Document 3evaDQDmXdjKd86gad4xY93xn

\n\eino\ Cot(e$f>orider\ce t.n February 19, 1981 public Education Program ACT10X REQUIRED: Jieviat for approval Enclosed for your irradiate review are a nunfrer of materials relating to the kick-off of AACPP's Public Education Program. These Include: 1. A press information package ("press kit") for distribution to daily newspapers in the U.S. and Canada. 2. A proposed study to pretest the impact of advocacy and product-safety oriented ads. Additional materials will be presented at the Public Affairs Committee meeting on February 25, 1981 including the following: 3. A product advocacy ad (for use irt print media in field problem situations). 4. Proposed copy for "tip-ons'* (for specific target audiences) for the "k/C Pipe and Drinking Water" booklet. 5. A product safety ad (for trade journals*, pending action on (2) above). 6. Product promotion ed(s). If you have any question prior to the 25th, please give me a call. OFW/ajb Enclosures cc; A, Kahn Esq. copies to: Public Affairs Committee REP/1 Chrono A' A /. CAPCO JEN 0001666 ) Contact: Nancy L. Battle, L&G (215) 568-3775 For: A/C Pipe Producers Association 1600 Wilson Boulevard Suite 1303 Arlington, Virginia 22209 (703) 568-3775 A/C PIPE INDUSTRY TO ADDRESS PUBLIC MEETINGS The A/C Pipe Producers Association (ACPPA) will respond to questions at two Ocean County, New Jersey public meetings concerning the safety of asbestos-cement pipe use in area water supp)y systems. Local concern was reportedly prompted by erroneous reports in an area weekly newspaper concerning high asbestos fiber levels in the Toms River water supply. The paper has since reported that its original information from an interview with a medical authority was in error. John F. Welch, ACPPA Public Affairs Director, will address meetings in Dover and Berkley Townships on Monday, January 26. According to Welch, "The industry is concerned that misleading articles in one newspaper may have caused undue alarm among area residents. We are prepared to discuss the available research conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other institutions and independent scientists, all of which have failed to -show a cause-and-effeet relationship between the use of A/C pipe and the incidence of cancer." - more - CAPCO JEN 0001667 2 The industry position is supported by local water supply officials and representatives of the EPA. Dr. William Nicholson of Mount Sinai Hospital, quoted in recent articles, has stated there is no danger in the asbestos content of the Toms River water supply. In a letter of response to the Ocean County Reporter, a representative of the EPA began, "I am writing to correct a few items that were wrong in your newspaper's extensive series of articles on asbestos in drinking water." It continued, "You discussed the study of Duluth, Minnesota residents who had ingested a lot of asbestos and wrote, 'Duluth for years had asbestos water pipes which were torn up and replaced a few years ago'. Duluth never had asbestos pipes in the distribution systems. Stating that Duluth tore up and replaced A/C pipes is incorrect and might cause New Jersey citizens to have their water utilities do the same thing because of a mistaken belief that pipe replacement was the'corrective action taken. . Among other recent studies and findings regarding A/C pipe and ingested asbestos are the following: -- A National Cancer Institute spokesman recently stated, "The only form in which asbestos is harmful to man is as dust in the air. You have to breathe it in order for it to cause a problem, and not everyone who does so gets sick." -- An extensive study conducted by the EPA in Connecti cut showed no correlation between the incidence of gastrointestinal cancer and the use of A/C water pipe. The study's principal investigator has also stated that the findings do not support a need for - more - CAPCO JEN 0001668 changing water distribution practices in the state, which has approximately 150 water systems containing A/C pipe. -- Studies conducted in areas where asbestos occurs naturally in water, such as Duluth, Minnesota, the Puget Sound Region of Washington, and Quebec, all show no increased risk of cancer from asbestos ingested in drinking water. -- Animal feeding studies have shown no cause-andeffect relationship between ingested asbestos and cancer. (Assuming the highest fiber levels naturally occurring in drinking water, a human would have to drink nearly four million quarts of water a day to consume a quantity of asbestos equal to the percentage that failed to cause cancer in mice.) Asbestos is a naturally-occurring mineral in many parts of the world. Asbestos-cement pipe is a water pipe that is made of about 80 per cent cement and 20 per cent asbestos fibers. The fibers, size for size, are stronger than steel and serve as tiny reinforcing rods to give A/C pipe the strength necessary to serve for decades without leaks or breaks. A/C pipe came into general use in the U.S. in the 1930's in response to the need for pipe that could withstand high pressures and resist corrosion. Today, millions of miles of A/C pipe are in use around the world. The industry estimates there are approximately 300,000 miles of A/C water pipe in use in the U.S. During the years of rapidly increasing A'/C pipe usage in the United Sjtates, gastrointestinal cancer rates for the 1949-1976 period declined 39 per cent. - more - CAPCO JEN 0001669 4 This and other information based on documented independent sources is available in a booklet entitled, "A/C Pipe and Drink ing Water." For a copy of the booklet, write: A/C Pipe Producers Association, 1600 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 1308, Arlington, Virginia, 22209. NLB/jm 1/23/81 -30- CAPCO JEN 0001670 350 OCEATi CO. TIMES OBSERVER 7C'.!S RIVER, !t.J. D. :o,t:a 'JAN 2 6 1981 Editorial ( pEDITORIALl The Great Asbestos Scare $ sr~x. c Relax. Thg water probably is not giving you caliber. The Great AsMaw-Scare about Toms River Water Co. pipes turns out to have been based entirely on false statistics, in fact, if the most specific test results are accurate, then Toms River water contains an unusually low amount of asbestos fibers. We're not too sure that we believe that one, either, but the facts now available suggest that our water's comparatively pure. Scientists over the past 20 years have come to realize that asbestos is quite a dangerous substance to inhale, but they have found no reliable proof that it's particularly dangerous to ingest minute amounts of asbestos. The Environmental Protection Agency is now investigating the possibility of a correlation between cancer rates and nigh levels of asbestos fibers in drinking water, but so far EPA has found nothing significant to report. It is important to note that the frenzy over asbestos fibers was not an intentional hoax, but merely the result of human error at the semi-weekly paper which has been whipping up a furor about the Great Asbestos Danger since November. Everybody in the business, from the New York Times down to throwaway shoppers, makes mistakes and has to eat some words sooner or later, although it's not customary to wait two months. We've had to swallow our share of stories and it is not fun. For that reason, we empathize with the people at the Reporter who had to reveal this week that they based their entire campaign on false statistics, because of a misunderstanding in a telephone conversation. We empathize, also, with the thousands of mothers and fathers who have been led to believe that they will be killing their children if they let them drink the tap water. We empathize with the men at the water company who may have been maligned unjustly and with the officials of local government who hive been under firefor not picking up shovels and digging up all the water pipes immediately. We do not empathize with the sellers of bottled water, who have enjoyed a small bonanza, nor do we empathize with other business enterprises which have used this unfounded and un fortunate hysteria to line their pockets. The scare has had one positive result: it has led us to .examine closely the possibility that asbestos fibers in drinking {water may pose a health risk. Toms River and several other communities are already running tests to determine the amount of fibers in their water. Dover Township Mayor Tom Renkin, wbo has demonstrated an admirable mixture of humane con cern and cool-headed restraint during this hysteria, quite cor rectly suggests that we not all just forget about it now. Because the original tests were rather vague, the government is paying for a high-caliber series "f tests, and the Toms River Water Co. itself is sending samples to the top test lab in the country. If the EPA research does show any health hazards connected with high levels of fibers, and if accurate tests show high levels here, then our local water companies and utility authorities can act swiftly to minimize or eradicate any dangers, knowing exactly what the facts are. Until that time, we advise our readers to go ahead and enjoy \ the water. Just be careful about what you swallow. -j CAPCO JEN 0001671 J nrm at. imts O CO ? P3 t. "Ua v63 511 P I! Jft<eSir5=le iteih2ng^i.gfaCi--2HlX*lSs*Sa 1=1 .Tiflliii . 