Document 8Owop2V2Z0dxL4yBrmKG5VOaK

October 31, 1984 AIA/NA To File Further Comments On OSHA's Proposed Standard For Asbestos As reported ( N&N July), the informal public hearing on OSHA's proposed standard for occupational exposure to asbestos which was published on Apr. 10, 1984 (N&N Apr., May & June), was concluded July 12. The deadline for filing of post hearing briefs was extended from Oct. 11 to Nov. 1 by the Department of Labor in response to a request submitted by the AFL-CIO. The Association's final position on the OSHA proposal will fcle submitted to OSHA on Nov. 1 as required. AIA/NA has in the : past and continues to support OSHA's efforts to publish a re vised standard for workplace asbestos exposure. The following key provisions in a revised OSHA standard will be emphasized and urged for implementation: . Achievement of a 8-hour PEL of 0.5 fibers/cc supported by a 5.0 fibers/cc fifteen minute ceiling exposure limit within two years by all manufacturers except friction materials manufacturers, for whom a four-year imple mentation period will be necessary; . Maintenance of existing housekeeping and work practice specifications with the addition of a prohibition on compressed air blowing of asbestos dust in workplace cleanup and, par ticularly, in brake repair/replacement oper ations ; . Application of monitoring, pre-placement training programs and medical surveillance requirements for workplaces where workers are exposed more than 30 days annually to over 0.1 fibers/cc; . Application of other requirements, such as work clothes, warning signs, hygiene facili ties and regulated areas in workplaces not complying with the 8-hour PEL or ceiling; ASBESTOS INFORMATION ASSOCIATION 1745 Jefferson Davis Highway. Crystal Square 4, Suite 509 Arlington. Virginia 22202 * (703) 979*1150 CAP CO JEN 0012972 Page 2 . Reduction in the number of smokers in the as bestos workforce through imposition of a ban on future hiring of workers who smoke, a pro hibition on smoking in workplaces not consis tently below 0.1 fibers/cc, and a requirement that employer-sponsored smoking cessation programs be made available to current workers who smoke; . Regulation of the construction industry by the general industry standard supplemented by specific work practice requirements; and . Prompt agency action following the promulga tion of this revised standard on the develop ment of specific new requirements for highexposure construction work involving removal, renovation, and demolition of friable asbestos. The above provisions are consistent with AIA/NA's chief objective in the OSHA rulemaking; to provide for the safe manufacture and use of asbestos products through OSHA regulations designed to reduce unnecessary asbestos exposures to insignificant leveltj and to protect adequately the health of all workers involved ; with asbestos. ; The next phase of the rulemaking will involve. OSHA's review and consideration of the entire hearing record followed by issuance of final regulations and/or any further proposal. The most re cent federal regulatory agenda. Federal Register of Oct. 22, indicates Mar. 1985 for "final action" oh a revision to the as bestos standard by OSHA. Science Advisory Board Comments On EPA Asbestos Studies At a meeting on Oct. 24, the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Science Advisory Board (SAB) approved a set of comments concerning two Agency documents on asbestos. The documents, a draft titled "Asbestos Health Assessment Update" prepared under contract to EPA's Office of Research and Development by Dr. William J. Nicholson of the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, and a paper prepared by the Criteria and Standards Division in the Office of Drinking Water and entitled "Major Issues Asso ciated with Health Effects of Asbestos in Drinking Water (Carcinogensis of Ingested Asbestos Fibers)" were reviewed by the SAB's Environmental Health Committee on July 24 (N&N July). The purpose of the Update document is to provide the health effects basis for possible revisions in the National Emission Standard for asbestos, which was first promulgated in 1973. The reviewing committee identified five issues for which the Update should more thoroughly describe the recently available literature, so as to provide more complete descriptions of why certain scientific positions and rationales were adopted. The CAP CO JEN 0012973 Page 3 comments stated, " In view of the deficiencies in the com pleteness of the literature review, the Committee did not look in much detail beyond these problems into the reasonableness of the judgements made." ' The comments first ask that the Update more thoroughly discuss the issue of the type of asbestiform fiber, stating, "As cur rently written, the calculated risks assume that all three kinds of commercially available asbestos (chrysotile, amosite and crocidolite) are the same with respect to pleural mesothe lioma at a given exposure. In fact, many scientists do not agree with this view." The comments also stress that "the doc ument could better address the difference in risk with physical and chemical properties of the fibers." Respecting exposure data, the comments point out that the doc ument gives greater weight in deriving a risk value to studies in which individual exposures were not estimated, as opposed to studies in which individual exposures are estimated. Such dif ferences should be emphasized for the regulator, according to the Committee, because any statistical bias in the description of the past incidents in which asbestos exposure was associated with health effects will be replicated in prospective estimates of risk used in regulating. The Committee also expressed that, "a risk assessment for lung cancer caused by asbestos inhalation is possible, but that the current draft document misses the mark, principally because uncertainty is not adequately expressed." With regard to mutagenesis by asbestos, the Committee commented 1 The document leaves an impression that asbestos fibers pro bably are weakly mutagenic, by citing a series of papers with positive experimental findings, but no summary conclusion is stated. In fact, more papers provide negative experimental re sults than not, but some of the negative evidence is not cited." Finally, the Committee also addressed the issue of the associa tion between exposure to asbestos and cancers other than those of the lung, particularly the question of gastrointestinal can cer following oral ingestion or inhalation, stating, "the EHC finds that current peer-reviewed evidence does not support the view that ingested asbestos causes organ-specific cancers." This last point was also reviewed by the Committee in relation to the Office of Drinking Water paper. In comparing this paper and the Update document, the Committee stated that "the two papers contradict each other on a very important scientific issue. ORD's Health Assessment Update finds a consistent