Document 4v92bB7YBJ5ka2X33rLE2Xqee

This presentation i :over the fellovine items: X. Asbestos pi s sales - 1970. 2 Products c< ling asbestos* 3- Tonnage used in o\^r major producing plants* Present standards -\nternal and external. a. Corcments on standards. b. hr, Stlikoff's comments c. Comments on medical technology to-date 5 Status of Plants. 6 Present plant x-ray evaluation 7 Comments on potential Canadian problem 8 Pole of National Gypsum in A1A/KA a\d EPA. 9* Summary statement. Ytopt KC?*E* DlV^O* Kopies, Inc. P.O. BOX M661 CHArtOTTE, N O. 9------ WV-12074 Corrugated Asbestos - r'00 vt. Corrugated Asbestos - *250 wt. Fern Board Flats Prefinished Flats Perforated Panels Siding Woodrock Asbestos Panels Accessories Fiber Joint Cement - Dry Joint Cement - Wet Texture Total 3,215,193 1,575,865 3,960,251 706,547 $12,706,295 Products Containing Asbestos Perfect Spray Spray uick Other sprayed textures Joint Compounds (Dry) Readi Mix Joint Treatment All Asbestos Cement Products Tonnage fsed in our Ma ior.. Producing Plants Approximate tonnage used in our major producing plants in 1970 is as follows: Thetford Mines..............55,900 'tons produced Thetford Mines......................19,953 tons - Sales int'.S.A. Kew Orleans..................... 8,100 tons Millington.................. 4,000 tons Katteson.................................... Baltimore, Vestwego 4 50 tons and Lone Beach....... 120 tons (approx.) at each plant 000219 43S25 300887 Parr 7 c* We are governed by the Occupational Safety and Health' Act of 10"C which has a Threshold Lir.it of: Koocf Silicates (less than 1& crystalline silica) Asbestos - 12 fibers per milliliter greater than 5 microns in length (j) or......... 2 (o) - as determined by the membrane filter method at 410 X phase contrast magnification. External The proposed standard under EFA regulations covering hazardous pollutant emissions: "Visible emission* means an emission of greater than 5 percent opacity or 1/4 Ringlemann. Visible emissions of particulate-matter .from any manufacturing or fabricating operations in an area directly open to the atmosphere are prohibited. Visible emissions to the atmosphere of particulate matter resulting from the repair or demolition of any building or structure, other than a single-family dewlling, in which asbestos insulation or asbestos fireproofing is present are prohibited. The spraying of any product which contains asbestos on or in any building or structure is prohibited. The surfacing or resurfacing of any roadway vith asbestos tailings is prohibited. A. Comments on Standards Ax The present internal standards are those that were promulgated under the Welsh-Healey Public Contracts Act and have been intro duced as part of the new Occupational Safety & Health Act of 1970. Where Walsh-Healey covered plants with government con tracts exceeding $10,000, the new Act covers every manufacturing facility in the United States. 000220 43326 fCE# 305888 f--r 1 B. Dr. Selikcff^s Cor.-nts Dr. Irving J. Selikoff of the Environmental Sciences laboratory at the Mount Sinti School of Medicine fr*the^ City Vniversitv of Kw York wrote Secretary James D. Hodgson 'August 5> and stated that a death toll of thousands can be predicted as an outcome of serious error of judgment in setting asbestos ex posure standards. He claimed the proposed level is (1) much higher than actually now exists, (2) so high as to make SAsxpx totally ineffective current efforts by both industry and labor to control the hazard, Selikoff charged. The stand ard, which would allow workmen to be exposed to environments containing as many as 12 fibers per cc of air, contrasts with the approved level in Great Britain which is less than 1/5 this level. The U. S standard of exposure "for sore than even 10 minutes" would be sufficient to require that the workmen wear protective clothing and use an efficient respirator, according to Selikoff. Research in the asbestos trade of insulation work shows that work in areas with levels of 203 fibers per cc of air "has resulted in a very great increase of death due to cancer and to asbestosis.n One in every five deaths among insulation workers is due to lung cancer, one in 10 to cancer of the pleura or peritoneum, and one in 10 to scarred lungs or asbestosis. Copies of Selikoff* s letter were sent to officials of the Asbestos Workers Union; United 51ee 1wo.rkera hemica 1, and Atomic Workers Union; United Paperaakers and Papervorkers; International Chemical Workers; Textile Workers; the AFL-CXO and the Industrial Union Department; and the Xational Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. It oust be remembered that the above EPA regulations are pro posed and should be printed in the Federal Register possibly fckis this week. We then will have 90 days to submit appeals or recommendations on changes on any part of the proposed code that we feel is unattainable or unrealistic. C. Comments on Medical Technology to-date Basically the known facts can be summed up as follows: 000221 First, asbestos-related health risks are basically coniined to the occupational and para-occupational "t""" CE# 30gsa 43927 Second, the effects of excessive inhalation of Tsoestos are both time and dose related. This means that asbestos-related diseases may develop, generally, only after the inhalation of substantial aaounffc^?