2 s|srs^:=2s all CAPCO JEN 0001672 1! If If 2.2 1 g* K *f ll 5g"s*f1gl I2fSIa 5l=l1* f1s!3i l|ae|-|-.$1.i.. p<c 'lij jjltflsIifH ^52 ^ffyipsS 8|| jmifljai "?' sI?!ul|grI <* CAPCO JEN 0001673 OCEAN CO. TIMES OBSERVER TOMS RIVER. NJ. el iO.CM UAN 2.7.1931 _ State Discounts Asbestos Fears 3-7U* C-x By JOE GREGORY SUft Writer TOMS RIVER - The head of tbs state's Dtvtsfoo of Potable Water sakl _ Ipduetrrspokmam Deaetougtt Steer, PestA3 last night he doesi't think water ----------------------------- ,, - - . supplied by the Toms River Water and other residents distrusted the Company contains a "significant'* level producers association's assurances of asbestos fiber. that use of asbestos cement piping has But be and other environmental and not been proven a health hazard, health officials told an audience of ap> Meanwhile: state health and proximately 12S Dover Township rest- enviromentai officials agreed that tests dents yesterday that scientists do not designed to detect the presence of really know to whatuteot the presence asbestos fibers in water are not always of asbestos flben m drinking water is accurate. hazardous to humanhealth. "Techniques are just not sensitive Officials from the state Health De* enough to give exact levels (o( the partroent. Department of Environ- presence of asbestos fibers.) There are mental Protection, Toms River Water --** " -- Association empfi^^^St^e^iatS Asbestos Fears Soothed available research (ails to link asbestos; fibers with can&r. | Continuedfrom PegeAl tests commissioned by the township They also noted that the use of a great number of unknown factors " and the water company are completed, asbestos piping is common throughout said Dtum Paid, of the Depart*. Renlun said the results of the the country. ment of Health. township's tests will be made public `T personally fed there is no problem with the watff you are dnnklng." Ray Barg, head of the PEP'S Division of Potable water told the audience. gathered in the public meeting room of the municipal buildinglastrughL But he added that the DEP is evaluating the problem to decide whether It will continue to approve the use of asbestos cement piping in water systems like the one operated by the Toms River Water company. The `Iflformatkxul meeting," which was called by township officials follow ing reports by a local semi-weekly newspaper that area water supplies may contain a dangerously high level of asbestos, began and ended an an un certain note. However, some residents indicated that they were dissatisfied with assurances by the water company that theirdrinking water is safe. Stephen Rodeoed, of Weston Drive, said that other countries have banned the use of asbestos piping because of * potential health hazards. Sam and Caroline Iveos, of Hilltop ``We're still waiting forlhe (federal Environmental Protection Ageccy) to set standards,"he added Mayor Thomas Renton and Township Health Officer Herbert RoeschJce noted that the officials will not be sure exactly how many fibers are present in local water supplies until once they are received from the Franklin Institute, to Philadelphia, sometime inthe nextthree weeks. "I'm not even sure U this meeting should be held because we don't even know if we have a problem. We're just . batting the smoke around," one resi- J dent said. H v Road said after the meeting that tbev -O ___ CAPCO JEN 0001674 S'? ob c Jl sfc* ClSfc* Ee SgS- E2c {{= o=^e w Ep| | g e c 5 b ae^' c *-4i55 2 w a >.= * *. 315 8 s ^ c c -- v 3 _ P *. S= .`6'issE2=ll=S5E ss!i-ga-Sl-s C- .e 5 _SP,"2i t 5 <ii2 ,; < *" ft) i ~ 2 j os^-gi m* "I kfc S ifchg i " mill? 3 a* c * -1 3 SjsI e -w7 sto.*' =1 tj sb--v2-frc*sjcj P!" -SS> llnl i" .wi2-= mit?! ""'"*8.1 SJ S*S *4?i !* S-gss SI Slf |l!& -g sis.; St w . : <5 jl. =22ESS*cewig8l2c :2 ~$'=sz=&MZl!'jl > *, -- 7 ? -- C -> a.-- i. c O P P^2fiar*ra M*aS3.fe l= = E,i'gfcf :SS-SSf^*sI 2S-*'Se -''MS-r--"HtoSfcSi^vi r'lpsSi il- = r!K s iiIsiUpI! |3iiEE?sHtHH* 5 If e = t o c ti^ ilPi'lii i rsiii 2i e ==ec "Cl-Sg it-i-os.st E|6" gre.-re=e8re, C -- c Tf S g g f c-o w 4. -- S Slf >& n.>s3 g.115 E~3 " a i_ >,e So^Ef ups! c*c *j2S22 5t r=c 0.2" 5qo ;* t*o= ft# mil " j3ft ^i s:?jc*5 sS >s.-"53 2e -2s is $`g:s l!s<= ln |tl;s*_s g* .sihI<o 3> ~ r* C pg 3 _ b2 . **3 s-Zj-sZ ssgpi tre-lfll fS-sSS i5ili CAPCO JEN 0001675 tool 8 s fivn Asbury Park Press MESS PLAZA. ASBUflY PAflK. N J 0772 DEP officials studying limits on use of asbestos water pipes By LYNDA LA ROCCA Pram Staff Writer TOMS RIVER -- Although studies hsve not linked the Ingestion of asbestos ta any type ot Wans. Bate eovireeaeoUl tafirtili tn evaluating whether restrictions should be placed on the use of wtier pipes node with asbestos cement "The tael at the matter is artwitas ta the environment is e miner at concern," said Raymond Barg, chief of the state Depart* aest of Environmental Protection's Bureau at Potable Water. Barf made his comment last night dur ing a pane) dbcumtan on postable effects at ubestas fibers ta drinking water aopplies. About 200 people attended the hearing, scheduled by the Dower Township Committee after suuies appeared ta the Ocean County Reporter atytag that asbestos fibers were found ta drinking water drawn from the Toms River public water system. The bi-weekly newspaper reported it had (he samples tested at Mount Stall Hospital, Hew York. Aibrstan ta i mineral made at erystai- fined tnao, magnstaua and sOica. which separates Into threadlike fibers. & is eontadered to be cardaogen (cucer-causing material) when Inhaled, but studies have not Indicated a health rink from Ingesting (swallowing or afanorhtaf) the suV ouct. There ta no Justifiesttao lor dabss that there Is a fink between H (tagestiag asbes tos) and any disease -- cucer or any other disease," said John F. Welch, director at public affairs (or the Asbestos Pipe Produc er* Association, Arlington. Va. Welch, who presented a slide show so asbestos pipes and drinking water, atao poke later to about SO Berkeley Township residents who had expressed similar con certs about tatnktag water supplies. Neither the DEP nor the federal Etavh raamesul Protection Agency has establish ed any standards for aie levels of ubestas ingestion, Barg said. Then k insufficient evidence to deter mine the risks ta Ingestion, according to Dtua Patel, chief ta environmental health and haaard evaluation with the state Depart ment ta Health. Suadlea based oe evaluations ta atamito who had eaten asbestos did not show a reiatiouhip between ubeston and cancer ta (he gutrantertnal tract, Patel mid. Then ta "presumptive evidence** ta a higher incidence of gastrointestinal cancer among workers who Inhale large amounts ta asbestos and consequently Ingest some ta the utcunce. be mid. ft is considered presumptive because no See DEP OFFICIALS, page DX ) CAPCO JEN 0001676 Asbury Park Press MESS PLAZA. ASSUftr PARK. NJ 0T712 Jobs F. Welch (left). Asbestos Cemest Pipe Producer* Association pabHc af-' fain director, aad Edward Hoghmanic, vice president of the Toms River Water On, look over sections of water pipe lastailed in KK1 and 1971. A piece of aew pipe sits on the table at fbe foram last tight Is Dover Township. DEP officials studying ; limit on asbestos pipes From page D1 direct cause-andeffect relationship has been established. Patel said. About tt percent of aO the water sup plies in the country draw tome level of asbestos and 11 percent have readings o< 10 Bullion fibers per liter, be said. An individual Ingest* about two liters (a liter is slightly non than a quart) of water daily, Patel mid. `That's why we have to be concerned ever wha? level h a the wiBr~ PiM ex plained. Although current analytical techniques cannot pinpoint safe Ingestion levels, audits and testing are neceoary to compile a data base from which to oaihfish standards, be said. A lff4 study by the American Water Works Asaociaton concluded that "# firm evidence shews that the proper ose of aabesiofrcement pipe poms a hazard to health by reason of ingestion eg asbestaa," Welch said. The study, funded by the pipe producers amodidoa. did not define what coustltuits proper or Improper ose. be aid. No harmful effects haw ben demon strated from ingesting any quantity of asbes tos. Welch said. He cited animal stadia ta which rats were fed asbesta as 4 percent eg their total dietary Intake wiitaut any a &. COM. Municipal drinking water b considered "moderately aggressive.