Document 3ena45OgonegBj53bNOpV62X6

.yjwhelg, Ra. Mr. J. E. Marsh --Trumbull March 1975 Occupational Health Conference, Rutgers University On Tuesday, February 25th, I attended an Occupational Health Conference at Rutgers University in Brunswick, Uev Jersey, sponsored by the Department of Environmental Science of Cook College at Rutgers, and the American Lung Association of Sev Jersey. The aoming program vas devoted to a panel discussion and question and answer period on current health regulations, enforcement problens, and review of current research findings and their potential application to future policies and standards. '. Much of the morning discussion concerned relative merits of State rei-sua Telei-al program control. The recent decision to turn over responsibility fas* the occupational health in.Hew Jersey to the federal government vas severely criticized. James Conlin, Hew Jersey's Department of Labor Deputy Director, outlined features of the General Factory Act of 1385 that still are being violated in Hear Jersey and expressed iMada-tTM of purported need for additional legislation in the occupational health field. He feels there is plenty of legislation that has not been enforced effectively and cited . lack- of - communication as the major problem in improving occupational health conditions. j'erv Jersey has operated a program that is far from adequate in the opinion of many, but better than is llhely under federal control. A major problem is that labor sees tbe OSEAet as a worker's bill of rights and vasts to wipe out state plans under the impression their Interests vill be better served by federal programs. In most case* they are badly misguided, as it appears very unlikely that tbe federal government will be in a position to improve on tbe better administered state programs that have been in effect for seme time, many of which ere being upgraded. Mary Louise Brown, Regional Consultant to OSEA Region XI, estimated the Department of Labor would require as many employees as are now employed by tbe entire federal government to enable OSEA to accomplish vhat congress intended when it passed the OSEAet. Since less than one-tenth of a percent of the federal budget now is applied to occupational safety and health, it is discouragingly evident that ve are an .extremely long vay from achieving vhat congress mandated. . The afternoon sessions consisted of six workshops covering various hazards. I attend ed those concerning'lead and asbestos. Dr. Villiem Wilentx, former Chief Hedical Examiner for Middlesex County, Hew Jersey, presented an impassioned dissertation on the hazards of lead exposure. He characterized lead as an insidious, slow poisoner thst is capable of nr people sicker than anything else he knows. He emphasized tbe following points: FMSI-0187 5 PLAINTIFFS EXHIBIT NO. gK-lll 1 1. So one with any chronic ailment should ever be placed in lead exposure. A very tborough pre--employment physical should be given "to discern chronic ailments in 'candidates for work in lead exposure areas. 2. Host lead siehsess occurs is young and is old employees. Propensity of the young to contract lead siehsess nay be attributable to carelessness. 3. Once a person contracts lead poisoning -- don't permit re--exposure I Too cuch emphasis is placed on blood lead analysis. Monthly tests for bloo-d lead, urine lead, hemoglobin count, porpborine and. stippling should be required for all workers exposed to lead. 5. Lead poisoning is best treated in the hospital by intravenous therapy. Professor Rorbert 3ikales of Rutgers spoke briefly on various non-industrial sources of lead exposure and recent research on effects of lead on health. He said the principle source of lead in hrmaa environment is from naturally occurring lead in food sources. Recent work indicates snoking aggravates the effect* of exposure to lead. . Dr. Arthur Lsnger of Kt. Sinae reviewed their studies of Hew Jersey asbestos insula tion workers end cited their dismal health picture. He mentioned additional studies conducted in rural areas to elisinate possible etiological effect* of exposure to air pollution in the Sew Jersey industrial megalopolis and said that conclusions from these again related excessive cancer with asbestos exposure. Tyler, Texas also "'was reviewed, and the Kevhouse and Thompson neighborhood exposure study also was mentioned. Ht. Sinae has studied effects of neighborhood and secondary (conjugal.) .posure in the Patterson, Hew Jersey area. In the first 130 people checked, 50? cave chest abnormalities. Lancer stated pleural plaques are occurring abroad more in con--asbestos workers In certain industries, notably ship building and construction, then they do in-asbestos workers. This is attributed to the fact that the non--tsbest-!* workers do their Jobs without respiratory protection but sear enough to -the asbestos work, to breathe con taminated air. The asbestos workers wear respirators. The safety of the OSEA -s fiber per ec licit was questioned. Leager and his associ ates are particularly concerned about exposure to fibers in the sub 5 micron'rang. He mentioned fibers of specific origin such as the Coalings area In California, which characteristically contain few fibers greater than 5 microns in length. Under the . present standards, it would be possible to have workers exposed "to very high con centrations of thiji type of dust on a mass basis without exceeding the 5 fibers per cc greater than 5 microns in length parameter. A better index of exposure or hazard, is . badly needed for this type of material, as it is well known to cause problems. The German keninmnar mass basis was mentioned as a possible alternate monitoring method, but it '. is recognized many difficulties would exist and that some operators who ere now okay at tie 2 or 5 fpcc standard would become In violation on e mass b-'xsis. ' Mt. Sinae is extremely vary of smaller fibers and considers them very suspect in respect to mesothelioma and lung CA. They question the effectiveness of existing respirators for protection against mesothelioma and lung CA end are not at al ; willing ir -3- to 4l*aiss then as being biologically iasignifleast. They hare found sub light microscopic fiber* by electron microscopy in the tissue of virtually all major body organs of asbestos veriera. Additional tests are being cade to determine Cusatity and site distribution of fibers in tissue of the genersl public. While they consider the burgeoning use of asbestos vorriscae, Mt. Slnae recognizes .. the need for it and recossaead It be used vherever needed provided it caa be sealed In so It doesn't become airborne. Larger cited good relationships vlth J-M contrary to popular opinion and expressed high regard for Sr. Kotin. Ee quoted Kotin as saying J-M vould '"ban" asbestos If they can't control it. ' . Larger spoke to the Inanity of some individuals to asbestos disease, but said others also sees, to be hypersusceptible. So one knovs vhat level is "safe" If any! The Selikoff/Levinsoha controversy vaa mentioned. Larger referred to Mt. Sln&e's "spy*" in Great Britain and said they believe incidence of asbestos disease to exposure is 7Of versus Zf previously reported. He mentioned the "tremendous furor" that vu ' raised in Lym during the recent international conference end predicts there vill be a similar furor here vhen OSEA reopens hearings on the asbestos standard. He very much questions vbether the 2 fpec TL7 uHl stand in light of the severe criticism to trtiich it vill be subjected. Dr. Rohl of Mt. Sinae briefly discussed results of their studies in. brake repair shops in Kerv Jersey and the Hev York area. Be had intended to shore slides and present a longer talk, presumably similar to tbe one be gave at the ACGXE conference in Miami, but the slide machine broke dovn and Dr.. Laager precepted most of the time that ess available. Kohl mentioned many light microscope counts of membrane filter magpies yielding 3 to 5 fibers per ec up to 20 ft. from the service area vhen brake drua* vere blown off vlth air hoses. Bovever, he was such more concerned about the reLa-- tively large rrmbsr of sub 5 micron and sub light microscopic fiber* found up to 75 ft. avay fres this operation 15 minutes and longer after the bloving vas performed. I. E. Weaver grb IT....... -7 7