Document B8nOm7pEqM0vRdaQBEop9J4zL

DR. R.C. PHQEXIX POSSCO IKC., U.S.A 2nd July, 1971. J.M. MACHAIR SUBJECT 1 ASBESTOS A m /1-57 J&/&J CR. K.E. DAHLINCm ^MR. E.J. JAOOX Dear Dick, you for your letter of June 2^th wfaioh I have Just studied on return from holiday. Your letter opens up s complex, end at the moment, rather ill-defined sphere of interest. In spite of a massive amount of work end a lot of published papers, the whole fiold of the toxiolty of asbestos in the "cold" condition is clouded with uncertainty, different bodies drawing different conclusions from the medical evidenoe. I think it is true to say that the U.K. has taken a'considerable lead in the study in this field, which has had two main effects. Firstly, %he Factory Regulations relating to the use of asbestos In industry are tighter here than enywhere else in the world. Secondly, the asbestos industry itself has set up various bodies to defend its own position and produce responsible counter-attacks to the scaremongers. The main suppliers of asbestos have formed the Asbestos Information Cocnlttea which is mainly a public relations function employing undoubtedly high-powered public relations consultants. This is a whitewashing Job. They have also given large sums of money and grants to an Independent body with no cosoerclal axe to grind, iw< the Asbestoeis Research Council, which is also sponsored to a-eertain-extent--by-the.Ministry of health. Following your letter, I re-oantacted Dr. Holmes who is the Secretary of the Asbestosls Research Council, specifically an this question of the toxicity of asbestos after thermal degradation. To be honest, the Information that he could give me was fairly but here is a snraary of it for what it la worth i a progressive degree of thermal degradation suoh that by TOO-g-the. asbestos fibres are converted into an amorphous mechanism'silicate, above 900C further structural change 'occurs leading to the formation of Forsterlte. Some work has been done at Cambridge University on injecting these minerals into animals and these experiments have not given rise to the harmful medical effects (apart from normal foreign body rejection mechanisms) that oocur with the original cold asbestos. This work has been reported' to the Asbestosls Research Counoll and any published references will be sent to us. There is continuing work along these lines, but again an animals only, which is duo for reporting end publication within the next few months, again this will be supplied when available. -s continued - rOS-C-O00032Bo5 FOSECO 1493 ER. R.C. WCENIX FOSSCO INC., 0.3.A. 2nd July, 1971. JW/K7J _______ I &lso got in touch Kith Dr. Alan Hodgson of Cape Asbestos Pibrea Who is oertaialy one of the world's technical experts of amosite asbestos. He oould add little information to that already given by Dr. Holaes except to say that the transformation temperatures in anoeite were slightly higher than those in oruoitile as referred to by Dr. Holmes. Following the lead of the U.X. Asbestos industry, I did gather from Dr. Holmes that the American counterparts have also reoestly set up a .taltad States Asbestos Information Committee. This is based on the offices of Johns Kannville in New York and they employ the P.R. firm of Hill k Xnowlton Inc. also of New York. Since this committee la vitally concerned with maintaining and increasing the sales of asbestos to industry, they could be a useful source of information in the U.S.A. Their counterparts in the U.K. do issue a number of helpful documents from tino to time end some of their activities were referred to in my Beading Systems Bulletin - Special Issue No.l. (with RWR/EJJ). You esk if there is any group in the U.K. that oould perform the sort of research that would help us to defend our continuing use of asbestos in hot tops 1 and here I must certainly agree with you that there is no known material at the moment whloh gives the same cost/effectiveness in hot tops as asbestos. I think the most concise answer to this question is that work is being currently dene by various workers in the U.K. under the aegis qf the Asbestosls Research Council, but like all experlmente involving gestation periods it takes a very long time to get any positive results. My own feeling is that to sponsor any additional research into this field is unlikely to be productive exoept on the purely public relations, whitewashing aspect that by spending ell this amount of mcoey we oould prove to our customers that we are responsible suppliers. When I get these actual medical reports, as promised by Dr. Holmes, I will send them on to you. I think that the evidence at the moment is that the degredation products certainly above 700C are not harmful, though we must be prepared to face the argument that the temperature at the back of Profax tiles in many applications does not rise above 400C end hence the breakdown products here will be borderline. The real problem is that since people don't know exactly what parameter of asbestos causes the hazards in the first place, it is impossible to eheok whether these are reduced or removed at higher temperatures except by these long drawn out and inconclusive tests on animals. Finally, I think that our best defence should be based cn the following t even in the U.K. where the Fact&ry Acts with regard to the handling of asbestos are tighter in their legal enforceability than anywhere else In the world, the regulations that impose the need for special dust extraction equipment ere based on both the concentration of asbestos fibres in the atmosphere and the length of time that worker* are exposed to this on a continuous basis. I believe that it is most unlikely that these concentration time limits are ever met in a steel works stripping area, though because of the exclusion of asbestos in all hot tops supplied in the U.X. it would no* be impossible to verify this faot here in England. I think it is also important to bear in ras-oa-aG2Bfcfe * -** FOSECO 1494 Eft. R.C. PHOENIX POSECO INC., U.3.A y End July. 1971 JWi/KPJ that if F.S. United had not taken this aggressive lead . asbestosoontalniag hot tope sight still be acoepta'ole within the U.K. steel industry. I trust that theso romarks are gelpful and look forward to your comments. I will naturally be happy to discuss it in sore detail when we next meet. Kind regards Yours sinoerely. J.M. HAOIAIR rOS--00-80B2Bfe7 FOSECO 1495