asso ciation between gastrointestinal cancer and exposure to air borne asbestos, presumably from swallowing the inhaled fibers brought up from the respiratory tract. The ODW analysis does not reach this conclusion." On this issue, the Committee concluded: "Given the positive signal seen in some epidemiologic studies, plus well-documented evidence for the association between asbestos fiber inhalation and lung cancer, it is hard for the Committee to feel comfor table in dismissing the possibility of an increased risk of gastrointestinal cancer in humans exposed to asbestos fibers CAPCO JEN 0012974 f Page 4 from drinking water. Hbwever, the Committee consensus is that current peer-reviewed evidence for humans and animals does not support the view that asbestos ingested in water causes organspecific cancer. " Insurers' Groups Sponsor National Occupational Disease Conference A National Conference on Occupational Disease, sponsored by the Alliance of American Insurers and the Risk and Insurance Manage ment Society, will be held in Chicago Dec. 4 and 5. The purpose of the meeting is to bring employers, labor representatives, doctors, attorneys, insurers, and workers' compensation adminis trators together to consider occupational disease issues and the ability of state workers' compensation systems to handle occupa tional disease claims. Topics which will be discussed include the magnitude of the oc cupational disease problem; the difficulty encountered in developing the occupational disease-workplace link and the lia bility of the parties involved; consideration of federal or. state issues; and discussion concerning the possible courses! of future activity. ! A discussion of the critical issues in occupational disease-from the standpoint of the employer, employee, and insurer will be initiated, with the union view presented by David Mailing, of the Industrial Union Department, AFL-CIO, and the insurers' v!p presented by Gary L. Countryman, president of the Liberty Mutual Insurance Company. The magnitude of the occupational disease problem will be explored from the major impact and moderate impact views. The major impact view will be addressed by Irving J. Selikoff, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York City, N.Y. while the moderate impact view will be presented by Phillip Cole, Univer sity of Alabama, Birmingham. An overview of occupational disease's impact on the business community will be offered from an international employer's perspective. The effect of product liability, tort litigation, and worker's compensation on U.S. competitiveness in the world market will also be ex amined. The problems of causation in occupational disease will be ex amined by Shirley Conibear, of Carnow, Conibear & Associates, a Chicago medical consulting group, and by Merton Marks, of Lewis and Roca, a Phoenix, Ariz., law firm. Viewpoints on the question of who is responsible for paying disease claims will be presented by Kenneth Feinberg, of Kaye, Scholer, Fierman, Hays & Handler, Washington, D.C.; Bruce Eckert, of Pennsylvania Foundrymens' Association; Donald Elisburg, of Connerton and Berstein, Washington, D.C.; and Marshall Bennett, of the Mis sissippi Workers Compensation Commission. Consideration of a state or federal administration of the oc cupational disease program will be addressed by Sen. Don CAPCO JEN 0012975 Page 5 hjicklos (R~Okla) and Maine state Representative John Martin. The future of the occupational disease system will be explored fry Richard B. Victor, of the Workers' Compensation Research Institute, Waltham, Mass; C. Clarke Imbler. of the Alliance of American Insurers; Robert Steingut, chairman of the New York Workers| Compensation Board; and J. Donald Millar, director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Registration fee for the conference is $250. Additional infor mation may be obtained from Steven D. Millikan. Director of Workers' Compensation, Alliance of American Insurers, 1501 Woodfield Road, Suite 400 West, Schaumburg, 111. 60195-4980telephone: (312)490-8500. EPA Releases Asbestos In Buildings Study The Office of Toxic Substances of the Environmental Protection Agency has released a study this month entitled, "Asbestos In Buildings: A National Survey of Asbestos-Containing Friable. Materials." The study's primary objective was to determineI the extent of the use of friable asbestos-containing materials in buildings and the amount of asbestos in them. Previous estimates of the numbers of buildings that contain asbestos ranged from 5 to 45 percent. These estimates had an unknown degree of accuracy because they were based on anec dotal information or expert opinion. The reported national survey was undertaken to produce more precise and statistically valid estimates with a known degree of accuracy that can be used to support the Agency's technical assistance and regula tory programs. Accordingly, the study was designed to estimate the number and percent of buildings with asbestos-containing friable material; estimate the square footage of such material? and estimate the percent asbestos content of the material. The estimates were to be made at specified levels of accuracy, and estimates of their precision were also to be made. The survey was conducted in 10 sites, consisting of cities or groups of counties, chosen with probability sampling to repre sent the continental U.S. A total of 231 buildings was inspec ted, with about half being private nonresidential, one-quarter residential, and one-quarter Federal government. A total of 1,514 bulk samples were taken. Among the major findings of the survey were: . About 20 percent of all buildings have some type of asbestos-containing friable material. This represents 733,000 buildings. . Five percent of buildings have asbestos-contain ing sprayed or trowelled on friable material, accounting for 192,000 buildings. CAP CO JEN 0012976 Page 6 . Sixteen percent, or 563,000 buildings, have as bestos-containing pipe and boiler insulation. This material is generally limited to closed, restricted-access areas rather than offices or other highly-used space. . Very few, less than 0.5 percent, buildings had asbestos-containing ceiling tile. New Jersey Issues Asbestos Policy Report New Jersey's Asbestos Policy Committee, a group composed of representatives of several state agencies, issued its Interim Report to New Jersey Governor Thomas H. Kean earlier this month. Created in Jan. of this year by executive order of the governor, the Committee's goal is to develop a State As bestos Policy "which will provide a rational, uniform approach towards the management of asbestos problems in this state." A particular concern of the Committee is the issue of asbestc*s in schools. Dr. J. Richard Goldstein, Chairman of the Coramit!tee, noted that "in the past, the pressure placed on school boards has all too often resulted in the removal of asbestos which posed no immediate health hazard, yet