** according to Rob ert E. Johnstone, assistant vice president eg General Waterworks, Newtown. Conn, parent company of the Toms Riser Water Co. This is a gauge used to indicate the like lihood of water components causing the ce ment pipes to break down, releasing asbes tos into the water, he said. Iron in the`.'water b apparently There b no evidence that the water b causing the pipes to break down, be said. Mayor W. Thomas Renkln said the town ship has sent drinking water ample* taken from rive areas of the township to the Frank-' lift Institute. Philadelphia, for analysis. Samples were taken from the downtown area. Silverton, Pleasant Plains. Georgetown and Brookside Heights. Results are expected in about four weeks, be said. Because asbestos cement pipes are ta ose. ft b likely that test rewults will chow some asbestos fibers in the water. Barg said. ' "I (eel there's no problem with respect to the water you're drinking," be added. After the meeting. Barg said be received the impresson from speaking with CPA o(fl*' cub that the federal agency does not see a jseed to establish standards lor ingestion levels of asbestos. The DEP may consider establishing etaodards and restriction* because Its "general philosophy b to try to get asbestos out eg the environment,** he said. Both Barg and Patel publicly praised the Oeeaa County Reporter for Its stories railing attention to the me of asbestos cement pipes. The newspaper "did a fine Job eg presenting a potential proMem," Barg said. Some member* of the audience appeared toptical about reports that no apparent health hazard existed. "Mice don't live IS to a yean -- they can't get cancer," one man said in raponse to information on the animal studiet. Stephen Reckard. Western Drive, suggest ed that the water company replace water pipes with pipes made from other materials. "My reaction b they're just covering up the reality of the asbectaa problem." he aaid. Last week, member* of the Brick Town ship Municipal Utilities Authority said-they would consider replacing asbestos cement pipes In th: township if It could be provea Asbury Park Press mtu 9\J>iA UiU*' N i "<J Research so far finds no disease link in ingesting asbestos f trNDAUkOCCA ii r Ml a N Ikk twwiwl (kart Ekia--MMI. ' Im *___m__k_M___ 7 M Mwtmm * M MbM J TThM^n_|kt` * kan^rti r M koa k mt In k =.`_~ ........ .. IMkMlkllkalC PM! mm kMMd kraM ud.il raMy _____________MnlMai N*MklrMr|ifia<a OkrtMIl . PMM AW7 Mk aapK Oka * an kwl k mm*I mm *r* llrt am m*kc k o an wtf kaM a mm k mamKr mA M TMtofkBalkriwuaa ki a k aum* Cmmt a a aan HWlkM --. aw aw a _____ ______________ tea* rt kt kkn rt afl vm a mm Trt MB |Mirt a nay MMMn.kii Bm --t AbmwI k >AM|ri a nr Oam mw m aMM MOM ad __ ____ |*uaiWN awnwlk*ar.ki |MMaNrMikM| ***. Sr mi*t kr k* --.f-d----------Wtfo**na*w* vpt AaWdTaSni*IT.VmDT a^DA(iMikr'nKii QffM'kka____ dl kM kknialnlii .I II ml.l.Mwa pMOr knik Mad* ik t* *k'*f MaHArlalna*i Mtmm^iMAnk,, Ce cC--MrkMm mmI A prt* k me** Mai art. a ktukakkti MMakk(T t Ha* *ik a & MkkMjkkfMM. KUXSSCTlfOl aH *k m Ml KW --*t k nk m< kaan a> . .. __ M M M MMM M a a>*" * TTT.^T. Mil at. teal. .. . .' * a 1a*Lr. ww ak. a mm nun nn Kma k m k m *M4 kr Hirmn ~a Hrkml w Ca. kl MIM7. k kwC *M a IfcOM ftm |MIM k M Aim AM tkffp. MHMKP Ml (M- a mm*. TW pif* k a k pm k UJ taptiaa bmA Mttpi Rti U. iMfWf a k Ml T pmvm a IbM Ttiit ik Manak Ikiii I ik : pr nmL Ma Orfj ad TOMS RfTTJt War Ol. Mrt ant a HO lwuii'I a Oma Gmmt EMM k 3mm TI'IMIH Sank T Tto da w w fkM |kM la m ______k kMl k nrjk* art k la pm k e a mw k a chip Ml k Mnl|r>rt Mk r* wi*m art a i mi i i k a tea ftim Bat rt nrrt. Irt # CAPCO JEN 0001678 TIMES - OBSERVER, MON. JAN. 26, 1981 Asbestos Threat `A Mess' By JOE GREGORY Stall Writer TOMS RIVER -- "The whole thing is a confused mess." That's how Dover Township Mayor Thomas Renkin characterized at tempts to get to the bottom of a local semi-weekly newspaper's reports that area water supplies may contain a potentially dangerous level of asbestos fibers. Renkin said yesterday that Dover Health officials and and Toms River Water Company representatives won't know to what extent asbestos libers are present in local drinking water until a battery of tests is completed sometime within the next threejveeks. Meanwhile, water company, township, and state Department "of Environmental Protection officials plan to hold public meetings tonight in Dover and Berkeley townships to an swer widespread concern over the possible contamination of local water with asbestos fibers. The meetings are at 7:00 pm. In Dover and 8:30 p.m. in Berkeley at the municipal buildings. "Until the tests come back we won't be able to say whether or not there Is a definite health hazard. Right now there are so many reports being thrown around that its impossible to say," Renkin said. The editor of the local weekly news paper which first commissioned the testing said last week that the results of the original tests are still clouded with some confusion. Kenneth Moore of the Ocean County Reporter said his newspaper is taking' four more samples of water to a dif ferent laboratory for testing to clarify the findings of its earlier tests. The Toms River Water Company is also currently conducting its own tests, which should be completed with three to four weeks, a spokesman said. In addition, Renkin said that the Dover Township Health Department has sent live samples of local water to the Franklin Institute, In Philadelphia, fortesting. Renkin also noted that Dr. William Nicholson, of Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, has said the weekly newspaper was inaccurate in reporting the test results conducted by his labora tory. Reading from a report which he said was written by Nicholson after the Re porter published the test results, Re nkin quoted the scientist as stating that his tests "indicate that high levels of asbestos previously reported (in the Ocean County Reporter) in the Toms River water are not present in any of the samples. In the one .-sample analyzed with greater sensitivity, the concentration present cannot differ significantly from most other U.S. water systems." Renkin also noted that the sample where the highest levels of asbestos fibers were found was taken from an Ocean Beach home, an area which is not serviced by the Toms River water company. Asbestos enters the water supply when asbestos-cement pipes carrying water corrode, scientists say. About 90 percent of the pipes the Toms River Water Co. uses are made of asbestos-cement. Meanwhile, a scientist with the fed eral Environmental Protection Agency said he would advise water companies to try to remove all asbestos fibers from theirwater. "My feeling is that there is enough of a concern" about potential health haz ards to have all the fibers removed, said James Mulette of the EPA. . He noted that breathing asbestos causes lung cancer and gastro intestinal cancer in cases of prolonged occupational exposure. Results of a study in California, which were tainted by other possible causes, showed a high incidence of stomach and pancreatic cancer in people who drank water with high levels of asbestos fibers, he said. The federal government currently does not have any regulations Uniting the amount of asbestos fibers In drink ing water and officials emphasize that the latest scientific studies hare not determined what level of consumption would harm an Individual's health. CAPCO JEN 0001679 T o w n s h ip , as w i l l as another set o f tests w hich The Reporter w ill lake. D r. Patel said conside ra tln n was once given to cj)l:?"||ii f{*: ilii d o t. b --a. |g eO I :iifsi" g*i iWj I s :s-e fc&g Mft* J !8 CO CD Ji E S 4* fe c - E_ 9 me i=ss a 1S "- isf* n *x >m tm " 2-S * J- g=" - Ei- b 5S ass' S5SS SBl ee ' d ,, ='5,ga S-s ' , S -S.l-s .* "1 | * s 6 i -5 "> s s 5 s! J Iri of sis Ei-ciE s^f.5-5 i e ' =? S E-E"S fc g-f itl Z |oc -..yT-s * - - *"_= b *1E S_ os=ssg-s; .tfc ..2 -- x _ e?x o<*s = si g.sl c.h,,.d**Ef, ee< /*!165e - _ ** ||Si!Sj!