Document 24GZNX2Zx7Z5R62LOojoDXER

FILE NAME Quebec Asbestos Mining Association QAMA DATE 1977 Nov DOC QAMA152 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION QAMA Bulletin Vol 1 No. 7 Y PBUBLISHED ulletinNO.7 ee A revealing survey on the perception of the industry by Quebecers The announcement last October of the Qu^'bec Government's new asbestos p^licy has given rise to a multitude of comments and attitudes from which it appears that the opinions regarding the Government's decision are quite mixed sioned the Centre de recherche sur l'opinion publique CROP to carry out a scale survey conducted during September 1977 throughout the whole of Qu^'becon the one hand and in the greater asbestos region on the other The little enthusiasm shown and in some cases the outright disap- Notable opposition proval arising from the announcement of the asbestos policy are mainly due to the path which the Government chose to follow and which goes against general opinion This is also due to the fact that the The results of the CROP survey reveal that the general population and those people interviewed in the greater asbestos regions in particular are opposed in majority to the Government over of the asbes- Government appears to have used some assumptions the basis of which were not founded tos industry Only 14,7 of respondents in the asbestos regions and 20,2 of those throughout Qu^'bec Evolution favour nationalization of the compa- nies whereas 8,8 of the regional Indeed one is led to believe that the experts who acted as Qu^'bec Government advisors neglected to update their data on the asbestos population and 11,3 of the general population approve acquisition of a few companies On the other hand 58,1 of respondents felt that the Government should leave the initia- situation developing their policy scenarios without being sufficiently attentive to the evolution of the Qu^'- bec asbestos phenomenon or symbol over the last several years tive for developing the industry to private companies or grant them subventions to develop the manufacturing sector 63,9 of respondents in the asbestos regions share the same view The industry for its part having been the very artisan of this evolu- tion undertook to scientifically Good employers measure how it was perceived by the population of Qu^'becIt commis Furthermore asbestos companies are perceived by 80,8 of the mining communities population as being quite good to very good employers and who in addition contribute to a large extent to the economic growth of Qu^'bec according to 68,9 of the respondents as against 21,7 who expressed disagreement 58,4 of the regional population and 51,4 for the whole of Qu^'bec feel that the companies spend a great deal of money to foster development of the industry in Qu^'bec whereas 28 and 26,6 respectively feel the opposite Degree of confidence Good employers who contribute extensively to Qu^'bec's economic growth and who invest considerable sums to promote the industry's development and progress asbestos mining companies enjoy a high degree of regard and confidence in the public opinion It is not surprising therefore that the Government's new asbestos po- licy whose advantages and benefits for Quebecers as a whole are at the very best hypothetical has been received coldly by the population which is concerned in seeing one of the rare sectors of Qu^'bec's economy that performs well out in this fashion being singled | Bulletin Hygiene and Environment at Canadian Mines With the acceleration of Its mining equipment modernization program and the progressive installation of new dust filtration units as projected in its air purification program started in its mill almost two years ago Canadian of East Broughton will be able to meet overall government standards which will take effect January 1 1978 and which will deal with the dust level mining facilities Standards respected In several departments the dust level is already below 5mg of total respirable dust and cc In the air of the working areas Currently returned or compensation air does not exceed a maximum of 20mg of total respirable dust which meets the standards which will take effect at the beginning of the year In a few departments the dust level already conforms to the standards of 2 fibres to take effect on January 1 1981 Similarly in the laboratory recently modernized and equipped with a 000 min capacity air ventilation system the latest readings were 0.6 fibre and 0 02 m Considerable investments The company has up to now in- vested $ 202 432 in work already completed and directly related to air purification From now until the end of 1978 taking into account the government standards which will take effect in 1981 the company will invest an additional sum of 6 208 099 to complete the work already in progress or to take place shortly The amounts do not include the investment required for the installation of a new waste disposal system From 1979 to 1981 the company will invest an additional amount of 2 million in order to conform in all its facilities to the standards set for January 1981 At that time CaCanadian will have spent 11 milion exclusively for improving hygiene conditions in the working sites Available information Since the beginning of November 1977 employees have been regularly Informed of the results of dust level statistics in all the company's conIrol stations