Document 74xL0VyygxJaJ7zRdam5zD68

FILE NAME DuPont DUP DATE 1966 Oct 25 DOC DUP107 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION Memo to J.A. Zapp Jr & J.W. Clayton Jr. from G.J. Stopps Meeting Minutes RE The Medical Aspects of the Use of Asbestos and Asbestos Products Within the DuPont Company MEMORANDUM ' Kw Clayton TOTO J A. Zapp J W. Jr. Jr. FROM G. J. Stopps 5 00227 THE MEDICAL ASPECTS OF THE USE OF ASBESTOS - AND ASHESTOS PRODUCTS WITHIN THE DU PONT COMPANY Meeting held at Industrial Medicine mo Haskell October . Laboratory for 25 1966 | a Toxicology a and 4 DEFENDANT EXHIBIT Present ; | C. A. D'Alonzo M.D. - Medical Director J. R. Zahn M.D. - Assistant Medical Director J. A. Zapp Jr. - Director Haskell Laboratory J. W. Clayton Jr. - Assistant Director Haskell Laboratory W. E. Neeld Jr. M.D. - Medical Director Chambers Works A. L. Linch - Manager Industrial Hygiene Laboratory S. Pell - Biostatistician Medical Division W. H. Zane - Design Division Engineering Department G. J. Stopps M.D. - Chief Physiology Section Haskell Laboratory C. F. Reinhardt M.D. - Physiologist Haskell Laboratory owe Statement of Problem in Asbestos has been recognized for many years to cause a chest disease called asbestosis This is a fibrosis of the lung and is associated with several years exposure to asbestos oa fibers at concentrations above the Threshold Limit Value of the 5 million particles per cubic foot More recently within the past 10 years an association between asbestos exposure and cancer has become apparent This association shows itself three ways One persons with established asbestosis have an incidence of cancer of the lung or pleura of approximately 13 cent compared with a rate of 1.32 per cent persons suffer- per from silicosis Two persons not suffering from asbestosis biuntg who have a history of exposure to asbestos show a tenfold increase in the incidence of cancer of the respiratory system Three among the persons developing cancer who have been exposed to asbestos a small number show a type of tumor which is very rare in the general population In cases showing this tumor the occupational history of the person has almost always revealed _a period of exposure to asbestos tetween initial The association of cancer with asbestos is of special concern as this time because of the lack of data which to a safe dust concentration and the very long incubation base exposure and the development of per the interval varies from 15 to 45 years cancer This time . X( om 2 Objectives of Present Study 1 Assess the risk to the health of employees from asbestos within the Du Pont Company 2 Examine the handling procedures for an industrial hygiene viewpoint and safer procedures where indicated asbestos from prescribe Plan of Attack So . A. Exposure 1 Define asbestos dust levels for as many asbestos handling operations as possible 2 Define materials containing asbestos and where possible type of asbestos 3 Define operations where exposure may occur 4. Define adequate respiratory protective procedures - : 5. Consider need for substitutes for asbestos | | B. Medical 1. Study records of respiratory cancer cases 1 search for an association with asbestos Develop registry of all known asbestos workers throughout the Company 3 Examine records of asbestos workers and compare them with records of a asbestos exposed control group to assess possible hazard of working with asbestos 4. Develop a smoking and respiratory function questionnaire for use as a routine in all plants as part of the periodic health examination for all personnel . 5. Develop pulmonary function tests for routine application during annual physical examination examination Items 4 and 5 will be of general value in the medical programs of the Company with special relevance to the . asbestos study 000535 000535 000535 000535 000535 000535 -3- Implementation Implementation of the program to be through a working party e on health and asbestos Suggested make of working party Medical Department - . - G. J. Stopps Physician - S. Pell Biostatistician Engineering DepartmentDivsion 7 Engineering Service Division - J. L. Parsons . or his representative Design Division - W. H. Zane Safety - K. E. Keuper Chambers Works Industrial Hygiene Lab - A. L. Linch Funding It is anticipated that the working party will be engaged in the collection of data on asbestos dust at a number of Company locations and in correlating health records with the duration of the exposure This will require funding which can not be precisely forecast at this time but would almost certainly be below the cost of losing one party suit brought by a work- man claiming pulmonary disability due to unsafe working conditions The more important justification for a program such as that outlined above is the Company's traditional concern for the safety of its employees It has been shown that some workers with asbestos have an increased risk of dying of cancer It is of the utmost importance to discover whether under the conditions existing within Du Font plants this is true for our employees who handle asbestos This project project is in the general interest of the Company affects many operating departments thus funding should not borne by a single operating department and be Duration of Study To be of value medical information on those working with asbestos Must be kept current by an annual review The initial correlation of existing records with exposure data would probably require about 30 days of time work by the bio- statistician and the physician once the records were identified and collected in one place These 30 days would probably be spread over a period of about four months Dust sampling is impossible to forecast at this time since the scope of the program must be defined by the working party When the program is working a few days of work per year should keep the medical . information updated ~ 4 - Starting Date It is anticipated that the one month and field work should January working party should meet within start during the first week of -Progress Reports A target date for a first medical report would be the first of June 1967 and yearly thereafter ; : Preliminary data on the dust levels types and sizes of asbestos fiber would be expected to be available by the first of March but due to the need to consider outside work and different climatic conditions a more definitive report would not be available until July 30 dyb 11-4-66 000537 000537