required substan tial expenditures. The key problem was the absence of stan dards to determine what action was necessary. And. unfortu nately , unnecessary removal jobs can pose more of a risk than if the asbestos is left untouched." The Committee's report advised the Governor that low-level ex posures to asbestos, such as may occur in schools and offices, pose an extremely low health risk. The Committee stated that "the estimated lung cancer mortality rates due to non-occupational asbestos exposures were found to be about 1,000 to 10,000 times lower than the rates due to tobacco smoking." An extensive training course for asbestos removers and contrac tors is called for in the report, one that would require 32 hours of training; completion of a test prior to certification; familiarization with health risks; hands-on instruction as to the proper use of respirators and other equipment; and proce dures for preventing asbestos from becoming airborne. An additional factor recommended by the Committee is the "ac tion guideline" which applies a maximum permissible air level of asbestos in occupied areas of 100 nanoqrams, or one bil lionths of a gram, per cubic meter of air. This "action guide line" is 660 times lower than the occupational standard. This level is 165 times more stringent than that previously applied to the opening of schools. CAP CO JEN 0012977 asume some financial respopattuli- tyf far thouasnds of asbestos vic . iniicjraaSM.tjsj*,- tims who worked in federal ship -.. n. - * * ' .. . .^. r Tha proposed rules aleo - bav* ->4^ yard* during and after World War been under review at the Office ot~ theBrakes Management and Budget, and It I* uncertain, whan or If the White House budget agency will allow the ... SPA to put them out for formal 'public comment, moving them, doeer toimplementation. Tb* weekly newsletter "Inside EPA"- recently quoted "informed - sources"; aa saying that budget office analysts have concluded that the regulations'? potential public health benefits are minute com- By MYRON LEVIN, ' Ttma Staff Writer - -i - ' ; The review comet under -the 1981 executive order issued by.-/. President Reagan that requires.'- .... paredtotheir costa tp industry.The nswiletter ' said budget office sources maintained that if the rules * Oo the evening'new*, a moon-* . jnilied technician carefully scrapes asbestos off the ceiling of a teach* eta" lounge. A newspaper describes '. a fcnaer shipyard worker waiting. away from lung cancer. A profita ble. billion-dollar firm file* for bankruptcy to stave' off damage claim* by dying worker* allegedly exposed to it* asbestos product*. ' Incidents such as.these have left aabfitat--a major cause of lung cancer--with such a sinister image budget office clearance of regula- .- - - ' tiooa that could have a major economic impact. Should the office ., .- reject the rules, the EPA would . probably have to rewrite them or'' -. ; forget them. Nor-is the budget - t - ' agency under any legal obligation to act promptly--or ever. It has - - already passed its 60-day deadline. -- `Budget office spokesman Edwin `s./ Dale, while declining to discuss' - specific concerns raised by budget - office, analysts, said 'there are - "soma fairly big consequences of are cleared, the decision "may be a political' one, weighing wide-' spread public fear about asbestosinduced cancer against the rule's allegedly skimpy benefits.* - The rule sent to the Office of Management and Budget in May would prohibit the use of asbestoa in vinyl tile and sheet flooring, in roofing and flooring fella, and in asbestos cement pipes and fittings. Together, these uses account for about half of current U.S. con sumption. that a common perception exists banning ubestee, and I think itJust' that it was banned long ago. ' , requires a careful look.** He said the Sens# Casa Uasffsetsd . But while some use* of the mineral have been abandoned or prohibited, asbestos still Is found In many products handled by millions of construction workers, auto' me chanics and home handymen throughout the country. U.S. con sumption of asbestos, used most often in building materials and automobile brake linings to give them strength or resistance to heat, was about 217,000 tons last year, or nearly two pounds for every American. agency "1* trying to analyse the - costa versus the bepefita.. and I.'" '; han't tell you how long that review' wjll take." Ha said the office is.' .' aware of tha foreign protest but. 'thsthepouidnotsayiftthasbadan 'effect, 1 ' ` ' '' " Ia Some EPA officials said they'.. tirenY surprised',that the review-" has dragged on. 'Ed . Klein. , an ( .official with the SPA toxic Mb-, stance* program, acknowledged- '_th_a tHthe proposal* are "cootrover- . That rule would have no imme diate effecton other current aabea- ,' to* uses, such.as in roofing pom- pound*, wrappings wbettos cement sheets, industrial and auto- ' motive gaskets and seal*, in certain types of fabric* and in brake Un- -Ing*. } But the second rule would grad ually eliminate these use* too. It would halt, over a 10-year period, the importation or domestic mining of the raw fiber used to make asbestos products. (Most asbestos ftapaaad Baa Last May, almost five years after announcing that it would consider regulating the commercial use of asbestos, the Environmental Pro tection Agency finally completed draft regulations that would ban-, several categories of asbestos building products for which substi tutessre available. Tha agency also % ccsgjiated a companion proposal In. '.August, that wii4'phas.,.gua a^., Otbar sibaatoa usesin 10 year*.. - - .'Km the proposal* hate''drawn' heavy fire from the asbestos Indus-# ''try and several foreign govern-' ments. and currently are stalled in> ~ the federal bureaucracy. - ` Canada--the world's largest ex-' porter of raw asbestos fiber--and several European countries that "When you propose to put all or moat of an industry out of business "7.- they get very tgwet," Klein ' said. - Cathleen Mclnerny, an' official with the EPA office of internatioo-' ' al affairs who has taken part in-,, meetings between EPA staff and . officials from Canada, Greece and ' jpreat Britain, said tha delay has. fjpqt the agency in an awkward', tpoeition. "We've told the world '*: (essentially? that the proposed rule* iwere cjomlng out, she said. . k ,Whether the November election 'his Influenced the.Office of Man- ' jagement'and Budget's schedule ia ' ithp object of "endless speculations -around hero," a third EPA official -: 'ijjM-?.,-. , .V r. ;jT*refAakaewMceaMai.. ' fiber used in the United States comes from Canada but there are still three active UB. mines, one In Vermont and two in California, at King City andCopperopolis.) " Occupational disease experts at' the ML Sinai School of Medicine in.. New York estimate that more than 8,000 jgsbestos-related cancer * ' deaths .. we" occurring each year. . . among , workers exposed to the mineral'iq the past About'26,000. ': lawsuits have been filed by atbesto* worker*-.and their survivors -< against asbestos manufacturers-". and suppliers, prompting *t- least ~ - three of these companies--Includ- ing the giant Johns-Manvill* . -. Corp.