Document 6RNapNz1mann0vjMwkw5Mvy5o

SAINT-GOBAIN NEWS FEBRUARY 1992 N TRENDS HEALTH Controlled use of asbestos The Environmental Protection Agency's 1989 ban on asbestos hasjust been overturned in the American courts. As in France and many other countries, asbestos use in the USA must be controlled. For more than ten years now, the French asbestos industry has been working with all the professionals concerned - doctors, unions, and government agencies - to attain a maximum level ofprotection for employees and users. As a result of this effort, the plants of the Building Materials Division now surpass the standards in effect. Following the French monthly Que Choisir. the french television channel Antenne 2, and the newspaper Liberation, an ecological group announced last autumn that it planned to re-open the asbestos* fi le. Some accuse health officials of being slow to recognize the occupational diseases linked to this fiber, while others target public buildings insulated with as bestos flocking. This attitude represents a legacy of the past: 30 or 40 years ago, heavy, prolonged exposure left an aftermath of tragic illnesses for asbestos work ers. The problem was aggravated by a long latency period characteristic of illnesses connected to mineral particles. In 1984, following the lead of other countries, the French professionals concerned - in indus try, unions, science, and government agen cies - created the Permanent Asbestos Com mittee. Its mission was to study solutions adapted to the French situation and com patible with European and international po sitions^ Asbestos flocking was banned because the process used did not sufficiently contain the fibers. Prevention program When flocking is installed or removed, sites may be subject to high levels ofdusting. The manufacture of fiber-cement plates, pipe lines, fabric, and brake pads was strictly regulated: dusting standards for workshops were set at 1 fiber per cm3. According to the EEC. this limit should be reduced to 0.6 fiber per cm3. Today, Everite is suipassing these standards. Bi-monthly tests performed in its workshops reveal levels between 0.5 and 0.1 fiber per cm3. To ensure work-site safety, the stringent measures taken by the Building Materials Division include clean ing overalls at the plant, grinding asbestos bags into the mixture, very strict package labelling, safety devices, water recycling, and soon, recycling of all dry waste. The division has applied this prevention pro gram in France as well as internationally. In light of this concern for maximum safety, the daily Liberation writes that the problem of worker protection seems to be corrected,* and Professor Brochard, a Committee member and specialist in occupational ill nesses, adds that the pollution resulting from the natural wear of asbestos-based materials is non-existent, or extremely slight.* International organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Labor Bureau (ILB), and the OECD (Organization for Economic Coop eration and Development), relying on many scientific studies (particularly involving tolerance thresholds and exposure levels), recommend the controlled and regulated use of this fiber. This policy has been pur sued in France, but rejected by its German neighbors, who hoped to ban asbestos use. As for the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency's decision to phase out asbestos in the USA by 1996 has just been overturned. The Appeals Court's decision rests in particular on the lack of evidence brought by the EPA. This is a significant decision at a time when Europe is pursuing its own regulation effort. Publication Manager: Robert Pistre. Chief Editor: Blandine Dupuis. Editor: Severine Wemaere in collaboration with Bernard Chevalier (consulting journalist). Secretarial work and distribution: Michele Cotte. Editorial and graphic design: Textuel. Page layout: Jean-Luc Masson (On Line). Printing: Kossuth. Paper: Condat. Address: Compagnie de Saint-Gobain, Les Miroirs, cedex 27, 92096 Paris La Defense. Tel: 33 (1) 47 62 43 20. Fax: 33 (1) 47 78 45 03 11 CTD001999