$t2fi fained Incom plete and ' m isunderstood in fo rm a - Hon. Dr. Patel, also a member o f the slate Task Puree on CAPCO JEN 0001680 lAKEKURST.rU. ADVANCE NICKEL HESS HL&COO UAH 281981 Asbestos Problem Probed in Dover Twp. B^^KELEy' TOWNSHIP Township officials are plann ing to meet with Dover Township and Toms River Water Company officials to asbestos in water leads to the same medical problems as asbestos fibers in the at mosphere. Symptoms, however, usually do not ap pear for 15 to 20 years. disquss the problem of asbestos water pipes. Holiday City at Berkeley residents are served by the Toms River Water Com pany, which said recenly that between 80 and 90 per cent of its pipes are of asbestos-lined cement. The company has been ordered by the Dover Committee to make tests of its water. Berkeley Committeemen Harry D. Morey and Gary Casperson reported last week that they had received calls from several Holiday City residents who were wor ried about the asbestos. Area residents have been concerned about the possibility of asbestos fibers in municipal water supplies since links were discovered between asbestos and carfcer. There is no evidence, however, that CAPCO JEN 0001681 344 ~ lAKEHUSST, NJ. ADVANCE NICKEL NEKS W.9XC0 ; `JAN281981 ^ ;_____ Lakehursf Borough Checking Piges With Asbestos Sk^HUTEST - The borough several weeks to get the engineer is checking records results." to locate asbestos water Fuccile said that the pipes in Lakehurst, accor ding to Mayor Michael Fuc- cile. "We know pretty much engineer is checking to see if there is another laboratory which does asbestos testing, perhaps in Philadelphia, but where they are," he said, "but. we're having the engineer check just to make sure." "if Mt. Sinai is the only place and we have to wait for the results, we have to wait for the results." Boro Superintendent John The mayor said he planned Carr said recently that to attend a meeting in Dover roughly half Lakehurst's Township this week concern pipes are asbestos-lined. Fuccile said that the borough is planning to have ing the asbestos problem. The issue has bWn a major concern for municipalities water tested for asbestos since the possible danger of content but that a delay is asbestos in water became expected in getting the apparent. Asbestos in dust results. "The only place we're sure of that does the testing is Mt. form has been proven to cause canceh and authorities are concerned that asbestos Sinai Hospital in New York in water pipes may lead to and they're swamped right the same problem. now," the mayor said last Asbestos is generally used week. "I imagine that most as a fire retardant but is also of the tests are from New used in water pipes to Jersey. It takes at least lengthen their life span. Lining Asbestos fibers are found in many manufactured goods, according to the American Lung Assoc., and are relatively safe until the fibers are released to the at mosphere. Researchers are not sure how much asbestos can cause lung or other damage and are still study ing the problem of asbestos in water supplies. The effects of asbestos are not detectable for roughly 10 to 15 years after exposure. \~~V77J 'T CAPCO JEN 0001682 353 TOGSRTO': EEACI't nxss I. JAN 2 9 1931 Pinelands asbestos probeasked irm.F EGG HARBOR TWP. -- For the fourth time In two yean, the Pinelands Regional High School Board of Education has requated the state Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to tat Its wetei* System for asbata Tiber content Asbestos U koovo etrcinogen when It la inhaled, but U is not knon to cause caifeer when tt is ingested, according to EPA officials. DESPITE THE lack of solid evidence against the use of asbesl-eement_ water pipes"ttwUSWlTfesT^' denis,led by activist George Crurlanis, have voiced con cern about the concentration of asbestos fibers and the amount of corrosion in the water pipes lading to the high school. "We do not want out children to drink the water at the Pinelands High School," Crurlanis said. "It is as simple as that." However, Superintendent \ Paul Snyder told the Board * of Education: `There is no 1 known danger in swallowing microscopic amounts of asbestos." SNYDER CONCEDED that the EPA did find 170 million fibers per liter oa Nov. t, 1979. School officials attributed the high eount to the fact the school water system needed to be flushed out A later test made on Jan. t, 19S0, showed 3.1 million fibers per liter, Snyder told the board. The superintendent also said that be had confirmed the safety, of the aabatoa pipes with the state Depart ment of Education before the school opened. BOARD MEMBERS Harry DeVerter and Donald Miekena, however, said a fourth tat should be under taken by the, EPA to ensure that the levels of asbata in the drinking water have not increased significantly. > j CAPCO JEN 0001683 Many queries, few answers at water meetings By BRIAN McDERMOTT asbestos - cement water pipes, his and GENE GATENS two sons lay at home with stomach cramps, just one of the perennial While Toms River resident Rod health problems he says that nag the ney S. Martin attended a special . two boys. And just as he did prior to Dover Township meeting Monday the meeting, Martin admitted after night to discuss public concerns ward that he still wondered if. about the potential health hazards of perhaps their health problems aren't somehow linked to asbestos fibers in the drinking water. Martin was among more than 200 mostly Dover Township residents who Turned out Monday night to hear representatives from the state Department of Environmental Protection, the state Health Department. Dover Township Board of Health, (he Dover Township governing body, the pri 20 (ON STANDS '1 EVERY FOUR WEEKS BY CARRIER SUBSCRIPTION OCEAN COUNTY VOL 26. NO. 74 WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28,1981 vately - owned Toms River Water Co., and the-Asbestos - Cement Pipe ProducervAs- sociation. -- Speakers tried to explain uncertain and controversial "facts" about asbestos - cement pipes before rushing off from a 7 p.m. meeting in Toms River to make a simitar presentation at 8uM) in Berkeley Township, which is abo served by Toms River Water Co, At both sessions, there were more public questions than official answers. More than SO residents attended the Berkeley Township Committee meeting to view the same 22*minute slide presen* Cation on asbestos - cement pipe, listened to comments from a representative of the Asbestos - Cement Pipe Producer's As* sociation (APPA) and the water company and left the meeting apparently satisfied-- unlike residents of Toms River --^hat there Is no danger in drinking water conveyed through the pipe. John Welsh, public affairs director for the APPA, said the pipe producing industry is concerned about the consumer. "The industry has an obligation to review dau and draw conclusions based on that data on whether asbestos cement pipe consti tutes a potential health hazard." Welsh said. He said it would be irresponsible of the industry to not continue studying pos sibilities that ingestion of asbestos panicles is a health risk. (Coattautd a P(t CAPCO JEN 0001684 Many queries, few answers at water meetings h|i t) Reading from a 1974 study of the U.S. Enviroamenul Protection Agency, Welsh said, "There is no reason to assume that there is a correlation between high cancer rates and as* bestos in drinking water.*' Welsh said further studies of human and aai* aal populations which had ingested asbestos fibers in* dicatc that (here is do danger ia ingesting fibers. At the Teat River meeting, Jtiyiiood Barg, chiefof the Potable Water Division of the state De partment ef Environ mental Protection fDEP), aid that It b Immaterial If asbestos teats commis sioned by Dover Township nod the Toms Hirer Water Co*, reveal any fibers in the drinking water, or if Indeed any Ms ere done at all. " The fact of the matter is," Barg said. " that as bestos ia the whole envi- 'ronmeat is ia question and is being looked at with a very great measure of un certainty. "It just doesn't make tease to me that if asbestos is presenting these ques tions, these uncertainties, that we should promote the se of asbestos cement pipes to convey drinking water.'* However, it would be difficult for New Jersey to baa the use of the pipes, Barg said, without having some scientific basis for the decision. And as Barg and several other speakers pointed out. as of yet there is no conclusive proof that asbestos fibers ia drinking water cause cancer. la response to questions about the safety of tbe drinking water ia Dover Township, Barg said, "Personally. 1 feel there is no problem. If you have an asbestos cement water system, then you are going to find some asbestos fibers in the water. But the con centration is not that great as to create a problem. Despite those feelings, however, Barg said that the entire water industry has a greater need to test act only for asbestos but for other chemicals and bacteria as well. Dover Mayor Thomas Rcokla said the Township Committee b awaiting results af Its lasts befog rramlnrd by the Franklin Institute tn Philadelphia before tak ing action to retnlate or control the ou of asebcatoa cement pipes. He did any, however, that township oftldals have already discussed tame possible ordinances which might Include periodic asbestos teats hy the water company. When results are re turned, Reakia said, tbe committee will make necessary decisions. If there spears to be a seri ous problem, a prime con sideration will be whether (be township should move to have tbe asbestos ce ment pipes replaced. Other questions were raised by citizens who questioned tbe reliability of a written report scat to Dover Township oa water tern conducted Mourn Sinai Hospital ia New York for The Oceaa County Re-1 porter. d Originally,The Reporter you, the commv' will published reports that the have to decide v do tests showed between from there." 