--to file tor bankruptcy. ' '* - During the 1970*. the EPA and - . the federal Consumer Product manufacture asbestos products At * House subcommittee hear-'-, Safety Commission acted to ban the ' have filed formal diplomatic pro--' ing last month on echool asbestos 4 ' use of asbestos in spray-un insula- * _ tests with tiir. State Department. problems. Rep. James Florio (D/i ` lion and in patching compounds 'And. in meetings with EPA offi NJ.\ speculated that' the budget' " and artificial fireplace emberuing ' cials, Canada, Greece and Great office'it motivated by fear of any materials. Some other ssbesto* us- * Britain have denounced the pro further "acknowledgement by the cs. such u in hair, dryers, were posals as unnecessary to protect federal government at the risks - eliminated voluntarily or through.' public health and potentially posed by asbestos." Such acknowl-.' negative publicity. "1 harmful to thair foreign asbestos edgemeqt, be said, might increase market*. . pressure by the eabaatoa industry "cn the. federal government to' , - o v'<r- CAPCO JEN 0012978 In recent years. a major focus ot . concern baa been the prottea cf^'z crumbling ubettat insulation to'" ' schools M th* pomtble effect on million* of pupils,' teacher* andcuatodian*. Experts aay children may be particularly at riak/givea' the long time it take* to develop' **be*to*-related diaeuea.'^*^- -- Accordingly,, dozen* of achool diatricta throughout the country,';?; including the Lem Angelo Unified ~ '. School District, have been removing damaged aabeato* insulation . from achool building*.Such correct'- > live work Jua been voluntary but '- : waa purred by an KVA regulationthat gave achool official* until laat -. . year to aearch their building! and '."'-i ' to notify teacher* and parent* if - they discovered aabeato* hazard*.' v - Yet the'EPA'a lateat propoaai* ' - and the ensuing controversy have ' been little noticed. The general- impression that aabeato* i* no Ion- V ger in uae may account for the Jaaue'alowprofilei Another reaaon may be tha lack - of * federal reqmrement that prod ucts conLamingaabeato* beaoiden- * i tified on their tabria Even tbo#^. who aell auch product* are often unaware of their aabeato* content, with or without label information., UHam*FradaeU ' .. At one Lot Angela* home im- - provement store, for 'example, *- clerlc told a reporter that aabeato* had been banned, even though - - asphalt roofing compound* labeled - aa having aabeato* were flocked at) the shelve*. At a San Fernando Valley floor " covering atore that carriea prod- 1 - ucta by Kentile, a firm that uae* - asbestos in tome of Ua vinyl (lour - -- tiles, a salesman stated emphatical ly that asbestos no longer is use^j^v manufacturing such tile*. Scientist* an laduatrj^rtpre- " aeatativea agree that:a*:]onf **". aabeato* fibers do not become air- borne, the'material i* harmless.'i.i Spokesmen for the Aabeato* Infer- ;- nation Assn, ofNorth Americatod : Canadian diplomatic official* ftrea*. / this point in arguing that the... current generation of asbeetoa .'. product* is safe. - Flk*rB*tM**V*lik*ly - .. '1- They say that the high aabeato*'' death toll la a remnant of bygone day* when ahipyard worker* and " insulator* bad little or. no protec* '' tion against massive, continuous *' exposure to the fiber*. They cor'- ; ' tend that strict occupational stand- ` ` ards are In force today and that - mining,'fabrication, rhictarand dl*pfl**l. Tv 52`Sril 1 AsbettoiStiifotohrwthfi* - A* an example, they- cite -;ihe i Tha council last month petit hazards to flooring contractor* *nd-i"-"if~-'^. 'Honed the EPA to ban the uae of..:-' home handymen-who'"may'Mt>**to# in automotive brake*,. knowingly sand vinyl asbeatoatile*'- which account for mor* than 70% to create, a amooth "aurface foaintersw-. ot US.' aabeato* consumption. Tha ' ' Inatalling replacement" tfle or froop cited the riak of aabeato* j>r' pet. fc. /: tmrnat to 900,000 auto And bnk*^'T "TKt Mnrflnf nwwisr'HlieratjM *' HZ&M'L * mechanic* "and tha In significant quantities of aabeato*' -YiKiiaS alrborn* asbeatoa occasionally, fiber* and tn tome cases can con-: found In urban are** where there ia' -' taminata ' an entire. boated' . l**W atop-and-gq traffii.: WolfgangBranderfanEPAubeKf^'^-'v i *' ------ -;sWt-v . The council aaid that ;aeml-me-: - ' - tallic friction material* .'and ayn- - .......................................... ......... _______ ihetic fiber*, which are already '. Mara Edacatl** Urge# r^Hlja]Pws=jf.. u*ad in some brake*, couljl replace '- Induatry criUea argue, hdwevrr^^r 5S^f!,K^^0Ug!` ^ that auch occurrence* probably am `Jew*- " }ft<iu^fy `P0**** rare and can be-' avoidad1 by: ^ atepped-up Industry and govern-^u^y^ihepaUtioo. . - _> ' mentibacked education programA'^vA^'. Aban|i"notawi*eandju*tlfia-,i...'i `j, *''*' i.i ' 4/y bla approach when' a auhatance can .- be controlled," said RJ,Pigg, ecutive director of the induatry** "' ;. Aabeato# Information Aaan.To out-,;. ...... i ;;.snr ..- V' 3*^ ^.r. m` : : ?*r .. ?** * law aome aabeato* product* would-..-' ' > be "completely Inconaiatent with ..... r-< '" the international approach toregu-,, lation of aabeato*, which ia control:--ajT'r.--- vertua ban," he said. ' ..................--;-LOS ANGELES TIMES Paul Lafleur, counselorfor ooci-.' -_.v - OCTOBER 28, 1984' - mercial afiairt at -the. cnAt^n - Embaaay in Washington,' warned .,-.... . that a product ban would promote .. v' -. . "the development (of) substitute* ` ^ - /- very, Ivey, quickly,*^, before ad#v-..:..v.: quate tasting to aaaure that those. . aubstitute* are safe. '.. ; ... / /...Aabeato* would be replaced' many cases by other natural- and; ;'aynthetic` fiber* that- hav*: -^not;-... ;v;-. cc bean studied in depth, and almost- Srithout exception, are not regulat-"'.' 0>4',Piggaaid. "It it powihle, even -- Jody," he said, that these stdbwti--- ` - iitj* "would increase, rather than-'- iminiah" health riak*.; x .-.v i, The EPA approach to aabeato* .. -:-. . egulation ha* alao displeased some tnytronmentalixta, -Jacqueline' U. Varren, senior staff attorney with' ..: w' Pe Natural Resources Detente tiCoundl, said it ia "a disgrace" that ' v`' she agency has been unabte to taka '* iction on commercial ae time ]u*t keep# gaosibnegstboys.uandae:~'}r. ;mm i exposures Juat continue." aha.', ` * fomplaiaed.