by the Environment Committee which includes two union representatives In addition tech- nicians responsible for drawing samples fibre breakdown and all other work related to dust control are no longer being subjected to confidentiality In a letter addressed to the company's employees the President Michael Prus stressed that Tol- lowing the constant improvement of dust levels in most dryer control stations wearing will no longer be compulsory However the wearing of a mask is recommended in all areas where levels are still liable to exceed 5 fibres 5p Mr Prus added that the com- pany and its employees are aware that there is still a lot of work to be accomplished and that the actual results must not be interpreted as a decisive victory Work Since the beginning of air purification work the majority of sifters and conveyors have been covered or will be before the beginning of next year All floor levels are isolated and electric cables entirely covered to avoid dust accumulation Projects currently being carried out include the Installation of six dust filtration units which will be able to recycle 500 000 min and will be distributed among the drying packing plant laboratory and dust cleaning booths for employees use The equipment is already operating in the laboratory and plant as well as the dust cleaning booths Two other dust filtration systems for the packing department and for the defibring machinery should have been installed before the end of the year but a delay in delivery has postponed their installation to the first months of 1978 New dryer From now until September 1978 a new vertical dryer will be connec- 2 and other material in suspension in Instrumentation A study of the bassin of the B^'cancour the waters of the Nicolet and B^'- cancour Rivers located in the East- ern Townships The research is also aimed at measuring the quantity of particles suspended in snow in the Thetford Mines Asbestos and East Broughton regions Transmission electronic micros- copy is the standard internationallyrecognized method for measuring as- bestos in the water but however is difficult to use for preparing samples Furthermore experts recog- nize that correct numerical evalua Measuring methods tion of the asbestos concentration in water is one of the main problems which researchers have 10 face Marc Trudeau Geological Engin- eer and Research Consultant for the River Qu^'becAsbestos Mining Association heads the project and feels that a particularly important aspect of the research lies with the development of one or several rapid evaluation For several months now the Qu^'bec Asbestos Mining Association has been conducting research to deter mine the quantity of asbestos fibres methods of various parameters In fact several deficiencies in current measuring methods have been observed concerning the precision and accuracy of analyses of water pended material Verified methods will therefore deal with the mea- In fact not one of the numerous methods used has demonstrated that the studied sample corresponds to the sample drawn According to Mr. Trudeau the solution would be lo discover or choose a method which is accurate precise reproducible and whose limits and even deficiencies are known Difficulty Another major difficulty encount- ted to two dust filtration units with capacities of 91 000 min for the requirements of the dryer itself and of 85 250 min for the existing facilities This new system alone will cost some 35 million In order to ensure.smooth operation of all the dust filtration equipment which increases the requirement for electricity the company is currently completing construction of two electrical stations one of 2 400 valls and the other of 69 000 volts suring capabilities of transmission electronic microscopy - infra spectrophotometry and ray fluo- rescence During the summer the team performed analysis on the B^'cancour River A series of 15 samples were drawn at week intervals in or- der to not only examine spatial variations but also the temporal variations of the various studied parameters such as the quantity of chrysotile and other materials in suspension The Ph colour muddiness and temperature of the water were also studied ered by the researchers whose aim is to attain a significant count and a granulometric study of fibres lies in the elimination from samples of organic debris found in all populat- ed and industrialized rivers A chrysotile tibre is liable to break crack or even disintegrate when it is subjected to certain chemical or physical agents high frequency sound centrifugation Ph fluctuation incineration dilution etc. etc. ) Thanks to this project whose aim is also to define the intensity and artificial and natural pollution sources of the Becancour River ray fluorescence will allow rapid 101 improvements A fifteen team is exclusively assigned to cleaning the working areas and in seeing that all problems liable to lead to blockage or dust accumulation are detected Efficiency test An initial phase of the project consists in verification using the samples taken of the efficiency of measuring methods used up until now and in the analysis of inherent factors in the discrepancies ob- served in the results high precision and sensitive measuring of some elements present in suspended matters and their variation in relation to the mining activities in the Thetford Mines and Black Lake