Document 1gjOzG9oNk3xdX3N6aB89jbno

FILE NAME: Abex (ABX) DATE: 1972 June 13 DOC#: ABX077 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Internal Letter RE Asbestos Controls-Occupational Safety and Health Regulations with Attached Newspaper Article - Asbestos Rulings Held Inadequate JV La W l U i V I V VJ A i W i J PLAINTIFF'S EXHIBIT . AB-101 June 13, 1972 Mr. N. G. Bejiury New York Office ' RE: Asbestos Controls -- Occupational Safety and Health Regulations Reference to S. Hillman's note to you of June 7, 1972 re garding the article in the Wall Street Journal of the same date. Please be advised the proposed new regulations limiting concentrations of asbestos to two fibers per cubic centimeter of air starting July 1, 1976 will affect us at our Brakeblok operation in Winchester but there is nothing that we cannot overcome. Pres ently the law permits concentrations to five fibers per cubic centi meter of air and in a recent study we were within those limitations at 80% of the dust samples taken at Winchester and believe that by improved hooding, etc. all operations will come under the five fiber limitation. At.over half -of the work stations sampled at Winchester Vvc ctX t: v v i.C iiJ .il C i i C 1x11*1. u t i u x O i * ciiiC*. ci.C jcii.il C- I C C - , i i y C .r.~ creasing air and improved hooding we can meet the new regulations. Of course, as a last resort, we can be in immediate com pliance, by the use of respirators by the employees, however, we prefer not to d o -this, since, they.-present H morale ..problem in that.. they h i g h l i g h t 'the hazard and are uncomfortable to wear. ' ` ' A s `yo.u-know,;we' -have' participated' with the -U. '-S. Public Health Service in continuing survey of all employees at Winchester since 1965. Consequently, we have been working on effective control of asbestos dust since that date --- the new regulations simply have intensified our efforts. Attached hereto is a copy of an article from the New York Times of June 13, 1972. /d Attch. BC: C.H.Borcherding E. H. Feierabend \^S~Cry<~' D. K. Rennie F. E. Tayler J. J. Sheffield SPNY 006089 T H E N E W YORK TIMES. TUESDAY. TUNE u . j i 72 ASBESTOS RULINGS HELD INADEQUATE Cancer Authority Says Many Workers Face Death By FELIX BELAIR Jr. Spcdftl to "Hi New York Times WASHINGTON. June 12--An authority on asbestos-caused cancer said today that tens of j thousands of workers exposed to asbestos would die because of inadequate regulations issued by the Government's Occupa tional Safety and Health Ad ministration. ' The prediction was made by Dr. Irving Selikoff of Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, ini a report to a meeting of the i industrial union department of i the American Federation of j Labor and Congress of Indus-1 trial Organizations at the or-i ganization's headquarters here, j Dr. Selikoff said that, if thei Federal agency showed the same disregard for essential safeguards and precautions in setting standards for other toxic substances as it demon strated in the asbestos regula tions, " we face an Unparalleled disaster to the working people in our country." "The regulations speak bland ly of five fibers per milliliter [as] `standard' but neglect to add that a working man in hales from four to eight million milliliters in an eight-hour day" he said. A milliliter, or cubic centimeter, holds about a thimbleful of air. In a direct reference to As sistant Secretary of Labor! George C. Guenther, who heads j the safety agency, Dr. Selikoff said, " Mr. Guenther orders that workers exposed to as bestos in any trade are re quired to work under con ditions which permit them to inhale 20 million or even 30 million fibers in a working day." Mr. Guenther made this statement after hearing of the doctor's charges: " Dr. Selikoff has chosen to overdramatize the matter. There is no question that exposure to asbestos is most hazardous." "We believe.'' he said, "that the new standards will provide substantial and real protection for exposed workers and that they provide for reductions in levels of asbestos exposure that are reasonable and. in our judgment, based on tests from many quarters." Precautions Seen Ignored \ Dr. Selikoff, who has long! been engaged in research on! the cancer-producing effects ofi asbestos and the incidence of! cancer of the lungs, abdomen I and colon, said, "Almost everv| essential precaution that coUld! have been taken has been I ignored or discarded, in many| instances against the recom-l. mendations given to the De-i partment of Labor by the Pub-1 lie Health Service's National In- ; stitute for Occupational Sa fe ty and Health [a branch of th i Department of Health, Educa-I tion and Welfare] or by its own advisory committee on l asbestos dust." , The asbestos standard issued' by the Labor Deommenti agency last week provided fori an exposure limit of 2 fibers per cubic centimeter of air but said the Dresent emergency standard of 5 fibers would con tinue until July, 1976. It also provided a maximum exposure limit of 10 fibers per cubic centimeter for an eight-hour day. The institute had recom mended a maximum daily ex posure of 5 fibers. 72 Deaths From Cancer Dr. Selikoff cited a study of 689 asbestos production and textile workers from January 1, 1959, to December 31, 1971. He said that it showed 72 deaths from all types of can cer compared with an " ex pected rate" of 27.8 for the population as a whole. From cancer of the lungs, pleura, trachea and bronchus, there were 35 deaths, compared with an expected rate of 8.4 for the population generally. In addition to the 72 cancer deaths, there were 24 fatali ties traceable to scarring of the lung. This malady is found only among asbestos workers. 1the doctor said. There are about 500.000 Americans currentlv or previously employed on asbes tos work. " If our exeriences of the past several years are a guide, 100.000 will die of lung cancer, 35.000 of abdominal or chest cancer known as mesothelioma and 35,000 of asbestosis [scar ring of the lung] as well as many thousands more of other cancers, such as those of the colon, rectum and stomach. Dr. Selikoff said.