--' i. - - MJibeftoi it ' tightly-bonded ot' . "locked in" present-day product*,' ' making fiber release almost tapo*-: alble. * >t ' *li**t ! CAPCO JEN 0012979 6-s3*SS5Sf5| Sls^s- !s f0!,50 S --J j; 2 = e t 3t gS2a5 4U VK SB vSmS JC SJ h 5Ca 2o- Hg-0^|gm* !! j":s*su,--fl i#s*l!l eoo ;3XEv 3&;. Ss&* =csg"s ,nSBSfl: -111 SK-sr.i 5ajsii: S 8 Jlasgi !ilOB g^5-S=i--sv5" i!: "2eIIs-5SurS"2g 'ae-> ' 2 Q.X3-S&; i.2 SSJ8 * 2 o3 3 22J SSC2"SS! "SgLS.gs* ~2 S a gpu2 * *.5Sjw *- - ?e= < 3 * 31 2 SSi" a 8,5.1 Sv&3 fWKag eif jsls s 2li2*e=I ~1' vV/j SfflO s >: gc S5 8 g g j2 a* Su '!S*2 S'Sgs0 wls* T3 M >*0.0 sEsg-s S3r *illl bo _B SO -- t. -2 P.5S .J5Z-w5rl 3 Uai wSO |^gj V .s3-t5S**O- 5MS M 3 g* aau?nSnQtdo`2 S& iu^ 2a. s*. O S? n0+2 j*SVg2) lis*JoaS"*o-B> vfe^*".ioJ*55 3-H3a|g^go 52 o M o a| as3t r^Iitl -s2 IagkI3 Bs`SsiS ?"g2s5 Jg o c|fl2o1 ;|,&S2 S 3 E..S b &s CAP CO JEN 0012980 f `Modpl' forilToxic Suits _ ' * " By LEAH RYOUNG : '.'5* - the'participants for determining'it .3 the companies involved in the Ucill- Joumd of Commerce Stan . '*Vf -.' there is a proper mix of producing * ty.- WASHINGTON - If necessity Ir: "companies and their insurers to go. "This is not a charitable organic- the mother of invention, then history' '. ahead with the new facility. - tion," Dean Wellington observed, and - will show that necessity drove Yale " Both insurers and asbestos prodne-'.v the facility will not offer to compen-"'' Law School Dean Harry H. Welling*' ers "seem to believe that either the,;; sate those who were.injured by ton to invent a new facility for the - ' critical mass is there or they are very. products, produced by non-members settlement of massive product liabill-- .dose to it," Dean Wellington otK.i of the group,; ^ " \ -- ty lawsuits. . ' : ' i .served.- A victim could conceivably neg'o- The insurance industry may not wdeavnetlotopetdagtothedenaelwwfiathciliatsybbeestinogs.."!~ claims as a model, for feSFlhemUdel : will fail, but Dean Wellington admits that "quite candidly, yes," the facility . is designed to become a model for the handling of other possible claims concerning toxic substances. " What Dean Wellington has de signed is a facility that will allow ail interested asbestos producers and their insurers to band together so that With the announcement that Man-jv tlate a settlement with .the facility ville Corp., which has been .in bank-}' and then go into court against non- iuptcy reoganiratioo due.to project .member companies. Insurers would tions of massive claims against the try to;"fill the gaps" owed by non- company, will join the facility, Pitto^.-- participating insurance companies burgh Corning Corp. President John ,"' and then take actions to recover these Baldwin predicted, "Thera can be^ftmd*."'^ T littledoubt that we now have critical If the go-ahead signal is granted on na on the producer side prior to the :; ' Oct 3L the first order of business will conditional sign-up date m Oct 3L"^' be to_determine how to take insur-" Mr. Baldwin chain the producere'T'-ance files from various'companies involved in establishing the facility.;,^" and Integrate them. Dean Wellington W claims will be pursued against one His insurance counterpart, Aetna; ;-^^ v 1 facility instead of IS companies and Life 4c Casualty Co.'s vice president, :`-r-f The facility will then start wres- several insurance firms. John F. Shea Jr., predicted that tling with questions of how to obtain' The average number of defendants . In an asbestos lawsuit today is twenty, he pointed out There already are 23,000 cases before the courts claiming cancer or "Manville's participation in the tadll-. . .claims agents, how to allocate costs ty will certainly encourage a number"-^ for settlements, and. how to bill of producers and Insurers who'are subscribers.. "V'. . '-`t standing on the sidelines to take aThere are outlines that have bora closer look at the facility and what it .* developed so these problems can be ! ' . ro c . to other injury due to asbestos. Re can offer." ' r. * re.,'Vi handled swiftly, he added. . searchers at the Mt Sinai School of If the facility has an appropriate V " Dean Wellington was brought to .-O Medicine estimate there will be 3,800 mix of companies and insurers to go.!- the job by a group of insurers, *.<=> asbestos-related cancer deaths this forward, it will develop an organtoa-;''.'producers and plaintiffs' lawyers year and that this death rate will rise tion that would hire claims agents >--"wbo decided they needed someone ' to 10,000 annually by the year 2000. and attempt to negotiate settlement* ^innocent of their squabbles," he ex* The new approach to handling with those who can medically dochiiij, plained. The negotiations have been these claims is twofold. Dean Wet ; ment asbestos-related disease..-V .". `'under the auspices of the non-profit lington explained in an interview. On ' \ -To lure plaintiffs to usi'thei one level, the intent is to provide alternate settlement machanisms to' keep these cases out of the courts. On another level, if plaintiffs insist on lawsuits, asbestos producers and their insurers would win huge savings in litigation costs by facing these lawsuits with one uniform team of lawyers instead of 20, each represent ing the interests of one company. The cost-saving device ultimately' will be beneficial to those who suffer facility, the organization will permit T ' The insurance companies that those who can prove asbestos expo- h*ve already agreed to join the sure to register as such, so they will facility Include: Aetna Life & Casual- Hot be foreclosed by state statutes of.! ty Co. Bituminous Casualty Corp. limitations if they develop disease in later yftr>. The facility would not offer pentf tlve damages, but It would offer Insurance Co's, Continental Insur ance, Employers of Wausau, First State, Hanover Insurance Co., Harbor Insurance C.o., I,nsurance Corp. of compensation much more rapidly .-North America, Liberty Mutual In- than it could be achieved through snrance Co, Lloyd's of London and crowed court dockets. '. London Cos, Reliance Insurance Co, - ,V- Royal Insurance, SL Paul Fire Sc asbestos-associated illnesses. Dean "Litigation is so protracted," Dean" Marine Insurance Co, Zurich Ameri- Wellington explained, because it will, Wellington said, he is hopeful that can Insurance Cos, and United States preserve the resources available to attorneys representing victims will- Fidelity & Guaranty Co. * ' ' indemnify claims. = ' ' ' see the desirability of alternative''' ... . "~ o g- II A study released last spring by the dispute mechanism* which could be " ?r5f"fe" w*ch`ve Rand Institute for Civil Justice esti mated that the average plaintiff in an asbestos-related product liabilitylawsuit receives only S3 cents for every dollar spent by defendant companies and their insurers. arbitration or other methods of set- A c anl S Inc, tling disputes out of court, ~ Amatex Corp, Armstrong World In- "There is every reason. If the. ' dustries Inc, Brinco Mining Ltd, The facility to fair, Wellington said. to use it," * '. Dean '- ? Celotex Corp., Dana. Corp,. EaglePicher Industries Inc, Eastern Re fractories Co. Inc, Fibreboard Corp, --'r.v So far 17 insurance companies As the facility to envisioned, some the Flintkote Co, Forty-Eight Insula have indicated they will participate where in the negotiating process, the ' tion* Inc, Lac d'Amiante du Quebec in the facility, with Travelers Insur victim would have to decide whether -- Ltd, Maremont Corp, National Serv ance Co. the only large insurer that so be to going to accept the compensa- . ice Industries, Owens-Coming Fiber-, far has not signed on, Dean Welling tion that Is offered, go to the alterna glas Corp, Owens-Illinois Inc, Pitts ton said. . tive dispute mechanism or instead ` burgh-Coming Corp, Porter Hayden Twenty-three producers have file a lawsuit . Co, Rock Wool Mfg. Co. Inc, Shook Sc signed up, including the Manville The facility would only offer set Fletcher Insulation Co, Manville Corp., which announced Friday it . tlement to victims who could show Corp, Nuclear Environmental Pro would take part. that the product which caused the tection Inc, and one company that Oct 31 is the date established by Injury was manufactured by one of refuses to divulge its identity. CAPCO JEN 0012981 s -a KUS^liv TJ >e 6 e S JJ-glf Hs-iaia*aIf i2fHI- lillUlf J tfi |lfl!