600,000 and 4.5 million He suggested that resi asbestos fibers per (iter. dents can set lower asbes More duo a month later, tos standards for their own researchers at the hospital community than the DEP said die findings bad been will set for the state, or the inaccurately reported. Ac EPA for the oatioe. cording to Mount Sinai as One residem ia the lobby sociate professor Dr. Wii- of the Dover Muueipal liam J. Nicholson, tests Building after the meeting showed less than 600,000 said, "u we were worried fibers per liter. Dr, Nichoi- coming in...we're just as soo a week ago estimated wooed going out.*' die fiber count at 200.000. Rodney Martin, con Ia a written report lo Dover cerned for his own health as Township, Nicholson said well as (hat of his wife and he had found no fibers of two sons, summed his asbestos in the water sam reaction to the meeting as ples. 'Questionable.' One resident questioned "tfeellike we're all still bow much people can ever in (he dut." expect to know about the 1 danger of asbestos because of the financial power of the industry. But Mayor Renkin said ; anyone who wants to know more or keep checks on the industry can contact the U.S. EPA. the state DEPor the county and local health boards. Perhaps the most sought - after answers ot the evening-- what level of asbestos ia the water is dangerous and what can be done if the asbestos counts in the water supplies here are high --for the mou part . were not provifcd by any officials. " If we had die informa tion as to what levels of as bestos in water are danger ous, we would give it to you," said Richard Gimello, DEP chief of public participation.. "But this is oot a simple problem. It's not a matter of coming up with a simple. number..." "The scientific levels of asbestos in water will be provided for you. Theo There was somewhat similar confusion la Ber keley Township. One member of (he Ber keley audience said studies on laboratory rats are in valid because the subjects' lifespans-- about three yean, according to Welsh --do am provide enough time to study the potential health effects. Doctors have said that it takes several yean-- some say 20 or more yean --to determine the effect of air-borne asbestos, a pro ven carcinogen. Edward Hughmanic, vice president of the Toms River Water Co., said no lined asbestos cement pipe was used ia water main construction in areas of Berkeley Township served by bis company. Welsh said Connecticut is the only state in the U.S. with restrictions on die use of asbestos cement pipe. Township Commit teeman Gary Casperson said state and local boards of health are monitorin* the tfa1 problem of asbestos In gestion but added, "We could sit here for a year and still not have answers to the question." Caspersoo said a request to place a moratorium on the use of the pipe until studies are completed is unjustified because, "There is no conclusive evidence that there is a pro- CAPCO JEN 0001685 TOMS RIVZ?, IL l REPORTER \'l. 53.47S ;JAN .31 5981 /---Editorial----The truthabout water with asbestos S75VC By KEN MOORE Editor IT APPEARS The Ocean County Reporter's series of news stories about asbestoscement pipes has opened a proverbial hornet's nest. As a newspaper, The Reporter has sought truth as accurately as it could find it, and that truth hasn't always been pleasant. A case in point is the use' of asbestos-cement pipes by municipal utilities as well as privately-owned water companies. Frankly, we-- as residents of Ocean County and as journalists --were ap palled when we learned that drinking water flows through pipes made of asbestos-- a known carcinogen. We presented that news on our pages, along with whatever scientific proof we could learn about asbestos. (Continued oq&`t 4) CAPCO JEN 0001686 OCEAN COUNTY K. VOL 26, NO. 75 Asbestos danger in drinking water? SATURDAY. JANUARY 31,1981 The truth, and nothing but the truth...please <fstr>r Being more than just *n observer, we didn't lei the situation lie dormant. We dug deeper, determining that the only proof of the safety and purity of public water lies in tests. The Reporter then commissioned two water samples for preliminary testing, which show the waller supply has the aggre- sivc nature-- or potential --to "erode*' pipes and thus release potentially hazardous asbestos fibers into water that eventually flows from your kitchen faucet. Health hazard? We were concerned about the health of area residents-- and we count our news* paper and its employees among residents. Su more water samples were hand delivered to Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, for tests more expensive than most residents could afford, to determine if there is asbes tos m the water. A written report was re quested. naturally. It was 18 days later we got the nowcontroversial Mount Sinai report-- by tele phone. A news suffer copied the informa tion and wrote an article about tests showing between 600.000 and 4.5 million asbestos fibers in each quart of water. A dangerous situation, about which we informed the public immediately. Therein lurked controversy. Copies of that Dec 10 edition of The Reporter were mailed to the researcher at Mount Sinai. And as more information about asbestos in general came to our attention, repeated contacts were made with Mount Sinai. Re quests were repeated for a written report, it was 5* days after the telephoned water re port we learned of a possible discrepancy. We were told this, not by Mount Sinai, but t>> DoserTownship Mayor W Thomas Renkin, who informed The Reporter that in his telephone contact. Mount Sinai reported no asbestos content in the water. We tele phoned Mount Sinai and were told by the researcher there is some asbestos content-- about 200.000 fibers a quart, which is safe, no threat to health. With three different ver sions of the same water report, we made a tnp back to New York for clarification and a written report. The 200.000 fiber figure was affirmed as an approximation. Disclosure We reported this discrepancy to readers immediately, along with the researcher** comments that he w ould drink the water be tested. There is discrepancy, but the truth is only days, no more than a few weeks sway. To suggoi at this point in time thai there is no danger, do potential danger even-- tute and federal health officials won't state that --is reckless and ignorant. Confusion? Was our news staffer confused or did a misunderstanding occur during the initial telephone report? Dr. Allen N. Koplin. acting commis sioner of the state department of health, war apparently confused by a similar repon when he wrote to State Sen. John F. Russo. D-Ocean. that Mount Sinai's analysis "showed an asbestos level of 60 million (fibersi per liter" from Ocean County, ad ding, "That figure is up from the usual 4 million which occurs almost regularly in all asbestos-cement pipe systems." We checked- Dr. Koplin's numbers were the result of a misunderstanding of a state report by Dhun Patel, NJ. Department of Health chief of environmental health and hazard evaluation and a member of (be governor's task force on asbestos. APPARENTLY, an error appeared in IV Reporter. It is still too soon to say, but apparently the asbestos fiber count in Toms River ts closer to 200,000 a quart than the 600.000 to 4.5 million count which The Reporter published. For that we can only apologue, but even an apology is prema ture. Dover Township bas now commissioned five water samples for asbestos analysis at a lab different than Mount Sinai, with results due any day now, Thai may end the confusion. Another senes of tests The Reporter is sending to a sttll-differcnt lab will be back after that, for confirmation of township tests. At that point, an intelligent decision can be made. WE ARE admittedly concerned. The re searcher at Mount Sinai was aeot newspap ers containing published reports of his tests, but never contacted us about an error. He dunks he may have received the newspap ers, but didn't read them. He confirmed that in 1978. he told an American Cancer Soci ety symposium, "The only safe level of absestos is zero," but said (hat pertained to air-bome asbestos. He admitted a personal feeling that asbestos-cement pipe should not be used for water but as a scientist would not go on record because of a lack ofproofabout ingested (drinking or earing) asbestos, even though proof exists for inhaled (breathed) asbestos hazards. And there was still no written report The written report wasfinally received at The Reporter on Ju. 26. some 67 days after water samples were delivered.47 days after s (eiephooed report on water tests. A copy was sent to Dover Township, apparently simultaneously. The report says, in essence, char one Reporter sample tested would have an asbestos fiber coeteot ranging between zero and 600,000. Recommendation* WE RECOMMEh'D several steps Che governing bodies of Ocean County should take, bo matter what tbe results. An outright ban of future use of asbestos-cement pipe might be one step, a step already taken in the state ofConnecticut, a few cities in the U.S. and some European nations. Then we have to address the problem of existing pipes. Water utilities presently take