regions But the evaluation of the type of interpretation allowed by the method used will only be possible fater on The Qu^'bec Department of Environment is constantly kept up- date on the progress attained The results will then be compar- ed to those from samples drawn Also as part of the research study the possibility of using infra- since the beginning of the program from a reference river located out- red spectrophotometry will be veri- and up to now not less than 101 side of the asbestos region but fied in order to not only measure improvements of various importante have been drawn to the attention of the Department whose bottom contains the same type of serpentine rocks found on the bottom of the B^'cancourRiver the quantity of serpentine rocks but also to distinguish chrysotite from fibrous serpentine rocks Bulletin ASB StoS and manyUS~ S Braking systems An automobile brakes violently and , products chose for a profitability just misses hitting a pedestrian This occurs millions of times each study molded friction products and stated that friction products manu- day around the world Each time factured with other fibre bases even - besides the driver's reflexes the if they are only being used at the effectiveness of the braking system experimental stage do not offer all plays the major role When brakes are applied friction linings can reach temperatures at times up to 400 F. The material used in their manufacture must be able to withstand high temperatures repeated use and corrosion Its qualities of absorbing heat resisting high temperatures corrosion and acids make asbestos the ideal friction product as much for brake linings as for clutch plates the advantages of asbestos friction products According to the materials used either they poorly resist high temperatures wear and corrosion or their prices are still much too high Friction products can be either manufactured in molded or woven form Woven products are manu- factured using asbestos yarn to which a metal wire can be added according to client specifications Molded products are ordinarily Recognized effectiveness made of asbestos in a 35 to 45 proportion Manufacturers use a long fibre Grade 3 for woven pro- When we think of brakes we think most of the time of asbestos whether they are for heavy vehicles tractors snowmobiles industrial machinery or pleasure automobiles Beginning sixty years ago and as ducts whereas molded products require shorter fibre mainly Grade 5. 6 or 7 Market trends increasingly point to the use of molded iric- tion materials as much for disc and drum brakes as for clutch plates the automobile industry became more modern the development of effective brake linings has been a constant worry to manufacturers Today after years of research on the effectiveness and durability of braking systems whether they are drum brakes or the most modern disc brakes asbestos brake linings are still recognized as being the most effective friction product in the world automobile indus- try Domestic market In 1976 the Canadian woven fric- tion products represented a turno- ver of 2.3 million whereas molded friction products exceeded 25 mil- lion Molded products for disc and drum brakes for automobiles represented 61 of the Canadian market for all molded brake linings used on various types of vehicles The Canadian friction product market would be much greater if it were not for the Auto Pact which Unrivalled characteristics permits automobile manufacturers even here in Canada to import duty- Sor^s in its report on the possibilities of manufacturing asbestos free friction products manufactured in the US Consequently friction paner 3 = Upper left reconditioned brake shoes are stored prior to shipment to markets upper right weaving of a clutch plate Lower left asbestos yarn to which metal wire is added to reinforce the woven friction product fower right the asbestos mixture from molds prior to treat- ment of disc brakes products manufactured in Canada supply mainly the spare parts market of the automobile industry There are a dozen friction product manufacturers in Canada of which two are in Qu^'becwhich annually use 5 000 tons of fibre In Qu^'bec Manville has been manufacturing at Asbestos brake shoes for railway rolling stock since 1960 whereas Asbestonos whose plant is located at St. Lambert near Montr^'al manufac- tures the entire range of molded or woven friction products Further- more it is the only company in Canada to have a production which includes drum and disc brakes as well as clutch systems One can obtain a fair idea of the extent of the variety of friction products when one realizes that As- bestonos alone manufactures more than 60 different types of disc brake products some 350 drum brake products and a large variety of clutch plates of all sizes Asbestonos Asbestonos which has production and distribution branches in eleven Canadian centres from Vancouver to Moncton employs 420 people of which 240 are located at its SI Lambert plan It supplies 000 clients and exports % of its production Founded in 1920 at East Broughton in the greater asbestos region by Joseph Poulin the company set up operations in St Lambert in 1928 11 remained a family company until 1976 when two directors who had been with the company for a long time purchased if Gilbert Simard who today is its President and Claude Bodson its Secretary Varied