|if| I,?ilsli!t|iipif|- g JS S* S 2 ] !.s|-g-.s;s isf-2.ll village's schools .: i ; '.. :*. r-oMPi-r. Ridgewood .--Village schools are safe from asbestos, according to Dr. William J. Nicholson, anauthorityon asbestos-related health factors. He who has counseled the village through the state-wide asbestos problem. - Nicholson, Associate Director of the En- l" ;T'> i- Tirocmental Science Laboratory at Mount - j'? * -.Sinai School ofMedicine, reported his findlogs to the Board ofEducationatits SepL 18 work session. Nicholson was part of the original team : which identified asbestos as a dangerand a serious health threat. This summer, thevil lage resident was a consultant on an asbeh' tos study conducted for the village school ' district. He found that existing asbestos in ' the school buildings, found mainly in boiler ' rooms, basements and storage areas, isnot a health hazard. There are no traces ofit in the classroom.. . - The authority believes it is better to seal asbestos rather than remove it because of . the danger caused when the substance is -. disrupted. Village officials have bien sea. - ling those areas whereasbestos w*$ found. Nicholson pointed out that if 1,00(>people are exposed for ten years to asbestos in a heavily-exposed work area, 200 of those people will be affected. In schools with the worst asbestos problems, if 1,000 students are exposed for ten years, one student may - be affected. He said the level of asbestos fibers found in village schools is compara ble to the air we breathe outdoors. $ ' Superintendent of Schools Dr. Samuel Stewart said that Ridgewood is exceeding the law's requirement and is eliminating even the most minor evidence of asbestosrelated problems. Nicholson indicated that the problems many school districts faced this summerweredue tounqualified people removing the asbestos and other unqual ified people inspecting the removal. StgJ5aC:.S^SL!P-&'2<e. g a s-iS-g 2s=.3!! = !jki!" aSshSaSasss Asbeatoa will not be listed m hatardoua waateTiy thelgency, but EPA hope* to have a first draft of guidance for disposal of the aineral ready by the first of next year. Air pollution problems associated with asbestos disposal will be discussad. Another priaa focus will be prevention of grotfidwater contanination. EPA sources say, however, that this poses little threat since as- beatoa does not leach through the ground ones put there. EPA says it decided not to list asbestos after concluding that testing would rssult in aver kill with regard to taking protective setion. vIwliS5 a f l s 3-5 5.5 |3S" 8"~^5cL2* .sgfl^-g us 568-1 AIR/WATER POU.UTWX REPORT WEEKLY - " - C.S1 o* fi. OCT 1964 CAPCO JEN 0012982 r>'.' :r/^'y'C'-Z1;*-^':."V^~ <y?--'-< * - ' 'AsbCStOS TRENTON, Oct (AP)--Ns*Jar- tTwfflhaw;dtoo*hcaeuliouni>-'- tal standards far asbertos in the natter under proposals the stats win adopt by of asbestos removal," .the Governor THB tfBW YORK TIMES, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1994 tfat cad of the year,. Gavernqr Kaan sals. "And among those awe, the long- aid this week. ''* ''- it delay was72 now*-" , ^ <r -j-4 . . _--^---- . ------- -- -- -- :./4 .. ;<v >7-^ "The Federal Gorwrnnent 1st-not w,-'. v TTT--4fc*!** v&'fe':44 .. done wbatwe'ra doing here," Mr. Kaaa aid Ttamdcy. "No other stata baa. 'From now cc. New Jeraqr will be ib standard. We will now be the stata others win look to, Including tbs Fed* __ -J eral Gorennnent." ... - .. Jt-i The proposals were contained to as interim reportof theGovernor'sAsbeei, toa Policy Committee, wttdk was -farmed last January. . _ Mr. Kean said the proposals called ` far standards far airborne asbestos 680 times stricter than the Federal Omits. Theyalsowould requirestringent rags* lationa tor training and licensing ashesta$-removal workers. Te 'Xadoes Ctfiwlaa* The state will put the standards into effect, even though, the report said, tow-level exposure to asbestos poses aa eauemelr low health risk and the possflitlfty ofdeveloping cancer from dgarette smoking is up to 10,000 times greater then exposure to tow leads of Mr. Keen said the proposals "will redace qgfmloc, subjectivity by taBvid. ual inspectori and will help make sure thatthe mostappropriate eolation toan asbestos problem is chosen." The report also proposed that tfaa , tNHHV PM HKnMM ,,.v! -4*$:. i, health-:hazards presented .. . by their . .`.....A's4osteaatwsAakn.llwiea9aocvnogluroiet"lT-sneuuncuBteedpnuiAeromtehrdtgdnsaeArn,uesr"neuhdgoecnbLItrIgeetsrhfeemssiTedeloinrisaalelutdlnaIyossebhriogaMsreinCgtesuedtulabiylGyvadOasesiraoneeateaslnuskealyRussodbtsldtpidsnleotStnnrnaybEoelnpeegSetfgtdeatstrrheyOereda--otdseaitcahgeSssshstasCyeholTeStlteysbtsimserxTsSogh0hi4-,ilaerpa0.b,ahe7afiiuic'rcscdo'nwrteuetntmrusobepsah-sstlttsht1cnh-iauhiteaddti9nslholcgiertatel3nawiciegeieenooo0otfycoaes5itvs'nffnrboSencu,liieusiislrmouosannncerarmpthitocnifnndddn.plpMim-hmdsAmopsudalsdityaesannnrrdeitaiounbatinbnrngoneiirmbaecsntneeygsstars'.j--i-'--^.v.--',.'-I-"-ht-crcpfeOhmPbn"p-dhfa'bnaoocravrau"wueAiTciBuolrsrzserllecdeIeliiehmdm-aioyninltlivesalldogifhnuerlndttieotdudticeynuoescinselsnnrtiois,aCtas,rgytopdncCsgo.dimtlosntho;lt,oiwgsoh"he.yspsogograetue'rfoe,nreshyeopscpnncdsstbdlrmelraotLnt-nhsstopsoeee,obaingon,'c,td^iuNyvaclaltntaSl-lceanGaaor.yFfta-sSsaaeef^llrmiresgi"-JAtlienacmmlsbqui%-ceoinhcaoFpi,mutewanpt"ahnsnisiaefnsritugsanse.raooCgncstdhae.shM,nrdlnrialdoa,eatadkedbae-isGarlasbsdliap-t.bSuni:snr,yusnrb.ttClysgtis,enepbhotuilasolhaldoaastdepetiGtarieteruiiimndraiesnntnp*rsneyimuhsddtxs..tieg,oog.-a'ote^ppeksZhsdirrsiwOoaCs"aetdgdivtaae'aln-nno..T,,ipitwoavatsiinh'td.dsenl-ef.t-e.f7-f".-'....1.. .