Document 3eza85rv5eGXjOoqdNJOa8MBD

PLAINTIFF'S EXHIBIT A/C Pipe Producers Association Public Affairs Committee to. International Affairs Committee FROM F. Welch, Vice President Interna! Correspondence date- November 12,1981 subject: field problem -Ocean County, New Jersey REF: JF.W correspondence, Field Problem - Brick Township (Ocean County), New Jersey, August 18,1981 ACTION REQUIRED: Review for information Enclosed is an editorial recently forwarded to Staff by the Toms River Water Company. It purports to be an "update" on the asbestos in drinking water issue. While the editor's views about the potential hazards of ingested asbestos appear to have tempered somewhat, it is dismaying (but not surprising) to see the Ocean County Reporter tacitly endorsing the need for filters to remove asbestos from local drinking water. Staff does not intend to respond to the articles. Staff also received a copy of the report of the Citizen's of Brick Township for Asbestos - Free Water, and the Township Council's statement that "there is not sufficient evidence to warrant replacement of the asbestos (cement) pipe." The Citizen's of Brick Township report is approximately 40 pages in length and relies heavily on scientific references published by the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare and the Mount Sinai Environmental Health Sciences Laboratory. The report's cover sheet, index and conclusion are enclosed. Complete copies are available from AACPP upon request. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call. JFW/ajb Enclosures cc: A. Kahn, Esq. N. Rahn, Esa. N. Battle M. Greenberg, Esq. copies to: Public Affairs Committee International Affairs Committee HEGA/6 Chrono H. Olson I. Adams W. Perrell J. Woods J. Baker T. Dougherty D. Stinson W. McCallie B. Collier R. Dorner B. Giboin P. Hart E. van der Rest R. Hobbs A. Saoulis R. Jalan V. Pattabhi H. Hudson C. Barton S. Al-Tarkait At CAP CO JEN 0012674- . 41A1WAV,Ov'OtU u. mIOCUK COUKTT HKXm An upcfate? To The Editor; , The series ofarticles inyourpaperlist fall :andwintercausedquiteastir. Many of us questioned whether it was safe to drink the water with the reportedly high content of asbestos fibers. Then came the news, results of a related federal government study was expected in July 1981. 1 have seen no further word in The Re porter on this subject. Have 1 missed some assurance that our water is safe, despite your reported find ings? Philip Manglapane i Whiling Here's what to do By Dr. JONATHAN ALLEN Asbestos contamination of drinking water continues to worry residents of Ocean and Bur lington counties. Many communities in these counties have used asbes tos water pipes in their drinking water systems. Some waters will corrode die insides of these pipes, releasing asbestos fibers into the water stream. Since inhaled asbestos U a weli-known carcinogen, many people fear ingested asbestos may be dangerous as well. Thus, to be on the safe side, some customers served by asbestos-cement pipes have been buying bottled water. Bottled water is expensive. An alternative approach would be to install a filter on the u iter line coming into the home. Ordinary filters will not verve the purpose. Char coal does not remove fibers, such as asbestos. Ordinary filters designed to remove paniculate matter are only partially effective in removing the extremely small (less than .5 micron) fibers which typically erode from the wails of water pipes. A new line of filters has been developed specifically to remove very small fibers, such as eroded asbestos. They are being produced by Universal Filter, Inc. of 122S Main St., Asbury Park, under the trade name of Fin-L-Filier. The manufacturer says the .2 micron pore filter ele ments are able to remove virtually all asbestos from the (lowing water. The filter elements are of standard dimen sions and thus will fit either Universal's holder or those of other manufacturers, such as Cuno or Commercial. While Fin-L-Ftlter elements are available as cartridges which fit directly into standard filler holders, consumers will find it more economical in the long nm to purchase filter bags, Type SB 0.2 Z. These are both cheaper and longer lasting than the cartridges, though they require a one-time investment in a conversion kit which allows them to be installed in the standard filter-holder housing. If one were to install such a filter, it would be most economical to have it serve just one designated Up, such as the cold water tap of the kitchen sink. There Is no point in depleting the filter's capacity by having it filter water for washing or for flushing toUets. Although these filters are only available wholesale, citizens of a town with asbestos problems could get to gether to meet the minimum purchase requirements (at>out !0 units) either through their own organization or through a local haidw&re or plumbimng dealer. While the initial investment per household might be as high as $100, it will be far cheaper in the long run than buying bottled water, which can cost $500 a year. T owns that use asbestos-cement pipes arc prutably not going to replace those pipes for many years, and so investment In a filter now will serve consumers far a long time into (he future. Filter users should remember that ifthey do not change the filter element, the filter will eventually clog. Follow manufacturer's instruction. , I