wearing or weathering of brake linings." 2. "Asbestos and Brake Linings" Asbestos Information Association This small pamphlet concentrates on asbestos in autotruck, and bus brake linings. It's impojrtant m essage: "Th e c o n trib u tio n o f asbestos from brake lining wear to ambient air pollution is infinitesimal., even in urban areas and is an inconsequential health factor in urban air pollution." ANCHOR BRAKE SHOES-- ASBESTOS EMISSIONS 'WEST CHICAGO Page 2 It also states that asbestos exists naturally in serpentine rock formations throughout the world and is constantly being released into the atmosphere through erosion by wind and water. 3- "Brake Lining Decomposition Products" Jeremiah R. Lynch National Center for Urban and Industrial Health, U.S. Public Health Sendee, Journal of the Air Pollution Control Association, Vol. 18, No. 12, PP 82^-826, 1968. Brake testing laboratory methods were used, to test fiber emissions from a variety of friction products. Mr. Lynch concludes that only a very small proportion of the asbestos worn from brake linings is released as free fiber; the remainder is converted into some other mineral as a result of the extreme temperatures generated at small spots on the lining surface. 1. "Brake and Clutch Emissions Generated During Vehicle Operation" Jacko, DuCharme, & Somers. S.A.E. Meeting, May 1^-18, 1973; paper No. 7305^8. (A more completed detailed report is E.P.A. 68-0^-0020 5/71 - 3/73) An actual automobile wa.s equipped with a unique collection system to accumulate all brake lining emissions. Particulate matter was analyzed using optical and electron microscope methods. On the average, more than 93.7% of the asbestos is converted, (to other harmless dust particles) 5- "Asbestos Emissions from Brake.Dynamometer Tests" Anderson, Gealer, McCune, and Sprys. Ford Motor Co. S.A.E. Meeting .May 14-18, 1973 Paper No. 7305^9These Ford engineers conducted their studies on a brake lining dynamometer, using automobile disc brakes. Analysis was made using a transmission electron microscope. Less than 0.02$ of the lining wear was released as asbestos fibers. The concentration of asbestos fibers in the urban atomosphere, due _ to brake usage was estimated at 0.07 X 10 - 9 g/m. Based on this figure, the use of brakes was judged to be not significant as a source of attnospheric asbestos. ANCHOR BRAKE SHOES-- ASBESTOS EMISSIONS WEST CHICAGO PAGE 3 Sunmary : 1. Health hazards from asbestos are confined mainly to industrial workers. 2. Improved dust control technology has drastically reduced exposure to asbestos fibers. 3- The dust emitted from auto brake linings is not a significant source of asbestos in the environment. 4. Railroad composition brake shoes contain only 1/5 as much asbestos as the auto brake linings so are even safer. R. D. Fleck Director Research and Development RDF: meo P.S. Tne Product Loss Control Committee recommended that the AMSTED legal department approve any letter concerning safety prior to sending out to our salesmen. COMPOSITION BRAKE SHOES LEAD & ASBESTOS EMISSIONS INTO THE ATMOSPHERE DURING BRAKING January 30, 1978 WEST CHICAGO I? PLAINTIFF'S EXHIBIT KR-161C R. H . Alber Sales .Manager ANCHOR Brake -Shoes Ryckman Edgerley Tomlinson -and Associates, Environmental Engineers, conducted a study of lead and asbestos emissions from ANCHOR Brake Shoes on 09/02/76. Mine Safety Appliance's gravimetric- samplers were placed at . three locations around rhe A m e r i c a n Steel Foundries railroad wheel dynamometer in Granite City, Illinois. - Appropriate filters were used and analyses were performed according to procedures recommended by the National Institue of Occupational Safety and Health (Phase contrast microscopy for asbestos and atomic absorption spectroscopy for lead) Testing conditions were designed to give the greatest possible exposure situation. A series of 90 MPH stops were made using a wheel load of 21000 pounds and a 6000 pound brake shoe load. The total material loss during these tests were 382 grams. These were exaggerated conditions since the normal AAR Official dynamometer test results in losses of about 6_0 grams of brake shoe materials. Locations monitored included: 1. The operators console 2. 15 feet downwind from the shoe 3. 30 feet downwind from the shoe (The wind is generated by a p e d e s t a l fan cooling the shoe/wheel contact area) . Results of the analysis of te s t samples collec ted were: Location 1 2 3 No. of Tests 9 4 8 Lead mg/m^ Result OSHA Max. 0.044 0.200 0.100 0.200 0. 0 3 6 0.200 Asbestos Result 0.052 . 0.080 0.036 Fibe rs/ml OSHA Max 2.0 2.0 2.0 COMPOSITION DRAKE SHOES LEAD & ASBESTOS EMISSIONS INTO THE ATMOSPHERE DURING BRAKING WEST CHICAGO Page 2 CONCLUSIONS : The critical locations monitored indicated airborne concentrations well below the permissible O.S.H.A. standards. Since these tests were much more severe than normal braking conditions, the expected lead and asbestos emissions into the a t m o s p h e r e should be even less than these safe amounts. R. D. F l e c k Director Research and Development RDF :meo P.S. O . S . H . A . M a t e r i a l S a f e t y D a t a S h e e t to follow1. cc: DBW JDP FILE BOOK COMPOSITION BRAKE SHOES LEAD/LEAD COMPOUNDS & ASBESTOS February 09, 1978 WEST CHICAGO PLAINTIFF'S EXHIBIT RR~l6ld R. H. A l.b e r Sales Manager ANCHOR Brak e Shoes ANCHOR h i g h f r i c t i o n c o m p o s i t i o n bra k e s h o e s , p ' o d u c e c by G r i f f i n Wheel Company, c o n t a i n a p p r o x i m a t e l y 5% lead/lead compounds and 9% asb e stos f i b e r s by volume. These in g re d ie n ts are encapsulated b in d e r and molded into shape under pressure conditions. in a high rubber-phenolic t e m p e r a s u r e ar.d T h e s e s h o e s can be handl ed w i t h o u t p e r s o n a l g lo v e s and normal sa n it a ry p r a c t i c e s . danger using There a r e ho known G.S.H.A. h e a l t h hazar d t h r e s h o l d li m it v a l u e s (T. L. V. 's ) f o r eh i s t y p e o f m o l d e d c o m p o s i t i o n . ' I t is recommended that s c r a p s h o e s be d i s p o s e d o f by ap proved l a n d - f i l l methods. RDF: meo CC: R D F , DBW FILE BOOK R. D. FIeck Di r e c t o r Research and Development