Document B5QMyeNdZ2QEL5OBX0DjEy6xX

M. A. Curtner, 2-17 Thar* ara two elements to your request for lnfomtiM that , can ba used to convinca inauranoa carriars that the atbeatos;- risk ia inaurabla. Ona aleaant it tha evidenoe that lldioitw that aabaatoa-ralatad diseases ara on thg decline, and this - part ia diacuaaad in tha aneloaad document whlohexamlnesV aabaatoa-ralatad diseases* in general and tha bialotieal U ; a* principlaa governing thaai and reviews tha medical literature , on diaaaaa incidanca and morbidity and Mortality trawli'^' Thia material oan ba given direotly to insurance companies ainca it la baaic to, nnflaratandlng a^estOS-ralafcmffhaeitli7- rlaka.. ' *??> *->. ^-. The second elesaat concerns data. Iron Johns-) experience and tha ralationahip dfrthaaa data^to compensation and third-party eases." this part ia- da. more' difficult of tha two, and although you.bhvm-been vairotofcifio in tha questions you bava rslssp in your msec of 1980, oany of than cannot ba answered as.precisely .ad':. wish, conaaquantly I will respond to ydurquestlone in thia *^' nano and you ean than lncorpocataTthe Information aa fit in your diaguaaiona with .insurers* 2(h) 4yetts*wl$aM^a||> d.. _ _ ,,v _ of oda^' Explanation f^&id^^dTthO^,-^- basis foy tjta ata t la included id tha aapargtd do^uoantf; 'you'also ask that tho ata Answers of thiatype would too fraught with dangers. In this i;o is speak in trends. ^'*r.**t ir 2 (ii) you ask whether `the nadir efiavsuite la directly related to die number of cases that "are taediOelly dlegaoeed ' ah u-iag asbestos-associated." Thera ia ap auch direct relationship for a nuefcer of reaaona.i' first, tha approach in third-oarty litigation appeals to ba that of class Sotion. in ott.er words, cases nay represent several people ot large aurora of peoj le who were employsd at tha SSSM place? yet :.ot all these: Individuals in the auit will have aabeftoe: elated uiseaae. A. related factor la the clearly documented vi.iii.^uesa on the part of some Insurance carriers to settle s^cti cases for lessar monies than might be at stake should a case involving a disputed diagnosis proceed to tria&l*V . -> - M. R. CurtUtt . -2- rsoant verdict in lorn Angeles where a jury awarded R pltirtW with nonasbestos-related dlaeiss a 1.2 Billion dollar bsbtto--.'' Bant can only ganarata a whole now wave of spurious olalaa. Second. there is a general trend toward sulngfor diiaaaea which say be aabeatoe-related but for the aoet parthre'not - because they have e multiple etiology, meaning thscar-ggs-m-^ number of factors that edn cause -these diseases. AU does not apply to asbestosis nor entirely to meaothaliona, but it doee apply to lung naneer and chronic lung diseases such as' Bi>hyaM and bronchitis. There are many mcSBann causes for gastrointestinal cancer as well. Zf asbestoa exposore does * play a role in gastrointestinal cancer/ it la win Inal. _ .; j ~ e ' t * Third* a number of cases rspresent stignsta of exposure (pleural thickening, pleural plaques). Thsse stlgaata are merely slgqs of an.individual's having basts exposed to ' . asbestos; they are not signs of dlssasa. - y ;. - .ML Even though aany of the lawsuits ws sss db not truly rsflsct asbestos-related disease, this does not nseeseerily that "the number of msdiosl cases disgi related will be no more in ltO *han lh previbua years.* There is a greatly increased awareness?saoog the WMffsl,. public and in the medical oo--sanity of the poteotlsl hasards of oxcesslve exposure to asbestos. The through ths national institute. "has undsrttf~ ..... extensive educetiooal campaign durlhg tha past two inform both workers who.asy base been sqpoSUd bojb the past sad physicians' aboat possible health ifndtf. whila medical knowledge -about asbestos hssards ivolapff slowly* the accumulated,knowladga has been disseminata! rapidly during the. past fire ydare. - As a result, easing seme svidames that aabeeto-rsJafd-41ssaa____ overdiagnosed at`this time. ' . - " v. : .-,-s >. > Tour questions sboat. "adeerease is ths exposed to Injurious lavels of .fiber* can either that there hss bosa abedaetloola . people working with esbsstcs OK A rgdustido in levels. I have no figures or oven estimates of' __ aaLestos workforce, but Z cam demonstrate* a ` redacted*' ; exposure levels st asbestos-aslag operations. Included is. , the enclosed paper on asbestos diseases la Industrial hygiene ata from representative Johns-Maavlllo facilities during, .-riod 1979, which very definitely bovJ-)l's \ progress in reducing levels of airborne fiber'la our plaUfes ar.u that we arc- well under the currant OSHA atandard 0(1, fibers per cubic centimentsr of air. These reductions have occurred not only in Johns-Hanvl11s but throughout the >,irtan industry. The studies of Turrer-Uewall facilities in !.;.gland, referred to in the paper, also demonstrateeueh \ %' 4 reductions in exposure levels.' >i ? * . u**