do asbestos teats-- in fact, never have. That must change. Annual asbestos testing should be a routine, with a report to the governing body qf each minicipality served. So, too. should water tests be taken for toxic contamination. Few are now required. Present sute law requires water tests mainly forbacteria and a few chemicals-- a requirement the state im posed years ago. but is hardly sufficient for knowledge in this day and age. We can only point to the asbestos-cement pipe manufacturers for a need for this. When manufacturer! were concerned about water eroding pipe walls and releasing asbestos fibers, they built a pipe with a lining-- a Bliisful ignorance THIS IS NO TIME to be taking cheap pot-sbocs or pointing fingers, or arbitrarily asd ignorantly staring that there is no pro blem with our drinking water. Experts won t assure us of tbe safety of our water supply now or in tbe future. They can't. They admit they don't know. The state health department's Raymond Barg, chief of die potable water division, told a Toms River meeting Monday night that. "Asbestos in the whole environment is being looked into... It just, doesn't make sense to me that if asbestos is presenting these questions, we should promote the use of asbestos-cement pipe to convey water." The DEP's Mr. Paid admits health ex perts "don't hare all the evidence to make all the decisions." He adds, "The Ocean County Reporter did a good job. It even mentioned that 68 percent of the nation is served water through asbestos-cement pipe, and cited tbe other fasbestos! studies." The DEP's Mr. Barg goes on to say water utility testiog of water samples is "totally inadequate." Mr. Patel adds new information. The fed lining that dissolved into the water system eral government is about to reduce its and was itself poisonous. entena for air-bome asbestos content from 2 Water utilities with asbestos-cement pipe fibers per milliliter to 0.1 fibers a milliliter, should report to a governing agency within a limited amount of time, any breakdown of equipment and especially the equipment a 2.000 percent reduction. This is based on scientific evidence since the original stan dard was set. which injects punfiers and lime into the water system. That lime treatment is a major preventative of pipe wall failure-- a failure that could release asbestos fibers into the water Nuclear power plants must report mishaps within prescribed hours: so too should water utilities repon filter and Asbestos danger So asbestos is a health hazard. It causes cancer and a multitude of other ailments-- some fatal. Without scientific minds we can only be amazed when a pipe manufacturer's purifier mishaps so officials can be alerted to representative tells us that breathing asbes a potential hazard, and public notice issued. tos is harmful, but drinking asbestos is not a And finally. Ocean County ought to have hazard because oo proof exists. in own standard of allowable asbestos fiber No proof does exist. in the water supply. Unless asbestos pipes are removed, a zero level is impossible or impractical. The remificaboos are many. Replacement of pipe is expensive-- S50 BUT IT SEEMS to be common sense that ifwe're already breathing a government prescribed limit of asbestos, and we add million to 880 million perhaps in Toms River alone Water treatment to positively protect the lining of asbestos pipe would so "harden*' the water as to present a different health hazard-- heart attacks --also borne out by statistics. additional amounts of government pre scribed limits for asbestos in dnnking water, we are then imbibing more asbestos con tamination than we have ome to study. And 20 years from now will be too Ute to do much about it. especially for children growing up on it. And their children? SO A CRITERIA is needed. It appears Che U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, based oo earning scienctific data, will iliuBurrn aiim eyaa promulgate a 300.000 fiber a liter (a liter u slightly more than a quart) standard unless About the writer continuing research dictates otherwise. It may take three yean for the federal govern ment to impose a standard. It may lake 20 or 30 or 40 yean for scteoce to determine the KENNETH J. MOORE is editor of The Ocean County Reporter for the past 11 health hazard of asbestos fiben in water. It took more than 50 yean to determine tbe Toms River, be health effect of inhaled asbestos on industry is a native of' workers, and will takes upwards of 20 yean New York Cry. after exposure to determine the ill effects of A former wire inhaled asbestos. We shouldn't have to wait, that long to see what may happen. Even at the 300.000 fiber level the EPA teems to be heading toward, based on tsn- service Jegislative correspon dent with Gan nett News Ser mates, researchers predict, or guess, that vice, be covered there will be one additional cancer death a state -governyear for a 70-year period for every 100,000 ment and poll- people drinking asbestos-contaminated ilea for The water. Courier-Newt That means between one and two deaths of Bridgewater annually in Ocean County due to isbettot is asd The the water, according to tbe best scientific . Courier-Post of guesses. Camden before Perhaps Ocean County should consider as being promoted a criteria, half of the EPA guesttmaitd. and transferred KEN MOORE 300.000 fibers a quart. Perhaps we should upstate New consider even less. Perhaps filtering devices York. could be mandated. He worked on the old New York Even if the final analyses of water sain-. Jouroal-Amencan and six other daily news- pies are in tbe "safe" range, there should be papers with circulations ranging from torn control of water utilities other than the good conscience and citizenship of utilities' management. 32.000 to 700,000, and came to Toms River from The Star-Gazette and Telegram in El- . sura, N.Y., where be was Sunday editor. CAPCO JEN 0001687 OCEAN COUNTY VOL 26, NO. 76 WEDNESDAY. FEBRUARY 4,1981 A..s.bestos in water ~................ ' ------- ---- ----- -*o**i county aiPOMTaa wconismv. Maavaar. mi t Who should prove that A/C pipes are safe? By BRIAN harmful, touting that as McDermott bestos exists in abundance. Opinion But scientists, rep There teem to be two resentatives of our own schools of thought in stale Department of En Ocean County about the vironmental Protection, use of asbestos cement admit that research into pipes for the conveyance of problems which might re drinking water For the sult due to asbestos in sake of convenience, and drinking staler is yean be because they seem approp hind what is already known riate metaphors, we'll call about asbestos in the air. the two schools Hot and Scientists admit that the Cold. electron microscope, a "key Those who form the instrument in locating al Hot school seem most most invisible asbestos bothered by Ibe thought fibers in water, is new and of asbestos fibers, sus- not totally accurate. Im pected or being hazard proved research techniques ous to health, beiog deli may make new scientific vered to kitchens for dally investigations-- now in tue, no matter how many conceivable to undertake or how few Qbers there commonplace in the near may truly be. future. New discoveries We of the Hot school, jend to be emotional in our ` discussion of this comrov-' crsial issue Though there is no conclusive evidence that asbestos to dnnkiog water is linked to cancer, or any other disease, we are fearful of what scientists will one day discover. And that, based on what we know- are the dangers of breathing asbestos fibers, seems to us a legitimate fear Those in the Cold school look at the lack of scientific proof, however, as assur ance there is no danger from asbestos in drinking water. Indeed, those in the Cold school can cite a bathtubful of studies to reassure them selves that those of us in the - Hot school are over reacting to premature and unfounded reports. Perhaps *e are aver- reacting. But those of os la the Hot school know that America b a nation which tends to progress at breakoeck speed, with business most often leading the way. We do . wbal seems bat, some* ' times that means most profitable, and at timet we ignore or overlook possible detrimental side effects. When problems ' crop up, we look for solu tions to remove the ,, symptoms of our ail- may give credence to our greatest fears about asbes tos in drinking water, whether it's there by nantnl means or because of corrosion in asbestos - ce ment pipes. Cold school thinkers want to wait until then be fore getting excited. There Who are already enough things to worry about, they say. But we of the Hot school wonder how many fneads and relatives would still be alive if an ounce of preven tion had been used by cigarette smokers before the U-S. surgeon genera] finally fouod a link bet- asbestos pipe safety? (CwidMt tnm Pa* T) write in a report for the Center for Science in the Public Interest: " We Americans have shown far more skill in using as bestos in our consumer products than we have io safeguarding ourselves from this toxic material.'