i | | Jonathan Allen is a Princeton-area physicist whose work has included studies'offibrous pollutants, such as asbestos and fiberglas. This article has been reprinted from Sew Jersey Hazardous Waste Sews, published by the Environmental Research Foundation of Lawrence' ville, SJ. ...And a look ahead Dr. Irving J. Selikoff, director of the Environ mental Sciences Laborat ory at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, will speak at the e:$th annual New Jersey En vironmental Congress today, Saturday, at 1 p.m. at the Summit Surburbtn Hotel in Summit. Gubernatorial candi dates James Florio, Demo crat, and Thomas Kean, Republican, will nuke addrosses, too. The congress is spon sored by the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions. It was at Mount Sinai last last year tests showed high asbestos counts in the water supply of Toms River Water Co. After reports were published, however. Mount Sinai said a repor ter's error in i.rerpreuiion had occurred, and asbestos fiber counts were lower. The original report cited 4.5 million asbestos fibers per liter (a liter is about a 03 OCCAM COUWTT BPOBTER LEONARD GOLDBLATT, Publisher KENNETH J. MOORE, Editor FRANK MONTARELU, News Editor The Reporter is an independent newspaper established in 1956 Published senti-weekiy, every Wednesday and Saturday gallon), but later reports put the actual asbestos fiber count at less than 200,000. Dr. Selikoff, who has worked nearly SO years in research on (he incidence of respiratory disease among asbestos factory workers, will present new research on chemicals that have been linked to cancer. Selikoff will also discuss the complex issues of re sponsibility for environmentally-caused diseases. Registration at S15 ($20 with Tunch) starts at 8:30 a.tn. Florio and Kean will dis cuss their programs for the state's environment CAPCO JEN 0012675 Position report .i?*sS ISr&S By KEN MOORE gfcSfi Editor p Where are we now? A valid ques-, rWfejfJjj"jK** atinosnw.erUed*nftohurtsu*lyn:a-Wte-*ely*,re it in hparsacttio.cabllye fetes the same place as we were a year ago. EtjSj* Your scenario left ofT last February. Since ^S-S'js then, the Dover Township Committee re* Asbestos watej^pipes quested the municipal Board of Health to pass ordinance requiring annual water tests Tor rjpifc asbestos content. The governing body was may be deadly time bomb 'SZ also awaiting a state report on minimum |i. standards for asbestos content In potable iC-.Cj water, which town fathers expected by July. 5*Vfe?5 Brick Township was ordering more tests on its water supplies, which also run through asbestos-cement pipes, after early tests showed what was called "high" asbestos content in the water. Bayville's town fathers pooh-poohed the f'53 entire issue. $ Today, Brick has a monitoring program to . sample water from control areas, and the Dover Township Board of Health has not passed the .\-Sjj requeued ordinance. Nor has the state offered :{JJ standards or.minimum$. Health Officer Herbert Roeschke says the `:Y*s health board did not pass the ordinance because the cost of asbestos fiber tests is high ($500 and kif up for each sample) and representatives of the privately-owned Toms River Water Co. vowed to make annual tests voluntarily. The state says there is not enough research to establish safety standards for asbestos content in water, although there is fur asbestos fibers in the air-- and in fact, minimum standards for air* borne asbestos has been reduced to even lower tolerences. Asbestos is a known carcinogen-*- in the air --but there is a lack of data for water Sates? borne asbestos. The state requires water utilities to test for m many chemical toxins and acidity-- hardness --but not for asbestos. The hardness tests, how* ever, indicate the potential for water to "erode** asbestos-cement pipe walls and thus release as* bestos fibers to into the water. Toms River Water Co. continues its regular flushing of water mains which supposedly rids the system of asbestos fibers. Last February, township asbestos tests showed 3 million wbestos fibers a liter in Toms River Water Co. supplies in Silverton, and an avenge of 340,000 fibers a liter in four other `i area*ofU<e tounship. SiKcnon was cied a* high because privately-owned fire hydrants there wcre n0* flushed. Mayor W. Thomas Renkin says that has changed now. Those hydrants are regularly flushed. j&js&jj December 1980 tests commissioned by The ccan County Reporter cited a range of 600,000 !rr&j*f to 4.5 million fibers a liter from Toms River watcr Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, where The Reporter's tests were con- rVrLfj ducted, weeks Jjicr said results were misinter preted and the tests showed about 200,000 fibers a liter--a figure said to be not-at-all dangerous to human health. New test results can be anticipated la Feb ruary In Toms River and Brick Township. | Air-borne asbestos is considered dangerous, ! but especially dangerous to cigarette smokers. A I lack of research means no one can say the same l of water-borne asbestos. l-- CAP CO JEN 0012676 ASBESTOS IN BRICK TOWNSHIP'S DRINKING WATER AND CANCER By The Citizens Of Bricktown For Asbestos Free Water (The Clean Water Group) Mr. Joseph J. Potoczniak, Chairman Mrs. Rosiland Thomson Mr. Frank Martin Mrs. Maria Martin Mrs. Joyce Kenny Mr. Paul Yankowski / CAPCO JEN 0012677 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 1. * Introduction....................................................... '.............. .. *............................ 