production At St Lambert the company mainly manufactures molded and woven friction material brake shoes and linings and clutch plates not only for automobiles but also for trucks buses heavy machinery tractors and snowmobiles It also produces asbestos tape which is used as insulation and asbestos yarn and cloth which enter into the composition of woven friction products This year Asbestonos will have used for the manufacture of woven products 500 000 pounds of Grade 3 Qu^'bec asbestos and 000 pound of Grade 5 and 7 asbestos for its molded products As woven products require more flexibility when manufactured and used they need longer fibres Quality maintained Workers at Asbestonos in St Lambert and elsewhere in the country recondition used brake shoes from various companies and carry out the milling of clutch plates However the manufacture of new products is concentrated at the St Lambert plant Skilled manpower is important as several parts must be individually drifled rivetted and machined Special attention must be given to the treatment process of the parts To ensure the quality of friction products tests are carried out in laboratories using dynamometers to evaluate the friction coefficients of the products and to develop friction materials in order to improve brak- ing effectiveness Technicians thus reconstruct in the laboratory the same conditions which test braking and clutch systems of a moving vehicle 4 | Bulletin The Institute of Occupational and Environmental Health of Montr^'al At the forefront of research and information on asbestos and health If a researcher a scientist or an industrialist interested in the biological effects of asbestos enquired in New York London or even Tokyo about the most recent epidemiological studies on illnesses due to asbestos exposure the influence of asbestos on the urban environment or the risks from the use of cigarettes by a mining industry worker he would almost unavoidably be referred to the Institute of Occu- pational and Environmental Health of Montr^'al Founded by the QAMA The Institute was founded in 1966 by the Qu^'becAsbestos Mining Association QAMQ to promote ad- vancement of science in the as- bestos biological effect area and to encourage research aimed at elim- inating the dangers inherent in asbestos dust as much in the environment as on the working sites The live Qu^'bec asbestos mining companies who are members of OAMA are members of the Institute along with Cassiar Asbestos Corporation of British Columbia Advocate Mines Ltd. of Newfoundland and Chrysotite Corp of Australia Pty Ltd. who are associate members Recognized internationally as the main resource organization for all information and literature rela- tive to the biological effects of as- bestos every week the Institute is visited by students and scientists wishing to consult some of the 191 scientific files on hand some of which date as far back as the turn of the Century Scientific committee Such scientific information which sums up all research conducted up to now on the subject is used as re- ference in the decision of the Institute's responible Scientific for Committee which is responsible for the selection of research projects and the allocation of grants The Committee is made up of Canadian and American scientists completely independent of all com- panies involved in asbestos mining who are specialists in pneumology radiology pathology and epidemiology Or Premys V Pelnar Scientific Secretary of the Institute since its creation and also a chest physician oversees activity coordination and handles daily management Dr Pelnar member of the New York Academy of Science and Fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians is also Secretary of the Scientific Committee on Asbestos of the Permanent Commission and Association of International Occupational Medecine He defines the Institute's The Information retrieval system which permits to find within seconds anyone of the 191 scientific files of the institute role as having scientific medical and epidemiological research as its main objective We do not touch he stresses technological mat- ters 30 projects Up until now the Scientific Com- mittee has approved over 30 im- portant research projects throughout the world totalling more than 5 million in grants The results of scientific research conducted under the Institute auspices have been published in specialized journals and magazines around the world The various work carried out in- cludes comparative epidemiological studies in the chrysotile mines of Canada and Italy and the anthophyl- 6 A section of the Institute's library which on the subjects of epidemiology and industrial medecine is one of the most complete in the world lite mines In Finland Epidemiological studies have also dealt more specifically with the asbestoscement industry and shipyards Other projects have concentrated on the appearance of mesothelioma among the general population Research has been conducted concerning the phy- chemical state of the fibre during the various production steps right to manufacturing Several projects have analysed the effect of the fibre on the human body and the biological effect mechanisms of asbestos on animals A project currently underway is studying the specific character of the pulmonary r^le as a forewarning sign of as- bestosis All this work is being carried out by