Document 50Jk0oj8nG32k1aDRgmgkerwR

l.V. IPT.V. 5-7c) Shell Oil Company ir.ieroiilce Memorandum FEBRUARY 28, 1980 r'vX? v''5> T. FROM: JOHN P. MURPHY, INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE TECHNICIAN, . HS&E/S&IH - EASTERN REGION TO; MR. H. J. MC DERMOTT, MANAGER INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE SERVICE HS&E/S&IH - HEAD OFFICE SUBJECT; USE OF INSULATION MATERIALS CONTAINING ASBESTOS BY SOUTHERN E&P FACILITIES I have been reviewing With V. A. Harris,'Safety and Environmental .Conservation Manager r Coastal Division, the use, handling, potential employee exposure and substitution of asbestos insulation materials. ..in the Coastal Division of Southern.E&P Region. This.was stimulated by the discovery of asbestos packing material in use at West Lake Verret in a compressor engine exhaust manifold. The packing is a H" x h" continuous length.of material which is very pliable, feels waxy, and is comprised of about 80 percent asbestos. The packing is installed in a stuffing box similar to that found on a. centrifugal pump and forms an expansion joint in the exhaust manifold. Packing is replaced when leakage is detected and this occurs about every year. There are eight or nine such engines in Coastal Division. The engineering staff for Coastal Division is currently looking for a suitable non-asbestos substitution for this packing material. Coastal Division's general policy is to treat all insulation removed from equipment as if it contained asbestos. I will be visiting many of the Coastal and Onshore Division facilities in the next month to conduct a survey on the potential exposure to mercury. While at these locations, I will also review:the insulating materials'-in stock and its use and condition-on equipment. . JPM:BWD cc - Dr. C. E. Ross, Corporate Medical, Head .Office Mr. 0. J. Shirley, SEC, Southern E&P Region Mr. V. A. Harris, Coastal Division SEC, Southern E&P Region Mr. R. K. Jones, HS&E/S&IH, Western Region LAM 023541 ... ABS-002612 `7 iwii