Document 82G21Zww2jOyMMO0Rep8xvzky

RE: :r;.'CH AMO ? - ' `,7 D-?T. -2~-1!ev'- PLAINTIFFS EXHIBIT UC-192 - APRIL 19. 1973- VOL. 59 NO. 5 Asbestos completely exonerated |ggG2|| as dangerous to public health "Recent findings that levels of 'asbestos dust in the environment do not endanger the general public --as reported by a World Health Organization agency--confirm the position of the asbestos industry." says Matthew M. Swetonic. execu tive secretary of the Asbestos In formation Association of North America. The findings are contained in a report of the advisory committee on asbestos cancers to the director of the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a division of the World Health Organization. They are conclusions of a specially selected panel of medical re searchers convened following the IARC conference on the "Biologi cal Effects of Asbestos" held at Lyon. France. Oct. 5-6. 1972. Ac cording to World Health Organiza tion headquarters in Geneva, the full proceedings of the meeting will be published sometime this year. Commenting on the IARC re port. Mr. Swetonic calls it a major contribution by distinguished re searchers from all over the world, and the most comprehensive pre sentation of facts available about the occupational hazards of asbes tos and the relationship of asbes tos to the general public. "The Lyon Conference." Mr. Swetonic adds, "was attended by ISO participants from 20 countries -- including Belgium. Canada. Czechoslovakia. Denmark. France. West Germany. Italy. Ja pan. South Africa. Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States, the U.S.S.R. and Yugosla via--and is representative of world medical opinion." According to Mr. Swetonic. the major conclusions of the IARC re-, port can be*sumraariz'ed as-fol-7! lows: fl) The population at large is not threatened by asbestos fibers in the atmosphere. Surveys in a~ number of countries-have shown - that the concentration of asbestos dust in the urban atmosphere is about 10,000 times lower than the concentration known to be safe for occupationally exposed workers. (2) While a direct relationship be tween inhalation of- excessive as bestos dust and certain diseases was confirmed, risks varied ac cording to the type of fiber, the type of occupation, and the extent of engineering controls imple mented in the workplace. (31 No increased risk of disease results from asbestos fibers which might be present in the water sup ply, beverages, food, or in the I huids used for the administration j of drugs. j (4) It is confirmed that cigarette i smoking greatly increases the risk i of lung cancer among men and | women exposed to excessive as- j bestos dust in their occupations. ! The IARC report also recom- mends that future research be di- j rected at understanding the mech- ! anism of disease production, at i ways to control disease and pro- | tect workers from excessive dust i levels, at methods to determine I the quality of asbestos fiber in the ; human lung and other tissues, and j at the standardization of diagnos- . tic criteria. ; Speaking on behalf of the indus- ! try. Mr. Swetonic whole-heartedly | supports such research efforts and 1 hopes that additional research : funds may be forthcoming. ; A i7977