* In the conclusion of the report, Asbestos ond You. the authors conclude and recommend: While many of the individual applica tions of asbestos products cannot be judged at this moment due to the lack of sufficient evidence of hazard, still we should exercise prudence; we MEETING The Ocean County Ad visory Commission on the Status of Women will meet on Thursday. Feb. 5 at 7:30 in Room 1 )9 of the County Administration Building on Hooper Avenue. should remove a suspected product until the manufac turer proves that ihe item is not harmful, h is not the responsibility of the citizen to prove whether each and every item is harmful or safe. The public has the right to demand this scien tific evidence from the manufacturers of consumer products, products which will otherwise simply be means to further profits at the expense and safety of the American people." We who are Hot against the use ofasbestos cement pipe Id Ocean County agree. Though there is no con clusive evidence that as bestos in drinking water is harmful, there is sufficient reason to believe the evi dence may one day be found We feel we need to act now. not 10. 20. or 30 years from now. when for some of us it may be too late. There's an old saying that an ounce of prevention - b worth a pound of cure. It's a (tying with which few people would probably argue.Bait'saphilosophy . few people, few industries and few governments have time to put into practical Asbestos * cement pipe producers, they're of the Cold school, admit no fear of their product. And they sell it, brightly wrapped and ribboned with slick slide shows and booklets highlighting science's fail ure to prove the product ween tobacco and cancer. And we wonder bow many will die needlessly if we ig nore our fears now and continue to drink our water through questionable as bestos - cement pipes. As Barry I. Castlemin and Albert J. Frltsch tCiatoaM -- Pifli CAPCO JEN 0001688 350 OCEAN CO. TIKES 03SERVER TOMS RIVER, N.J. D. 30,000 FEB 8*981 Asbestos Danger Is Real Editor: - full of cancer and winder where it If the Times-Observer would spend came from. more time doing its homework and less I commend the Reporter for bringing time taking cheap shots at the com these facts, as they learn them, to the petition perhaps, we, the residents of public eye. They spend their time in Dover Township would benefit. Your vestigating Instead of taking shots at editorial of January 26, slamming the the competition. Maybe the Times- Ocean County Reporter for trying to get Observer should follow their example. the facts on the potential hazard of ShellaMeyer asbestos in our drinking water, was Toms River nothing more than a slam. By what documentation can you tell the people IVe thought we exercised a consid- . of Dover Township their water is, in erab/e amount of restraint, rather than fact, safe when large government a propensity lor cheap shots, in dis agencies equipped to test the water cussing the so-far unfounded hysteria have not yet produced evidence that over asbestos lining in water pipes. documents that statement? First, there js no scientific proof Had you followed the coverage of whatsoever that fibers from this lining asbestos in The Reporter you would will have serious adverse effects on the have read of the ignorance of the people health of those who drink the water. employed in the asbestos plant thirty Second, the only test results on Dover years ago -- of their deaths because of Township water that have been re their ignorance. vealed indicate that asbestos fiber I am not a scientist but I do know levels are unusually LOW here. The some facts.-When-it was discovered federal expert on this question told our that asbestos is a proven carcinogen if reporter that those test figures would inhaled over long periods of time, our place Dover in the 10% of the country people took pains to eliminate it from with the least fiber content. Due to an public places, Schools were closed unfortunate misunderstanding, those while ceilings were repaired or re test results were misinterpreted and placed. for several months were used to sug It seems to me that imbibing and in gest an alarming threat to local resi gesting asbestos in any amount can't be dents. Third, those tests were not good for you. Since the reports from the highly accurate or useful (and that's so-called medical experts vary -- they putting it mildly). So we have no tell the newspaper one thing, then say it assurance that our water is as pure as isn't so -- I think I'd still opt for drink theresults suggest. ing my water straight. Hold the When Dover Township's own results asbestos, please. Supposedly 200,000 are released this week, we'll have our fibers per liter are safe. Personally, I first reliable report on the fiber level prefer zero. I didn't ask for it and I re here. Mien the EPA reports later this sent paying for it. If that low count year on the effects of asbestos in causes only two deaths per 100,000 drinking water, we'll have our first ac people, that is still two unnecessary curate analysis of the health question. deaths. I don't want it to be me or any In the meantime, we will wait for facts, one I love. which have bee., rather scarce up to Your empathy is well taken though this point. It you want something to misplaced. You should feel empathy worry about, talk to the people in the not for those of us who remain con Legler section of Jackson -- and then cerned but rather for those who are unconcerned who may wind up . in a hospital 30 years from now with a belly CAPCO JEN 0001689 Upset by the Water, A `Still' Might Help By JOHN SIMSEN Staff Writer BEACHWOOD--In the basement of Bob Glennon's home is a stainless steel machine that looks like a cross between an ice bucket and a filing cabinet. Flip the switch on the front of the machine and it starts to hum and gurgle. In a matter of minutes, it will have pro duced some of the purest water money can buy. Water purifiers are nothing new. But this machine -- basically a glorified distiller is unlike all the rest, Glennon and his Bayville associate Jim Karlson say. This purifier removes more than 99 percent of the asbestos fibers from tap water, they say, which may or may not make it a worthwhile investment for the average homeowner or business. Residents of many Ocean County communities have grown concerned over the past fe-.v months about drinking water that flows through concrete nipw mHp with asJjgstos.. Latest reports'indicate that the levels of asbestos are not as high as orignally indicated and that there is no reason to believe they present a danger., The material can cause cancer in humans if inhaled but state and federal officials have yet to determine whether asbestos is harmful if Ingested. Concern over asbestos may be unfounded, but the "Midi-Still," manufactured by Pure Water Inc. of Lincoln, Neb., gives people the opportunity to remove almost all of the material from their water, Karlson said. In April 1979, Pure Water Inc.'splked a sample qf ultra- pure water with asbestos fibers and then added the water to the Midi-Still. The distilled water produced by the machine was tested for asbestos content by a Nebraska laboratory which found that 99.9 percent of the material was removed from the sample. "Conventional filters don't do the full job," Karlson said. "We feel that it is important for people to drink pure water." The two distributors ran an advertisement in the Times-Observer last week offering a free record and litera ture that details the uncleanliness of America's water supplies. ' At one point the moderator on the record says many Americans are merely drinking "processed sewer water." Be it asbestos or some other allegedly evil contaminant, Karlson and Glennon say their machine can remove it from drinking water for 10 cents to 15 cents per gallon. Pure Water makes several different models of the distill er that-range in price from *175 to *1,300. CAPCO JEN 0001690 OCEAN COUNTY VOL. 26, NO. 79 I' SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14.1981 Our Readers' Views .Asbestos shock Well, I said what I would like to say. Keep the good reporting up. We need you! Atrvo GUssofT To The Editor New York I un a student who followed your repor ters around last year at Toms River High School South. Asbestos Presently, I am in Columbia University in New York City, and the Jewish Theological To The Editor Seminary. When 1 came home in November to visit my family, I sat down and read The The concerned, but not hysterical, tone of yom article on asbestos hazards Reporter. Well, I was very shocked to read impressed me as unusual because of the about the asbestos-cement pipes. After absence of the kind of irresponsible, reading a couple of your articles, my dad fear-generating statements I have come refused to dnnk the water and found infor to