-!' C/5 m *0 ro ro - to CO X- State Health Department be the toed agency in coordinating asbestos re moval in schools and state hufVtings, The Stata Department of Education has oroseen toe removal wort to pub licschools, and theremovalshavebeen ordered locally. The Health Department is to have a larger role in overseeing removal, in The defendants "were, aware'of spm Co.and Wjc. uraiui & Co. should have been aware that asbes ...' In addition to requesting eompen- tos can lead to diseases thst are serf-, . sitory damages and an'unspecified ' ous. Irreversible, often fatal, but nev- ' amount of punitive damages, the suit crthelcss continued to- mine, ' asks the firms be ordered to perform produce, manufacture and sclfasbcs- -"all necessary asbestos abatement re tos and asbestos-containing products medial actions" in Maryland's public without any warnings as to potential ' buildings. = cluding evaluating buildings, sam pling, training and certifying removers A, - ' and removal instructors. Removers would.be required to train 3Z hours, in r stead ofthe current 4, aswell as to take a written test. The report recommended the Health. Suit Against Asbestos Firms Is Criticized as Political Department inspect schools requesting checkups. BALTIMORE CAP)--An offidaf of tbe Maryland' that it was filed to generate pohfidty for Sacha' The Health Canwniwtfoner. Dr.'J. Richard Goldstein, said that mare than 300 public schools had asbestos re moved last summer and thattheywere safe. He issued the assurance even though the proposed standard for air- Chamber of Commerce has charged that Attorney campaign for governor. General Stephen Sachs' recent decision to sue 47. . . Sacha defended his action, aayiug be did not be- asbestos .manufacturers and distributors for. $500-.. fieve the suit would hurt the atate and added the millioo was motivated by politica*',...' .. -. . decision to sue was not linked to political ambitious. Charles Krautler, the chamber's vice'president ` .Tf the' price of preserving the state's business di- bone asbestos is 33 times mote strin for pobifc affair*, asserted.earlier this week tiut the mate re to tie supine while big corporations roll over gs]! than the level used to permit the schools to reopen. The schools that lawsuit has damaged tbe atate'e bwsines dimate and. you, I plead guflty," Saeb* sakL were allowed to reopen would not have to meet the new standards, officials -=* said. Tbe proposed standards set limits of 0.003 fibers of asbestos a cubic cen timeter of air. compared to tbe current standard of 0.1. Mr. Kean said some schools had unneccessarily removed asbestos thatdid not present a'danger because the fiben were not airborne. He praised tbe Education Commissioner, Dr. Saul J. Coopermari, who conceded that his-de partment had failed to keep accurate records on the removals. THE WASHINGTON POST r*Ur. im* CAP CO JEN 0012983 1 By STEVE SWARTZ Capiul-Ioumal state staff writer. LAWRENCE -- Experts believe there are acme 25 million metric tons of the caremo te* asbestos i* Me the United States. Bow to deal with the wide-ranging prob lems created by such a massive amount of the material will be among the aims of a training center which will soon to be set up in the Kansas City area. The center will be operated by the Uni versity of Kansas with funding from a <225.000 grant announced last week by the Etatruomenlal Protection Agency. Karris Kay. EPA regional director in Kansas City, members of bis staff and uni versity officials gathered on the KU campus Tuesday to explain bow the center will work. Although the specific location of the cen ter is yet to be 'announced, Kay said be expects the center to be in operation within the next several months. The KU center will be one of three in the United States, Kay said. One is already in existence in Atlanta, Ga., at Georgia Tech University, and the other center will be in Boston, at either Harvard or Tufts Universi ty, he said KU was chosen to operate one of the three centers approved by Congress this year be cause its proposal was among the best sub mitted by universities nationally, Kay said. Max. Lucas, dean of KU's School of Archi tecture and Urban: Design, said that in addi tion to experts from the architecture school, the center will be able to make use of other KU experts, including those in the school of law, the medical center and other areas. - "The emphasis at the center will be on training," Lucas said. The center will conduct seminars for con tractors. school superintendents, homeown ers and others who may have to deal with the problems presented by asbestos. Lacas said the center will provide an in tensive, one-week, hands-on training session on hem to safely deal with asbestos and bow to remove it from bosKings. Wolfgang Brandner, the regional asbestos director for EPA in Kansas City, said asbes tos has been used for various things for 4.000 years, but it did not become wideiy used as a construction material in the Unit ed Slates until the 1880s and 1890s. One hundred years ago, it was used pri marily as an insulator around boilers In buildings and on locomotives. It is also used in mixtures for forming a lightweight but strong concrete, be said. y., Brandner said that in the early 1940s, the spray application of asbestos was first used in the quick construction of military ships and later used in construction of buildings. He said EPA officials am particularly coocemed about sprayed asbestoe and its flak ing away from the objects it was sprayed oo. : ' ' '* :- A body cannot rid itself of inhaled asbes tos, be said. Aftfrwtoi causes various types....:' of inrunhlr rijinr and is expected to cause' 200,000 deaths a year from now until the disease runs its course, Brandner said. said it takes 20-40 years to die from dis eases caused by asbestoe. ' t Asbestos has .thousands of uses and it is ' still being widely used, Brandner said It' does not bum, is not destroyed by acid and * does not decompose. He noted that if it can be made or applied ( in ways in whicb it is not harmful, it has positive uses in many trades.' ........... Center officials hope to instruct contrac tors and others not only how! to safely re move asbestos from buildings but also bow to use it safely. One of the KU officials who will be in volved with the center said be hoped to organize a national conference on asbestos in Kansas City during the current fiscal year, which began Monday. Kay said funding for the KU center and the other two will be dependent upon addi tional appropriations by Congress. However, he said EPA would not expect KU to pro vide its own funding for the center and added he expected the program to continue after its first year. "It is a significant problem that will go on for a number of years," Kay said. KS-044 TOPEKA CAPITAL-JOURNAL " (M) 71,000 (S) 76.500 .......................... OCT 3 1364 . ^ Companies andLocalBoards Sued By Jersey Teachers Over Asbestos By JOSEPH F. SULLIVAN Spacuj a IS* Nw VertTtaw - TRENTON, Sept. 25--The New Jer State agencies were not sued; the sey Education Association today sued union said, because the responsiblity 157 school boards and 125 unidentified bad been shifted to the localities. The asbestos manufacturers and contrac tors for the costs of medical checkups suit, filed by the Trenton law firm of Greenberg, Kelley A Prior in Superior for school employees exposed to asbes Court here, contends that the school tos hazards. "We have found it necessary to file fiu-h a suit, because many of our schools have proven to be potentially hazardous places to work," the presi boards and the "John Doe" corpora tions and contractors caused and per mitted the presence of asbestos "even though they knew that this presented a substantial risk of harm to the employ- dent of the union, Edithe Fulton, said. `We know that friable asbestos is a A lawyer for the New Jersey School carcinogen, and we know that it has Boards Association, Paula Mullaly, i<n present in many school buildings said tor yean," she said. "Those who have "If such a trust fund Is created to ' worked in these buildings deserve provide for annual physical examina- ' tlons for school employees, we feel the !