5 2. What Happens When Asbestos Is Ingested.........................................6 3. Sizes Of Asbestos, Their Effects..............................................7 4. All Types Of. Asbestos Cause Cancer.............. ................. ...................... 8 5. Ingested Asbestos Moves To Every Part Of The Body..................... 11 6. Ingested Asbestos Enters The Blood Stream........................ ......12 7. Ingested Asbestos Damages The Body's Immunological System............................................................................................................ 13 8. Ingested Asbestos Causes Damage To Other Cells Of . The Body....................................................................... ...................... .-...14 9. Ingested Asbestos Can Cause Cancer In All Parts Of The Body.................................................................................................... ..15 10. Percent Of Asbestos Fibers That Stay In The Body...................... 16 11. Amount Of Asbestos Needed To Start Cancer....................................16 12. How Long Must You Be Exposed To Asbestos Before Cancer May Start................................. .....................19 13. Relationship Between Ingested And Inhaled Asbestos........20 14. Objectives Of The Committee (The Citizens Of Brick Township CAP CO JEN 0012678 For Asbestos Free Water)................................................ ..................22 15. Summary Position............. ..................................................... 22 16. Why The Confilicting Reports About Asbestos And Cancer....24 17. Enough Proof For The Life Insurance Companies, But Hot The Asbestos Industry............................ ................. ........................... 25 18. Why Isn't Something Being Done About It?...................... 26 19. Cover-up By The Asbestos Industry......................................................27 20. Percentages That Die From ExposureTo Asbestos...................32 21. Why Isn't The BTMUA Taking Action?...................................................... 33 22. An Important Question.................................................. .34 23. Who Sponsors Or Publishes Much Of The Widely Distributed Research About Asbestos?................... ...35 24. Conclusion.................................................................................................... 36 25. References...................................... 38 CAPCO JEN 0012679 24. CONCLUSION Me have a moral and ethical obligation to make a judgement regarding ingested and inhaled asbestos. It would be tantamount to criminal behavior to allow the situation to continue on its present course. "As scientists we could shrug our academic shoulders and ay that there is insufficient evidence for a firm jucgement. As persons concerned with the preservation of human health, however, we cannot escape the responsibility for making the best judgement that we can with the information we have..." 29 Cancer is a label assigned many types of similiar diseases, for which the origin is rarely ever known, but all too often the conclusion is. The occurance of cancer has increased with the increase of additives to our foods, air, and materials we use to enjoy our life. It is not the price we pay for our "level of living." It is the price we pay to keep our heads in the sand and our indifference at full throttle. If an invasion force from another country were to kill a few million of our citizens, we would demand retribution.' If someone puts a slow acting poison into our systems and tells us that they are not to blame, we calmly accept it. We are in a war against not only cancer and the materials that cause it, but the people who smile and politely tell you that there is no other way. Me are against profiteering greed at the expense of others'slives and the indifference that people often have when they feel there is no alternative. "The epidemic of asbestos related disease is a public health failure rather than a failure of the medical profession... even though it is known to be a serious health hazard. Me are trapped by the substance. It crept into our building, our schools, our homes, and our cars, and we have made an unconcious decision to accept some level of mortality as the price we must pay for its" usefulness. Connecticut has passed a law that prohibits the installation of Asbestos Cement pipes. Hopefully, New Jersey will also. For us in Bricktown, however, that will not suffice. Me want the menace to be removed from our drinking water. Me ask that the same type of pipe that is being used to bring us the water in over 90% of our township, namely iron ductile pipe, be used to replace the 10% Asbestos Cement pipes that contribute asbestos to our water supply. Should there be any asbestos that naturally occurs in our ground water from which CAP CO JEN 0012680 we draw our supply, that it be filtered to provide pure clean water. Ke already have outrageously high water bills and there may be good reason to complain about them. But for the small amount of increase to our annual cost, we could at least be rid of this danger to our health. t CAPCO JEN 0012681