expect to find in newspapers. mation about bottled water. Congratulations on your attention to 1 give you a lot of credit for having the facts rather than sensationalism! guts to expose such happenings. My work as a health physicist The newspapers need more reporters like (specialist in the measurement and your's to inform the people of exactly what control of radioactive materials such as is taking place. After all, it is the people who dusts, gases, powders and solids in the are used as pawns for the capitalists profit- environment vis-a-vis the exposure of makers. people in those environments to the 1 am sure this cement pipe business has consequent radiation) before 1 retired, been going on Tor a long time, but was taught me a little about the human conveniently shut up. plumbing system which I think may I am also concerned about what the water answer the question you raise under the company recently stated. They have pipes of section headed "Asbestos danger," this asbestos material and will continue to viz., the difference between inhalation install them in new homes or water mains. and drinking (ingestion) hazards. In order to remove ordinary dust from the lung surfaces, nature has pro vided us with an "escalator" in the form of a film of mucous, propelled upward by cUsa in and on which the dust particles are brought back up into the mouth and dumped into the stomach. This means that any and alld ebris which we happen to swallow -- whether in liquid or solid form -- will be excreted intact or will be partly di gested and the useless remainder ex creted. So far as our lungs are con cerned, the passage from our mouths to our stomachs is a very handy sewer line. This may seem aesthetically of fensive, but it is eminently practical because the lung surfaces must stay clean to fulfill their function and the body's digestive and immune systems are highly efficient in discriminating between food and waste. So much for generalities--now let's turn to asbestos. (I speak only as a layman, not an expert). The basic structure of the asbestos molecule is long and thread-like, giving it admira ble qualities as a "textile" -- but it is nevertheless a kind of rock. Short, small pieces of asbestos can become airborne and, therefore, be inhaled and deposited in the lungs. Such particles apparently can and do tend to act as needles which become crapped in the lung, defy the normal removal process, and because ofthe motion oflung tissue in breathing, serve as a constant source of irritation. Such prolonged mechani cal irritation has been long recognized as one cause of cancer -- and I would speculate that this could be the mechanism, or one of the mechanisms, involved m asbestos cancer. Maximum permissible concentrations of asbestos in the breathing air of human occupants will presumably take particle size into account as well as the number of parti cles per unit volume, but this number would obviously be much smaller than that for concentrations of asbestos par ticles in drinking water. The asbestos particles io the drinking water are bound (100 percent?) for fecal elimina tion. In your final paragraph, you discuss inhaling ''government prescribed limits" and then imbidiog additional amounts of asbestos. To conclude that anybody is. therefore, being grossly, but legally over-exposed is erroneous. Tbe two limits apply to two different situations and there are probably, now adays, very few individuals ever knowingly exposed to airborne asbes tos. Also, tbe limits are expressed as maximum permissible -- where radioactivity was involved, concentra tions were ordinarily maintained at the lowest possible level -- and some small percentage of MPC (Maximum Permis sible Concentration). Fred N. Brandkamp Brick Town Feb. 7, 1981 READERS' LETTERS are welcomed by Tbe Reporter from responsible persons on matters pertinent to the community at large. The reader must sign his name and give his complete address as well as a tele phone number through which authorship can be verified. CAPCO JEN 0001691 cr.vi c<vTuri fll'CSVCil Ti.JS (.(VCR, III. o. :.ow CAPCO JEN 0001692 .I OCEAN COOTITT EZ?ZER Mayor: Asbestos tests show no action needed By BRIAN McDERMOTT Dover Township officials say they have the cooperation of owners of Holiday on the Bay -- a Silverton garden apartment com plex where water tests show the highest con centration of asbestos fibers in drinking water -- in flushing the water system. The flushing would be an effort to lower the 3 million fiber per liter count recorded there-- the highest count of five areas tested as a result ofnews articles la The Ocean County Reporter about the widespread use ofasbcstos-cement pipes to carry drinking water. Asbestos is a known carcinogen, but sci entists so far say they lack proof that asbes tos in drinking water is harmful to health, a point that township officials stressed in re- porting results of the tests conducted by the Franklin Institute Research Laboratory in Philadelphia. Dover Mayor W. Thomas Renkin and township health officer Herbert Roeschke both describe tests results as "very en couraging" and expressed feeling that the findings would set the minds of many resi dents at ease. The average asbestos fiber count of the remaining four samples was about 340,000 per liter, according to Renkin. with the highest concentration, 530,000 fibers per liter, found in water samples taken at the Dover Municipal Building on Washington Street in downtown Toms River. The lowest <C--ti--rrf m Paye <> latucoav. aiaavAKT h. mi ociam coutrrr asaoaraa Mayor: Asbestos tests snow no action needed Pa I) count, 160,000 fibers per liter, was found in samples taken in the Pleasant Plains area of the township. The high concentration of asbestos fibers found in Holiday on the Bay water samples, township officials speculated, could have ac cumulated because the pipes were not peridicaUy flushed. Also, Renkin said, the water sample was so dirty that by the time the necessary filtering proces ses were completed (here was very little water left to be tested for asbestos cootent, a circumstance which may have lessened the ac curacy of the count. The water system at Holiday on the Bay is pri vately maintained by Horsons, lot., owner of the complex. The pri vately owned Toms River Water Co., there-. fore has no right or obli gation to flush water pipes there ns it does in most other parts of Its service area. That. Roeschke said at a Tuesday press conference to announce the results of the water tests, may mean the pipes at Holiday oo the Bay have not been flushed since 1968. The usual procedure , according to Wayne Hill, a Tons River Water Co. en gineer, is to flush the main water transmission lines and their capillaries twice a year. That involves open ing a large nozzle on vari ous fire hydrants and let ting water flow for hours. On Wednesday, Roes chke said, a representative of Hovsons. Inc., indicated the pipes may have been flushed abdut October last year, but there was some confusion about exactly when the flushing might have taken place or wbo was responsible. According to Roeschke, Holiday on the Bay owners are willing to cooperate with the township and the water company to flush the water system there. No definite schedule has been set yet, Roeschke said. But the flushing and then retesting of water can be expected to be done soon. The Dover Township Committee b expected to discuss*! potential ordi nances to reguire regular flushing 6f privately maintained water sys tems at its next meeting os Tuesday, Feb. 17 at I r________- * o.m., at the Dover' Township Municipal Building. In addition, Renkin said, the committee will discuss whether the Toms River Water Co., should conduct annual tests for asbestos content in the water, either in cooperation with the township or through ordi nance. As for further monitor ing of the water company, Renkin said he does not feel that the township should or could scrutinize its activities any more than they already are by the state Board of Public Utilities and other* government agencies. Retikin -also said in tight of test results, which he believes compare favora bly to other cities in the na tion. there probably would be no action taken to con trol future use of asbestoscement pipe, suspected of being the source of asbes tos in drinking water supplies. A ban on future use of the controversial pipe, Re nkin said, would involve the township passing an or dinance. If that resulted in higher costa for the water company, he said, it would be passed direedy to con sumers. Renkin also questioned whether banning the use of asbestos-cement pipe would help prevent the spread ofcancer, which b at the bead of the con troversy. If deaths' caused by cancer are to be controlled, Renkin said, the answer will have to come in the form of a cure rather than in prevention because of all the.things in the environ ment which contribute to its continued spread. CAPCO JEN 0001693