universities and independent in- stitutes and the research results are regularly the conclusions Discoveries This research has led to significant discoveries Thus it has been found that the relation between asbestos dust exposure and an excess of risk of lung cancer was based on high levels of exposure which can be eliminated by modern technology Another research spread over several years showed that mesothelioma which previously was considered as being exclusively related to asbestos dust exposure was also present among the general popul- lation In fact it was detected among people living at distances of more than 20 miles from asbestos mines or mills and who were not exposed in any way to mineral dust either at work or at home Following a study of deaths caused by mesothelioma which dealt with all cases reported in Canada between 1968 and 1970 only 11 out of 69 cases had been definitely or probably exposed to asbestos Among the 32 women who died of the illness 28 had most likely never been exposed to asbestos dust Inasmuch as mesothelioma and exposure to asbestos dust could have been connected this relation dealt mainly with certain manufacturing activities lacking adequate installations and certain insulation jobs Also it was observed that the largest number of mesothelioma cases apparently due to asbestos was detected in countries producing and using other varieties of asbestos than that produced in Canada such as amosite and crocidalite Reference material Each month the Institute prepares for universities institutes and companies a review of all articles Dr Premys V Peinar Scientific Secretary of the Institute and Miss Simone Toupin Administrative Assistant study the results of lung rays on the effects of asbestos which have appeared in medical and scientific publications the world over Insti- tutions and researchers of 19 countries subscribe to this service including France Australia Belgium USSR Turkey the German Federal Republic the United States This material often encourages a researcher to submit a project to the Institute which at present is examining projects submitted by Universit^' de Montr^'al the Montr^'al Cancer Institute and Universite Laval of Qu^'becCity Extensive research Some projects require years of work especially in the epidemiological field such as the one undertaken 11 years ago on the biological effects of asbestos and which invol- ved all current and past employees of Quebec's asbestos mines An- other study which has been continuing for eight years now deals with the effects of dust exposure in the asbestos manufacturing sec- tor This year the Institute approved four projects one epidemiological a second on the possibilities of reducing asbestos dust in respirable air a third on the interrelation between the haemolytical effect of fibrous minerals in vitro and their effect on the alveolar macrophage and their fibrocity in vitro The fourth project is experimental and will consist of a study of the effect of inhalation of fibrous and fibrous dust materials by rats Research thus conducted today under the auspices of the Institute of Occupational and Environmental Health of Montr^'al constitutes the extension within a different framework of what the Qu^'becAsbestos Mining Association had the Initiated since the 30s In fact the Associ- ation had already been involved in the epidemiological studies conducted by the Trudeau Foundation of Saranac Lake NY These were the first studies on the effects of exposure to asbestos and its influ- ence on the lungs Asbestos story gold rings awarded iv Canada Post Protage pat Postes Canada Port paye Third Troisi^me class classe 683 Montreal P.Q. Asbestos story gold = rings awarded to outstanding leaders in the world's asbestos mining and manufacturing industries since 1942 and President of Asbestos Corporation from 1954 to 1966 presented ring number 20 to Mr. Oughtred right on the hand photo Since were recently awarded during a tes- the first presentation of the As- timonial dinner held in Montr^'al to Lionel Piuze President oper- bestos story gold ring an initiative of Mr. Grant Wilson a construction ations of Lake Asbestos Co. of Black Lake and President of the En- industry executive of Chicago twenty leaders of the asbestos industry vironmental Committee of the Qu^'bec have been so honoured The 40 din- Asbestos Mining Association and to W.W. Oughtred President of Asbestos Corporation from 1966 to 1976 Mr. Piuze left on the hand ner guests included some of the senior asbestos industry officials from Canada the United States and Europe The ring consists of an onyx photo who has also received the Selwyn G. Blaylock medal from the Mining and Metallurgy Institute of Canada earlier this year was pre- centrepiece inscribed with the holder's monogram and supported by interlocked gold figurines depicting typical asbestos mining and manu- sented with ring number 19 by Mr. R.L. Hennebach President of Asarco Inc. while Mr. A.L. Pen- hale himself a holder of this honor facturing activities Existing ring holders nominate the industry leaders who are to receive the unique and coveted honor Bulletin Bulletin This BULLETIN is published by the Qu^'becAsbestos Mining Association 3 Place Marie suite 603 Montr^'alH3B 2E3 The Post Office Department in Ottawa has authorized postage paid in cash and forwarding of the publication by third class mail