>v care." costof the trust fund should be home by ~~~7 Friable asbestos means the-fibers the manufacturers of asbestos and not ' can be loosened andbecome airborne. by the local districts. We do not feel The suit does not seek a specific dol that local school boards could have lar amount. It asks for compensatory knowingly and deliberately permitted and punitive damages that the union this dangerous condition to exist, and said could be used for a trust fund to therefore we do not believe they should cover the costs of periodic checkups tor be liable tor the exposure." the 60,000 teachers, custodians and other school employees who could be affected by asbestos. The suit seeks to include all workers employed from September 1978, when the Federal Secretary of Health Educa tion sad Welfare asked all 50 Gover nors to assess the asbestos dangers in After reports this month that more than 100 schools In thestate would have their openings delayed because of in- complete asbestos Inspections, only I schools in the Fair Lawn and East: Orange-Maplewood districts had sign- fieantly delayed openings, the State J Education Department said. | their schools. CAPCO JEN 0012984 Studi as ;al ;& cxrcinoginicf pot.ntial oC Inceatei xaoelta ' level of one perbint for' their .lifetime showed no toxic effects end caused no carcinogenic response in male and"female Syrian' golden' hamsters';^ The diet ^inexplicably" icn 'amrnmd. ta enhance body weight gain'and survival;^ The tests vara.part of a major ' gwemnent program'. to obtain data of potential value in assessing . the suspected / risk from asbestbs;in .water^ supplies and other, sources.,-.,.^ >z. : tU\; _r\ ' ".-sJ; .flm> Technical Report Series Wo. 249, available without charge from NTP Public - ;.'... 2 5a * reformation off.. Box 12233. Research Triangle Park,JtC .27709. : Telephonet S19/-< $tat~3sw-$ . .'. .... . '"''"i r .-..|r^*K'T"^dsspw<A3r'' ;9 Canada pushes to regain U.S. asbestos market (- Ctrl ;/V: Or* State the use of asbestos has been sharply restneted by many govern /Asbestos cleanupThe technology cbnysnrts'the'ter-'//hr. ments because of its carcinogenic, tninaf hydroxyl group? of magne-//;_ properties. Canada has been Jesuits irTlawsuit byresearching ways to regain its posi- - sium in chrysotile asbestos into phosphate groups of fibers that arc./ rv ttor. in this market. Canada', one ofthe world's lead ing suppliers ofthe mineral, exports 'considered less dangerous. This -i-.-? treatment would slightly increase ,v..' the price also. ' ~ Ky. policeman 90 percent ofits asbestos, much ofit SNA claims the phosphate-V; .- to the United States. But consump exposed asbestos can be substitutedV . tion in the United States, which for all grades of asbestos fiber in COVINGTON, Ky. -The Cov- inefuded insulation materials and . industrial and construction applica- . . - ington Independent SchcXf Board roofing felts, has dropped in recent years to more than half of what it was 10 years ago. In 1983. the volume of asbestos used was 215,000 metric tons, says David Dull, deputy director of the Chemical Control Division of the Environmental Protection Agency. Washington. D..C. This was down sharply from the 1978 estimate of75 million metric tons. Meanwhile. Canadian asbestos lions. .... v' "We've heard about this treated asbestos." says Dull. "We're gather-/ /. . ing as much information as we can"; from the people who are making it '.: and reporting it in the United states." "- W Other substitutes for asbestos, . such as fiberglass, already dominate '. the market. Silica and other mineral products are also used. But SMA is so optimistic that they are already preparing for larger-scale produc- .. end the asbestos-removal com pany it contracted with to clean ' up schools in the area are being ued by a local police officer. ' David Finan claims he suffered health problems after breathing chemical vapors used to seel asbestos while answering bur glar alarms at two schools last August. He said no warning signs were posted at the schools. The suit names the school board; American Insulated Struc tures Inc., Blue Ash, Ohio; and mines operated at only 55 percetjt-60 percent in 1983. says Oliver Vagi; a>. mineral economist with Canada's Energy. Mines and Resources Department. Production plummeted from almost 1.5 million metric tons, per day in 1979 to 820.000 metric tons in 1983. The Canadian government has been urging the United States to modify its regulations since the U.S. demand is expected to further decline. The Environmental Pro- tion. - "By the end ofthe year, we hope ' to have the information available to .i proceed to construction ofa proper .. factory," says Jean-Marc Lalan-!' cette. SNA vice president of research and development "There are several ways to . approach the asbestos problem," ' says Dull. "One is to use a safer material and another is to use one that doesn't form dust or fibers. : We're skeptical in terms of the-: "unknown manufacturers and ' distributors of the chemicals and products used. . . ." It says thedefendants bad a duty to give adequate warning that the work being performed and the chemi; cals and products being used pre sented a danger to anyone who might breathe or ingest them. The suit does not specify a dollar amount for damages, but seeks compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, and dimin ished future earning capacity.. tecaon Agency may ban the use of chemical treatment changing the health effects, but we're certainly '- various-asbestos products-and fur ther reduce the use of others. In turn, the provincial govern ment of Quebec, owners of the open to being shown that it is safer", r 67A-1 AIR CONDITIONING. HEATCK8 ft REHUGERXT10K NEWS WEEKLY 32,000 Socieie Nationale de L'Andante-' . (SNA), an asbestos firm, has started a, pilot plant that will produce what they term a "safe" phosphate- - SEP 24 1984 treated asbestos fiber at the rate of I' metric ton per day. SNA claims the RS`--Seotmrroet 13M treated fiber lowers the health risks ofasbestos by reducing its dust out- PUL CAP CO JEN 0012985