Document 3NyjrB793Re8Lp0Np28BZMBBy

FILE NAME Insulation Contractors & Distributors ICD DATE 1970 Fall DOC ICD021 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION Insulation Hygiene Progress Reports from the Insulation Industry Hygiene Research Program Environmental Sciences Laboratory MOUNTS SINAK MOUNTS SINAK MSM SCHOOLO REDICINE SCHOOLO SCHOOLO REDICINE of The City University of New York INSULATION HYGIENE PROGRESS REPORTS FROM THE INSULATION INDUSTRY HYGIENE RESEARCH PROGRAM Irving J. Selikoff M.D. Program Director Vol 2 No. 3 Fall 1970 Available Soon- The Disposable Respirator At adequate respiratory pro- tective devices will soon be available to insulation workers Several com- panies are now producing disposable respirators which will both provide protection and be acceptable to work- men In one test conducted by the Insula tion Industry Hygiene Research Pro gram IIHRP of a commercial model manufactured by the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co. the worker acceptance was very high Favorable comments on such matters as breathing resistance weight interference with vision and comfort ex- ceeded unfavorable ones by three or four to one Previous tests with this respirator demonstrated its ability to meet the Bureau of Mines standards Other Commercial Models Dr Irving J. Selikoff r and Dr. V Suzuki 2d r of Mount Sinai's Environmental Sciences Laboratory addressed the participants of the post graduate course on asbestos disease World's First Course In addition to the respirator already field tested the HRP will soon be field testing other commercial models for use in asbestos insulation work The tortuous journey to a commercially available disposable respirator began at Mount Sinai's Environmental Sciences Laboratory nearly two with safety equipment manufacturers the need for respirators suitable for use in the construction industry and particularly in insulation work was pui : forward Single Only Because of the extreme difficulty of operating a good respirator tenance program on construction sites single respirators were a necessity Moreover many states re- quired that only U.S. Bureau of | Mines approved respirators be used Continued on page three in Asbestos Effects As a historic first in occupational medicine The Mount Sinai School of MMedicine edicine prperseseenntteedd a f foo urudr ay popsostt-- graduate course during June on all aspects of the health effects of as- bestos The course was given to 43 physicians and scientists from all re- gious of the US and six other coultries including England Wales Ger- many and Canada The program was under the direc- tion of Professor Irving J. Selikoff Director of the Environmental Sciences Laboratory of Mount Sinai All the Worker's Problems . Extensive presentations were made and discussions held on all clinical aspects of asbestos disease including patient manageineni ray diagnosis pulmonary function analysis and pa related disease in both occupational and environmental circumstances Was also discussed ing the insulation worker was presented including description of insu lation operations especially contribut- Hygiene procedures found to found to reda reda these levels such as the use of efficient dust collectors plastic cement bags coated calcium silicate block and ap- propriate face respirators were also demonstrated Trips to Construction Sites The course included field trips to the application of thermal insula tion material at both large and small construction sites in New York and New Jersey arranged by Jacob Novak and James Mulhearn Interna- tional Vice Presidente of the Asbestos 1 Continued on page two ' Continued fromfirstpage: - Workers Union featureSedlikoffspeakers commented Dr. commentedwith pleas- ure on the diversified background of ' Visits to the world's largest asbes- the participants and on the frank and Nicholson Ph.D. tos mine in Quebec Canada and to open discussions held among them ~ i Published at the Environmental | Sciences Laboratory Irving J. Seli- - koff M.D. Director Mount Sinai School of Medicine of the City Uni- versityof New York New York glia N.Y 10020 an asbestos manufacturing plant in Manville / New the Jersey were arranged through thte he cooperation of the Johns- Manville Corporation A Day in the Lab selves and with the faculty Unions Sponsor M.D.s We had physicians sponsored by local unions of the Asbestos Work ers he said representatives of the Those interestedin the laboratory National Insulation Contractors As- Advisory Council IIURP of aspects of asbestos and ex- sociation and medical directors of sampling manufacturing tracting from tissue and air as