^ 1 ^ Sact.o*: dut v#r a substantial oeriod of time*. recommendation that an Engineering study be cade for core efficient autocated and recycling systems. From visible ob servation, there are areas in each of these plants that I ac sure we do not meet the Threshold licit Value. Housekeeping and enforcement of the wearing of protective equipcer.t is essential in all of these three plants. Xo known external problems. 6. Present Plant T-ftav Evaluation Our latest x-ray evaluation indicates a change in the lung markings of 35 employees at Millington and 39 employees at Xew Orleans. The present maximum compensation cost per employee to Kational Gypsum would be $25,000, any additional cost would be borne by Hartford which in due course would affect the changed insurance cost to Kational. 7* Cements on Potential Canadian Problems In all meetings to date with both the EPA in Atlanta, Georgia; the Department of the Interior and the American Mining Congress, the representatives of the industry have kept in mind that the Mining codes established in the States have a history of being followed in Canada. Xn all the deliberations, the industry representatives guided the EPA and the Bureau of Mines in what was needed and what was economically feasible for the Mining 'future of asbestos. All agencies were given all factual data that was pertinent and available to their deliberations. Some of the original ridiculous proposed standards were immediately eliminated when the Committee was informed of the true picture. The writer is confident that the various associations who are following the United States legislation will keep a close eye on Canadian movements in this area. S. Role of Kational gypsum in AXA/Va and EPA See A. H. fay's remarks attached and include the Tulane study which hs missed. 0.A.M.A. Complete pulmonary function tests, including x-rays, were taken of all people at Johns-Manville and our Kew Orleans plant. The results are now being tabulated. 'U500223 43329 hham -i Ir. t;,is presentation, we hope that nc p&r.ic out" or. hi* dee.*, pushed. Asbestos car. be handed there is r.c known IOC" substitute for it today. When the cedical technology is developed and true standards established, we are positive that we will be able, with our Engineering know-how to ceet the standards. Ve can foresee no icur.ediate cajor problec in our Canadian operations and, at the present tise, our position will be to be kept will versed on all aspects 02" the subject and to cooperate as an industrial te&Jt in fur nishing the skill and the know-how of our people to give factual input to ahy regulatory bodies attespting to proaul- gate standards. r CE# 000224 305892 43930 000420 b* c :r:r;, xher* ta present-.** no evtce-vet or haccru tc tne 4c>*.er&. pb.0-. s.c ir0.7, exposure to tr.c r_r.u ue amounts or asoeaxes tr.at may be present in ecsnuuLty air. In summation it can be said, at the present tise, radical science has not been able to provide a dose related level of exposure that can be medically and scientifically proven. The levels of asbestos exposure are currently being studied at Tulane University under the sponsorship of the g.A.M.A., Johns-Manville -and Kational Gypsun Companies parti* cipating. Ve are hoping that these studies will lead to an exposure level that will be attainable by the industry. 5 Present Status of Plants Millington * Internal A problem exists with the regrind material and our present cethod of handling it. This is the only area that we have exceeded in our recent dust counts, the Threshold limit. 'This problem will be studied by Engineering'for possible autocation or, more direct, recycling. Millington - External It is felt that, at the present time, we raeet the criteria of federal and state regulations. There cay be a local pro* blec at Millington concerning the sludge pits. Mew- Orleans * Internal A dust survey was cade two weeks ago. We do not have the results, at this time, with the exception of the area on the second floor where the batch is mixed. This again is regrind materiel that must be handled in a much acre efficient and autocated aethod which will require an Eng ineering study. We also must enforce acre efficient house keeping and cleanliness in this area, plus the wearing of -protective equipment until autoaation takes over. Kew Orleans - External Ko known external problems here. We will have to improve some of our past practices in handling waste material in the open yard areas. 000222 305830 43S2S