well asbestos companies all with together and as electron microscopic studies of the meeting a single pur- sre Director Chairman of lung tissue reaction to pose improve the of the e pathology health E. Cuyler Hammond Sc.D. Vice asbestos Inhaled asbestos fibers spent a dayin asbestos worker Thy Mount noteworthy President American Cancer Society the laboratorics of Sinai It's also that morc New York N.Y. School of Medicine's Environmental than a dozen registrants were repre- Sciences sentatives of thePublic Health Serv Laboratory AlbertAlbert Hutchinson General President Each day at lunchtime speakers ice or various State Departments of = ~ Heat International Association of discussed broad aspects of environ Health This demonstrates an in and Frost Insulators and Asbestos mental and occupational health One creasing awareness by federal and Workers Washington D.C. B. Jobe Vice President Johns| Janville Corporation New York of them Dr. Ren^'Dubos Professor of Pathology and Microbiology at Rockefeller University spoke on Ecological Perspectives of the 1970's Workers state agencies of the multiplicity of problems facing facing Asbestos WhatWWhathat The Class Class Class Said Fred L. Pundsack Ph.D. Vice Presi- dent Research and Development Manville Corporation New York N.Y. Frankand Open Discussion Dr. Douglas H. Lee Associate Di- rector of the National Institute of The most informative course i have ever attended Blejer M.D. California Dept. of Health Enjoyable and stimulating Smither M.D. Medical Director Capo Co. Director George W. Wright M.D. of Environmental Health Sciences and Asbestos London - Medical St.Luke's Hospi Dr. Marcus Key Chief Bureau of Superb acminar Campbell Research and tal Cleveland O. Occupational Safety Health of M.D. Coordinator Mississippi Re- agi cuven the Public Health Service were other gional Medical Program 1303 PURPOSES OF THE INSULATION INDUSTRY HYGIENE RESEARCH PROCRAM | 1. To develop improved methods for minimizing ex- posure of insulation workers to dusts and fumes encountered in their work 2. To disseminate knowledge of these improved methods of dust control wherever they may be applied advantageously and to offer cooperation advice and assistance toward their universal adoption : University Prof. Rockefeller Ren^' Dubos c of asbestos disease course speaking during a discussion atthe A bat worn tests | page Continuedfrom first But no Bureauof Mines schedule ex- isted thatwas suitable for disposable respirators Henc^'no approved models were commercially available In the research towards goal of making disposable respirators avaik _ able the IIHRP has helped arrange field tests in which members of Local 17 in Chicago of the Asbestos respirators Workers participated by wearing and giving their observa- tions of the desirable and undesirable features of the devices These trials and results were extremely helpful in assisting manufacturers to devise equipment which is as unobjectionable as possible and still effective Criteria Bureau of Mines Criteria An important recent development . has been the action of the U.S. Bu reau of Mines in issuing a schedule listing criteria for approval of disposable single respirators This approval schedule lists essential requirements which respirators must meet Among the requirements are efficiency of dust removal resistance breathingand adequacy to adequacy of face fit The criteris insure that all res pirators will give adequate protec- tion Another significant development now taking place is the preparation of an American National Standards Safety Guide for protection against containing dust This standard is being written by a subcom- mittee of the American National Standards Institute's Committee on Respirators When to Wear Them The subcommittee chaired by Duncan Holiday of the IIHRP is composed of representatives of regu- latory agencies the International As- sociation of Heat and Frost Insula tors the Insulation Contractors Association respirator manufactur- era and research and university groups The standard developed will detail respirators circumstances in which sshhoouulld d be be worn worn and also also give guid- guid- ance in selection of respirators and any information which is necessary for the operation of a respiratory protection program Certain operations however pro- duce so much dust that more protec tion is required than can be obtained by mask respirators One such condition is the tearing out of insula- tion aboard ship in confined spaces knowledge expertise oe and inthein- industry sulation beentapped that has barely that of the Asbestos His knowledge of prob- Worker perhaps lems and and hasfound ssoolultiuonts iotnhsat he shouldbe effective avail able to entire industry practil -- f- the development of practical solutions , for the dust problems in insulation work comments and suggestions of members of the In- ternational Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Asbestos Workers have been of prime im- a portance . In field trials of respirators E dust collectors or new cement mixing methods the 8 effectiveness procedure of each was tested against the experience of the men involved In future issues of Insulation Hygiene Progress Reports we would like to feature comments; W suggestions and ideas of asbestos @ workers throughout country help 2 We welcome your We need your your help Please send any com- ments or suggestions you may have Mount : to me at Sinai School of Medicine in New YorkCity e 1. 1. J. J. Eelikoff M.D.M.D. Program Director A powered air supply respirator is worn by Duncan Holaday during efficiency tests For this test two sampling pumps are attached to his helt Air Air Air - ConditionedConditioneCodnditionedConditioned Conditoned Conditioned ConditionedConditioned ConditionedConditioned ! A ballery operated device which supplies filtered air to the respirator andis suitable for use in extremely dusty conditions was recently tested by the HRP at the World Trade Center inNew York This equipment was developed by Prof. William Burgess at the Harvard School of Public Health working in coopera tion with the American Iron and Steel Institute It is not yet commercially available but many units have been con- structed and are being tested in sey The eral industries device is weight and willoperate for light eight hours on one battery charge Full field tests are planned and will be re- ported on in a later issue of Insula tion Hygiene Progress Reports The battery pack and air filtration unit of the supplied respirator This respirator is for use only in extremely dusty condi tions Plastic x and Development Johns their of CorporatiDevlopment woilnl market their line of asbestos cement in plastic bags beginning in Septem- These bags will allow water to be added and the cement to be mixed inside the bag A previous study by . the HRP demonstrated that dust levels could be reduced to one tenth that of standard tub or bucket mixing methods No Extra Equipment Needed The bags used are suitable for use . with conventional filling equip ment Thus they can be introduced industry with no additional investment in plant equipment The IIHRP has made available to all manufacturers of asbestos cement samples of the bag used by Johns- Manville as well as information on the effectiveness of its use Experience Valuable Dr. William J. Nicholson HHRP Program Coordinator stated The clear benefits to insulation workers will only come through industry wide acceptance of this mixing method As in any variation of trade practices practical experience will undoubtedly rapid have much to contribute in the introduction of this important safety measure ras Charles Collins President of Local 30 of the AsbestosAsbestos Asbestos Workers Union cutting calcium silicate block during the powered hand trials at the Hoffman Air Systems plant in Syracuse New York Saber Saw May Answer The Sawdust Problem TThhee insulation application trade has a sawdust problem The hand- most commonly used tool by asbestos generates signifi cant dust and such saws cannot yet be fitted with suitable control devices Tests Show Less Dust As -- alternative to extensive handsawing the IRP is currently investigating cutting devices which can be fitted with portable dust control units One such unit offering possibilities for dust reduction is the saber saw Preliminary tests have shown that a saber saw fitted with the proper blade and appropriate dust collector can reduce the level of dust produced when calcium silicate materials are cut These early crials also demos strated that only would be be suitable suitable heavy saws Currently studies studies Currently are under way to determine the sight combination of saw hlade and dust collector for standard cutting jobs A 5 o aoads A plastic mixing bag containing asbestos cement being filled with water through a valve at the top of the bag Don't use Hand for Band Because of the size of existing dust collectors the use of a saber saw thus equipped would be limited to powerhouse work and on industrial sites having localized insulation applications A word to the wise powered hand saws should not be used as a subst^>tute for band saws which can be equipped with dust collectors of greater efficiency see Insulation Hygiene Progress Reports Vol 1 , No. 4 4 )